ADHD Executive Functions Series: Let’s Talk ADHD & Time Management

Almost every conversation about ADHD involves the discussion about Time Management!

Time Management is an Executive Function and like a few of the other Executive Functions, Time Management is foundational to everything ADHD!

Russell Barkley has coined ADHD as “Time Blindness”. When he discussed Time Management struggles, he indicates that brains that have ADHD do not experience the passage of time like other brains do. They often don’t have a sense of urgency. 5 minutes vs. 5 hours is not something their brain comprehends in reality.

When working with individuals that have ADHD, they often don’t have a concept of urgency or being late. They have many inaccurate thinking patterns around time. Many believe that they can cram one more thing in before it’s time to go so you’ll hear frustrations expressed by their partners that 5 minutes before it’s time to head out the door, they’re just getting into the shower. They have trouble estimating time – how long something will take, can I do that in the time window that I have? They are often late for events, work or school. For many individuals with ADHD, time is a concept of “Now or Not Now.”

For many kids in middle school and high school, this impacts their ability to manage their assignments, if it’s not due tomorrow, then it’s “not now” and they lose it from their consciousness. This makes many individuals with ADHD very spontaneous and able to “live in the moment” and it impacts their ability to plan, to manage longer term goals and assignments and to manage their life commitments such as appointments, time out with friends and family activities.

Time Management issues and inaccurate thinking can also take the form of feeling like something is going to take “forever” so they get overwhelmed and can’t start. They have difficulty breaking down a task into smaller more manageable tasks and accurately estimating how each of those tasks will take.

Time Management can impact every aspect of an individual’s life and how you develop these skills and habits is often important to your success in relationships, work and school. Time Management struggles also impact an individual’s ability to finish projects, to set long-term goals and take steps to complete these goals over time. A person’s organization system often sits on top of a calendaring system. Calendaring and time management go hand in hand and often these are struggles for individuals with ADHD.

When we’re working with individuals with this executive function deficit, we talk through how to make time visible, how to practice estimating – how long will something take – and checking their estimations – how long did it actually take and how to set up and maintain an external system that can help them manage their time and tasks.

Time Management impacts every area of your life and inaccurate thinking around time takes time to practice and progress!

If you live with someone who struggles with Time Management, let me know! There are ways to help!  Click here to start the conversation!

Judy Richardson-Mahre, MA, ADHD-CCSP
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
ADHD Expert & Coach
Parent Coach
Educator
612.930.3903