ADHD and Time Management: Time Blind and Now vs. Not Now

It's no secret that individuals with ADHD struggle with time management. "Time blindedness” causes them to be chronically late and miss deadlines due to the difficulty associated with accurately judging the passing of time and estimating how long certain activities such as getting ready in the morning or driving to school or work will actually take. ADHDers tend to have two time frames—“now and “not now”—which impairs their ability to plan for long-term projects and meet deadlines. For ADHDers, things happening “now” get attention while things happening “not now” get put on the back burner and may be forgotten or ignored until they make it to the “now” time frame. Once these items make it to the “now,” however, there may not be enough time to complete them.

Learning and using strategies for coping with “time blindedness” and the problem of “now vs. not now” can improve time management skills and are an essential part of ADHD coaching. Additionally, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that stimulant medication helps individuals with ADHD more accurately estimate time by increasing the gamma activity in the anterior cingulate and left prefrontal cortex.* Thus, medication can set the stage so that time management strategies can be more effectively used.

Together, ADHD coaching, stimulant medication, and a healthy lifestyle help individuals with ADHD manage not only their time better but also their priorities, emotions, responsibilities, and lives.

*Wilson, T., Heinrichs-Graham, E., White, M.L., Knott, N., & Wetzel, M.W. (2013). Estimating the passage of minutes: deviant oscillatory frontal activity in medicated and unmedicated ADHD. Neuropsychology, 27(6), 654-665.

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