It’ll only take a minute…

We’ve all been there

Chilling out on the sofa scrolling through all the social media channels. Someone calls, “Are you coming for dinner?”, “Yeah, be there in a minute”…

Some people do manage to turn up for dinner at this point. For others, however, time disappears into some parallel dimension never to be seen again (timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly, etc.). Until someone eventually shouts, “Your dinner’s in the dog!”, that is, and gives you a heart attack.

This phenomenon combined with instances like never being on time, getting so absorbed in a task that hours fly by, or getting overwhelmed trying to prioritise tasks, frequently gets referred to as time blindness.

So what is time blindness? According to an article in Psychology Today, “time blindness describes a persistent difficulty in managing time and perceiving how quickly it passes.” It can affect everyone to a greater or lesser extent, but it is often associated with neurodivergent individuals (even though it is not an official symptom according to the DSM-5). For example, ADHD people may see time as “now” or “not now” but can’t quite gauge the distance between the two. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed, always playing catch-up and never getting ahead of the game.

It can turn up in expected ways such as: constantly being late, getting stuck in “waiting mode” and getting nothing done before an upcoming event, or missing work/school deadlines and important appointments. However, it can also show up in less obvious ways such as procrastination (which deserves a whole other blog!), impulse shopping, over-committing to work or social events, or being unable to set long-term goals.

Time blindness can have serious repercussions, personally and professionally, for an individual.

So, what can be done?

If you’re looking to learn some time management techniques, here are some practical strategies that could help, Please note: some of these strategies may not be suitable for everyone because of some innate traits of Autism and ADHD such as monotropism (this is where some people focus more of their attention on fewer things at a time, and changing focus takes a lot of energy):

• Have fun with planners! Whether you prefer digital or paper and sticky notes (I love a sticky note!).
  • Start by keeping an eye on your natural rhythm during the day.
  • Make a note of when you’re at your most focused and when your attention starts to wander.
  • Use these observations to plan your day, i.e., schedule important tasks during your peak focus hours.
  • Try time blocking – dividing your day into blocks and allocating each block to a specific task or batch of similar tasks.
  • Don’t forget to schedule buffers between activities so that you can have a reset.
• Colour code your calendar to make it easier to see when you should be doing different things.
• Use a time-tracking app to see how long activities take.
• Get creative with how you track time-
  • Try visual timers like an hourglass (real or online).
  • Use music and create playlists that last for specified durations.
  • Break tasks down into smaller steps to make the task more manageable – this can also increase the sense of accomplishment when each item is ticked off the list.
  • The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique where you choose a task, set a timer for 25 minutes and work on that task. Once the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. At the end of the break set the timer for another 25 minutes and return to the same task. Repeat this four times (so you’ve worked for a couple of hours including breaks) and then take a longer break. Tip: if the task is particularly challenging or draining and 25 minutes is too much, try making it 15 minutes with a 2-minute break.
• Make use of your phone-
  • Set timers and multiple alarms to remind you when things are happening.
  • Use app blockers to remove notifications and distractions when you need to be focusing.
• Find an accountability buddy, someone who can help you stay on task by body doubling, either in person or via video/phone.
• If it’s still a struggle and it’s impacting you negatively, there is always the option of professional help.