Time Management for ADHD Minds

Do you often find yourself having a difficult time controlling how you spend your time? Are you working on an important task at one second but seem to drift into daydreaming at another?

In this fast-paced, demanding world, time management or being able to plan and control how you spend your time effectively is a crucial skill.

However, for ADHDers, this task can be especially challenging. ADHD minds are wired to think about time differently.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference that affects both children and adults, manifesting in various traits that can hinder organization and time management.

You may have an inability to anticipate future rewards or consequences, procrastinate, or become overwhelmed and distracted with all the outside noise. These challenges can cause a headache when it comes to trying to get things done.

If you are experiencing these traits, an ADHD coach or neurodiversity-affirming therapist may be of support.

Let’s delve into exploring more about ADHD, how it affects time management, and offer some strategies and apps for improving ADHD time management.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference and neurodivergence that is characterized by traits that fall into one of the three types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive.

The inattentive traits of ADHD include difficulty sustaining attention, forgetfulness, and struggles with organizing tasks or materials.

Hyperactive-impulsive traits can involve excessive fidgeting, talking, or interrupting others.

Prevalence of ADHD

Experienced by approximately 366.33 million people globally, ADHD is recognized as one of the most common neurodevelopmental differences.

According to the Centre for ADHD Awareness, approximately 1.8 million Canadians are ADHDers.

The prevalence of ADHD varies by age and gender. It is often diagnosed more frequently in cis boys than in other genders.

Does ADHD Affect Time Management?

Yes, according to a 2019 article, ADHDers may have a difficult time with time management. The traits of ADHD can create challenges that make it difficult to organize tasks, prioritize responsibilities, and adhere to deadlines.

Research has also shown that ADHDers may also experience "time blindness” or “time agnosia.” This is a phenomenon that involves having a difficult time with perceiving time accurately.

As a result of this phenomenon, individuals may have a challenging time estimating how much time is required to complete a task, or they may lose track of time altogether.

These time management challenges may impact your productivity and may make work, school, or home life difficult. ADHDers may miss deadlines, forget appointments, or find a rush to complete tasks at the last minute.

Moreover, not being able to manage your time effectively in these settings may lead to feelings of frustration and inadequacy (imposter syndrome).

Signs of Time Management Challenges

Time agnosia is not an official diagnosis. But it commonly occurs in ADHDers, and it can significantly affect your daily life.

The signs and symptoms of time management challenges can vary based on the person, but here are some common ones:

Getting stuck in waiting mode: Not being able to focus on a task when you are waiting for an event to occur. For instance, if you have an appointment coming up in a few hours, you may sit there stuck and frozen without carrying out any other responsibilities until after the appointment.
Losing track of time: ADHDers may experience hyperfocus and become stuck on one activity. This can cause you to lose track of everything else. You may arrive late to an event because you forgot that you had to leave the house earlier, or you may forget to pay off your credit card and experience large amounts of debt as a result.
Underestimating or overestimating the time needed for tasks (time agnosia): You may have a difficult time knowing how much time is needed for a particular time to be completed. This can lead to misjudging how long it takes to complete activities. ADHDers often experience missed deadlines as a result of this phenomenon.
Struggling to create or follow a schedule: Do you have a ton of plans in your schedule but have a difficult time adhering to these structured plans or routines? This is a sign of ADHD time management challenges.
Procrastinating: Procrastinating may be a sign of low motivation. ADHDers may experience lower levels of dopamine in the brain. This is the neurotransmitter responsible for feeling good. As a result, you may lack the motivation to start a task and wait until the last minute to complete it. An example of this is ADHD doom scrolling.

Causes of Time Management Challenges

There is no clear-cut reason as to why you may be experiencing challenges with time management. But there are several factors that may contribute to difficulty with time management in ADHDers. These causes include:

Changes in Chemical Balance in the Brain: As stated previously, there are changes to the dopamine levels in the brain of ADHDers. Fluctuations in dopamine levels affect time perception and estimation abilities. This can make it harder to gauge the duration of tasks (Fung et al., 2021).
Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria : ADHDers may experience a strong sense of emotional and physical pain due to real or perceived rejection. As a result, if an ADHDer anticipates rejection, they may avoid a task altogether.
Poor Executive Function: Executive functioning involves the mental processes needed to organize, plan, and focus on a task so that you are able to achieve your goals. ADHDers may experience executive dysfunction, resulting in difficulties with organization, planning, and focus. This may make time management and adherence to schedules difficult.
Hyperfocus: Hyperfocus involves the continued focus on a specific task or interest. While hyperfocus can be beneficial at times, it can also create challenges. For example, if you are hyper focused on an enjoyable activity, it can lead to losing track of time and may impact your ability to complete other responsibilities.
ADHD Paralysis: ADHD paralysis occurs when an ADHDer feels physically, emotionally, or mentally overwhelmed with the tasks and information present in their environment and is unable to complete the task at hand.
Working Memory Deficits: Working memory involves holding information in your mind for a short period of time and being able to perform tasks using the information. For ADHDers, difficulty retaining information can make telling time difficult. It can be challenging to gauge how much time has passed or how long tasks will take (Liu et al., 2024).
Emotional Dysregulation: Strong emotions in ADHDers such as stress or excitement can make time management difficult. You may lose track of time without realizing it.

Examples of Time Management Challenges in Real-Life Situations

ADHDers may experience unique challenges with time management. Time management challenges can manifest in various aspects of life. Here are some examples of how time management challenges may show up for you:

Misjudging Deadlines: You have a project due tomorrow at school. You might feel as if you have more time to complete a task than you actually do. As a result, you work at a slower pace than what is needed and you fail to meet the deadline for the project.
Getting Stuck While Waiting: You have a medical appointment at the end of the day. The thought of the appointment and the waiting period causes intense anxiety. As a result, you feel unable to do anything productive while waiting for this appointment.
Making Impulsive Decisions: You make a run to the grocery store to pick up some fruits. This trip to the grocery store extends to an hour long trip because you make an impulsive decision to shop for other items.

Recognizing these challenges is the first step to understanding how you can support yourself using time management tools and strategies.

ADHD Time Management Strategies

Managing your time can be particularly challenging when living with ADHD, as the brain processes tasks and perceives time differently. However, experts have identified various strategies to help improve time management skills for ADHDers. Here are some effective techniques to consider:

Break Tasks into Chunks

One of the easiest ways to make a task feel less overwhelming is to break the task into chucks.

Let’s face it: if you are sitting here looking at a massive task that you have to complete, the urge to procrastinate may set in. You may procrastinate due to feeling overwhelmed or a lack of motivation.

Taking this large task and breaking it into smaller, more manageable chunks can relieve the feeling of being overwhelmed.

For instance, if you're faced with a large project like writing a blog on ADHD, consider breaking it down into specific sections:

ADHD Defined
Types of ADHD
Traits of ADHD
Strategies for ADHD

This approach allows you to concentrate fully on one component at a time. You can also foster a sense of accomplishment as you complete each part. This method also enhances focus, preserves your attention span, and creates momentum to keep moving forward with your tasks.

Make a Plan

Make a plan that designs your schedule around your attention span.

First, notice how long you are able to maintain attention on a task. If you notice that you can maintain focus for around 20 minutes at a time, structure your tasks accordingly.

For example, you could set a timer for 20 minutes to work on a task, followed by a 5-minute break to refresh your mind. This method of working and then taking breaks is known as the Pomodoro Technique. It could help manage distractions while ensuring that you do not feel overwhelmed.

Additionally, you may also want to plan ahead by meal planning or setting out clothes for the next day. This can ease morning stress and streamline your day.

Try Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT was originally designed for borderline personality disorder, but it is recognized for its applicability in a variety of contexts, including with ADHD.

The focus on improving time management would be on building emotional regulation skills and enhancing mindfulness so that you are able to manage sensory sensitivities as you work on important tasks.

This therapeutic approach will teach you skills that can help you prioritize tasks by enhancing your awareness of how urgent or important they are. DBT also encourages mindfulness so that you are able to focus on crucial tasks instead of diverting to simpler, less stressful activities.

Create Habits and Routines

For some ADHDers, establishing a routine may make it easier to keep track of your responsibilities, which can lead to better time management and productivity.

Some of these routine behaviors could include:

Scheduling appointments in the morning so that you don’t have to be stuck in waiting mode
Using a prioritization matrix, so that you get the most urgent and important tasks completed first.
Maintaining reminder apps on your phone to keep track of deadlines

You may also wish to create morning and evening routines that can help anchor your day.

A simple morning routine might include brushing your teeth, taking medication, and enjoying a cup of coffee. Similarly, night can focus on winding down for the day or preparing you for the following day.

By engaging in consistent routines, this may support memory retention, minimize forgetfulness, and program your mind to expect specific actions at particular times.

Have a Place for Everything

Executive dysfunction in ADHDers may cause you to lose track of where you place things that you need to complete a task, which can make time management challenging.

Staying physically organized is essential for effective time management. You could implement systems in your home or workspace to ensure that items are stored in designated areas.

For instance, if you consistently place your keys in a bowl near the front door, make it a habit to return them to that bowl after each use.

This practice reduces time spent searching for lost items and contributes to a more organized life. You are able to focus on tasks rather than distractions.

Modify Your Work Environment

The ADHD mind is one that often gets distracted. Even the smallest of noises can cause you to lose focus.

To manage these distractions, you could create an optimal work environment to enhance your focus and productivity.

Ask yourself where you are most effective, and adjust your surroundings to minimize distractions. Silence your phone notifications or decluttering your workspace.

Use the Past

Get yourself through a current situation by reflecting on how you did so in the past.

Based on past situations, how did you get yourself out of a pickle when you were in one? What actions did you take to overcome the challenges you were facing?

Now, use the answers to these questions as your guide to getting your current responsibilities completed.

Use the STOP Technique

Continuing to try to complete a task when you are feeling overwhelmed is likely not a good idea. Instead, the STOP technique is a mindfulness-based technique that helps you to slow things down and become centered before proceeding.

The steps to this DBT technique involve:

Stop what you are doing
Take a step back and give yourself some time to calm down
Observe your surroundings and try to understand why you are feeling overwhelmed. Gather the relevant facts so that you understand your options.
Proceed mindfully by making decisions based on what you want from the situation and how your actions will impact your goals.

ADHD Apps for Time Management

Technology could help to serve as a tool for managing your time. There are numerous apps designed to support time management. Here are some popular options:

Todoist: This task management app allows users to create to-do lists, set deadlines, and organize tasks by projects.
Trello: Trello utilizes boards and cards for task and project management.
Quabble – Helps track emotional triggers and build healthier communication patterns.
Focus@Will: Curated music to help improve concentration and productivity.
Forest: Gamify staying focused. Users "plant" a virtual tree when they start a task, and the tree grows as they maintain their focus. If they exit the app, the tree dies, motivating users to stay on task.
Google Calendar: A reliable tool for event scheduling and reminders
RescueTime: This app tracks how much time is spent on various websites. This data can help users identify where improvements are needed.
TickTick – Combines a to-do list with Pomodoro and habit tracking.
Eisenhower Matrix Apps (Prioritization Tools) – Helps categorize tasks by urgency and importance: