Have you ever felt like there was some sort of evil time bandit following you around screwing with your ability to keep track of how long you've been doing something? You're not alone.

For people with ADHD, our relationship with time can be ... well, a clusterfuck.

From a brain science standpoint, ADHD affects the structure and chemistry of the brain. Specifically, research shows that the parts of the brain responsible for tracking time, planning ahead, and prioritizing tasks don’t communicate properly in ADHD.

These neurological quirks lead to faulty time perception, where time either slips away unnoticed or seems to drag into eternity. Tasks that should take minutes can consume hours, while deadlines sneak up unexpectedly, leaving us scrambling.

So, how do we navigate this temporal minefield?

In last week's episode of ADHD Adult(ish), I shared practical strategies to help you regain control over your schedule. A few of my favorite tips are:

Need to be somewhere at a specific time? Build in a leaving buffer for all those last minute trips back into the house to get things you forgot — because leaving isn't just a time, it's a process!

Use music to track time. I just love listening to music, so if I can add it to any ADHD hack, I'm probably going to. For time management, I like to use songs and playlists instead of timers to help me track how long something takes or when I need to stop.

One of my favorite examples of this was a client who struggled getting out the door on time in the morning because she took forever in the shower. Once she got in, she had no concept of how long she was in there.

Putting on a playlist that would last the amount of time she could spend in the shower helped her keep track of how much time was passing. And when the playlist ended, she knew time was up. She started getting out of the house on time more often, and also had more fun showers!

Want more ideas for tricking your brain into better time management? Listen to the episode here.

Prefer reading? Check out the blog here.

Cheers,
​Kim

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