People with ADHD are Time Blind.
Ned Hallowell once said that we know only two time zones, the Now and the not Now.
This aspect of our ADHD can easily snowball into a huge problem for us and for those around us.
It creates a lack of focus, low motivation, distraction, overwhelm, procrastination and anxiety. Virtually, a whole constellation of ADHD Traits, all set off by our Time Blindness and the extremes of Now and Not Now thinking.
Like so many of the issues we face, Time Blindness is an executive function or E.F. impairment. Like all of humanity, we cannot ‘feel’ or ‘see’ chronological time passing (unless we happen to live inside of Big Ben). Add the ADHD minds innate inattentiveness, propensity for hyper-focus, lack of self-awareness and we have the perfect storm to ignite the Now and Not now thinking that gets us into so much trouble.
Unless we fully understand how and why this happens to us, we risk staying stuck in an overwhelmed stasis, becoming more and more anxious and helpless by the minute. The good news is, like so many of our traits, there’s plenty we can do to break the spell of Time Blindness and the Now and not Now thinking.
But First Let’s Get to the Why and How of it.
All information comes to our ADHD minds as one massive Terabyte of data, to be able to function well and make use of this gigantic download without shutting down, we need a system to take all the incoming information and externally Sort, Chunk, Prioritize, Organize and Plan and then figure out how to work our way through it all.
With our limited E.F. skills, it’s simply not possible to do all of those complex, hierarchical and time sensitive E.F. tasks cognitively. If and when we try, we’re rendered catatonic with overwhelm.
What We Need.
What’s needed is what Dr. Russel Barkley would call a prosthesis and what Jessica McCabe would call a bridge. Essentially something that spans the gap between what we want to do and what we’re able to do.
Yes, I’m afraid that does mean that every single one of us, no matter how rebellious, disorganized, genius, bohemian, creative or intelligent, MUST have and USE calendars, journals, planners, to-do lists, excel sheets and so on.
If we don’t, we’ll seriously limit our capacity and ability to get stuff done and remain Blind to Time and stuck in stasis.
The Resistance.
As you already know if you’re ADHD or love someone who is, we often adamantly, rebelliously and oppositionally resist using external tools like calendars or lists. We cannot seem to comprehend how these basic tools could possibly help.
They either seem too simplistic, too fussy, too finicky and superfluous or else we tried them before and they didn’t work, so we gave up.
The clients I work with are exactly the same way, as am I, so I get it, but I also now know the feeling of freedom on the other side of that resistance. I know how worthwhile it is to discover which systems work best for your needs. I know that when you find the right systems for you, they not only Make Time Visible, but breaks down across time making even complex, challenging or utterly audacious or impossible seeming goals, possible!
The Unique Needs of ADHD Minds.
If you’ve read any of my other emails or Blogs, you might know I don’t typically advocate for any one system over another.
That’s because I’ve learned that each person is unique in their strengths, learning styles and motivation types, with a unique set of needs. So be prepared, as it will take some trial and error to find systems that work well for you. These could be something that’s already in existence or else (like so many ADHD innovators before you) you may just have to create your own!
Which brings me to one of my all time favourite quotes…
“I must Create my Own System or Forever be Enslaved by Another Mans“
–William Blake
Having said that, I do know some systems which I and my clients have and do use that seem ‘generally’ to work for our kind of minds, so I’ll share a few of my favourites (with the caveat that you, adapt hack and tweak them, to make them your own).
What an ADHD Friendly System Needs to do for you.
We need to be able to get whatever’s in our heads out on a page or space somewhere-anywhere! So it can then be seen, manipulated, broken down and organized across time.
So anything Vertical, Visible or Visual is great.
This could be as simple as a notebook, a mind map, flip charts, a wall calendar, a Google Calendar, a word document, post its, a white board or whatever works for you!
(the systems that work for you specifically often depend on whether you’re a visual or tactile learner, or whether you’re motivated by discussion, logic or contextual flowing images).
We also need Audible, Interesting, Interrupting and Stimulating.
(think reminders, bells, chimes, ticking clocks, timers, vibrate alerts or music).
Don’t limit yourself to one type of system either. When something does work or even when it doesn’t, ask yourself;
“Why does this particular system work or not work for me?”
(the answer tells you what your specific and unique needs are and can then be applied to other systems).
Some of my own Systems.
I use several systems for different things.
I like Google Calendar for daily stuff, but large Wall Calendars for planning programs, workshops and Coaching groups so I can see the larger time spans at one time. I like the Bullet Journal for daily dumping of anything that occurs to me (so it’s all in one space versus loose papers or post its), but I also need a large A4 pad to roughly dump ideas and sort through information as with mind maps, timelines or workflow formats that show tasks across time.
I also love to use visuals like Slides and/or Canva or even infographics for when I’m getting stuck with words or data and just need to zoom out and get the big picture.
I also love large flip charts with fat pens again for when I need big picture thinking.
For Time Blindness specifically for staying on track for what I’m supposed to be doing, I like to wear a watch, have a clock in all my rooms, create specific time blocks for specific tasks and I use self-generated milestones, due dates and deadlines to help me reach targets. I like to set weekly goals, keep weekly habits and have monthly and quarterly check ins with my assistant to make sure we are staying on track for the goals we set ourselves.
It’s been a long and sometimes crazy making process to find these systems, but I can say now that it’s all been so very worth it, as these systems give me the bandwidth and the ability to follow through on practically all of my goals.
They’ve literally made Time Visible for me, making the Now and Not Now thinking of the past disappear into the Ether!
Do you have Systems for Making Time Visible?
If not, I’d like to invite you to just start somewhere and see what happens. Tweak them, Hack them, Make them your own.
Don’t be afraid to be unconventional.
Give yourself permission to do things your own way, knowing that if it works for you, Makes Time Visible and the Now and not Now thinking disappear, that’s all that counts.