Why Time Is Different for Neurodivergent People: Understanding Time Blindness

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Whenever we brush our teeth, we are told to do it for two minutes. For some people, the two minutes come effortlessly. For many neurodivergent individuals, they may over- or undershoot the time. Has that ever happened to you? If yes, then have no fear because it’s a normal experience many neurodivergent individuals have.

Time perception is not a universal constant with many neurodivergent individuals (particularly those with either ADHD and/or autism) experiencing time blindness, a difficulty in perceiving time. But what is time blindness, why do neurodivergent individuals perceive time differently, how does it impact their lives, and are there ways to manage it? The answers are what I will explore in this post.

What Is Time Blindness?

A person experiences time blindness when they struggle to gauge time. For example, time blindness can kick in when organising your clothes because you could either over- or underestimate how long the task takes. As such, your clothes are either organised sooner than expected or take way longer.

This isn’t to say that time blindness is only about failing to consider how long a task would take as it comes in many forms. Some other time blindness examples include losing track of time, missing deadlines, procrastination, and not knowing when to start or stop a task.

Time blindness can also be viewed as a form of executive dysfunction since time management is an executive functioning skill. Executive functioning skills are what we use to perform daily tasks, like planning and organisation. Since time management is tied to executive functioning, time blindness can be thought of as another executive functioning challenge.

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What’s perhaps the most striking part of time blindness is that the perception of time doesn’t feel off in the moment. In the moment, time feels like it’s going by normally. Nothing seems off until you decide to check the clock and realise you’ve been doing X for way longer or shorter than you thought.

If you’ve ever experienced time blindness, it’s important to remember that it’s not your fault. Time blindness isn’t a moral failing. It’s a neurological phenomenon that alters how some people perceive time. You are not lazy or bad at planning if you experience time blindness.

What Causes Time Blindness

Now that we know what time blindness is, let’s look at four examples of what can cause it.

Executive Function

Individuals with autism and/or ADHD often experience executive functioning challenges. Since time blindness can be considered an executive functioning challenge, it makes sense that the individuals who often have those challenges can experience time blindness.

Hyperfocus

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Many neurodivergent individuals enter a state called hyperfocus while working. Entering this state can help with productivity as a hyperfocused individual is immersed in their work. However, hyperfocus has downsides like losing track of time. Someone could focus so much on their work that they accidentally skip a meal or stay up past their bedtime.

Dopamine Rush

Recent studies have claimed that dopamine affects our perception of time. We gain dopamine from performing actions we enjoy, like our favourite hobby. Unfortunately, dopamine can affect one’s inner clock and make it so they stay engaged enough with what they enjoy that time flies by.

Time Horizon Issues

Time horizons are a point in the future one can see. For example, if you have a monthly or yearly subscription, you know those are the points you’ll pay to renew them. Many neurodivergent people think in the here and now, so they can be time blinded by not thinking to the future.

The Impacts of Time Blindness

Time blindness can negatively impact our lives. Here are three ways how:

Difficulty Being Punctual

When time blindness makes it easy to over- or underestimate how long a task takes, it becomes difficult for a neurodivergent individual to be punctual. For example, you could spend so much time engaging in a hobby like reading or video games that you start running late for an appointment or date.

Impacts on Work and Academic Performance

Part of what makes punctuality difficulties sting is how it affects other parts of a time blind person’s life. Take school. If you turn in an assignment late, then chances are you’ll have points deducted from your grade. Through no fault of your own, you didn’t meet the deadline and suffered.

Relationship Issues

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Time blindness can affect a neurodivergent individual’s friends, colleagues, and family as much as themselves. If a neurodivergent individual experiences time blindness when someone else is relying on them, then trust issues can form. The neurodivergent individual may be viewed as unreliable when that wasn’t their intention.

How to Manage Time Blindness

Although you can’t control if time blindness strikes, you can manage it. Here are six tips for managing time blindness:

Break Down Tasks

Breaking down complex tasks into simpler steps can make them easier to approach and plan around. Instead of deciding to complete a massive task in one go, you’ll instead think of it as a series of steps to complete. Those steps can then be what you base your schedule around.

Track Time

Tracking how long you complete a task will give you a reference point for how long it should take. With this information, you can account for how long it takes to complete a specific task on average when scheduling your day.

Time Blocking

Blocking time allows you to build your day around sections you dedicate to tasks or activities. For example, you can decide 4:00 – 6:00 is when you’ll work on an important assignment.

Buffer Time

When scheduling your day, don’t simply build it around how long you expect a task to take. Instead, allocate time to account for tasks potentially taking too long to complete. This way, you’ll have extra time to work on a task in case it takes longer than expected.

Set Alarms

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When you know what you’re doing and have an idea on how long it can take, you can set an alarm to dictate when your allotted time is up. If you want, you could set multiple alarms to give yourself multiple chances to notice time’s up.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique can help with time management by breaking the work you do into intervals. This is done by setting a timer to 25 minutes, working on your chosen task for that timespan, taking a 5-10 minute break after the timer rings, and repeating the cycle for four intervals. After four intervals, you take a longer break and return to the original four cycles.

Conclusion

Time blindness is a neurological phenomenon many neurodivergent individuals experience. At its worst, it can cause important deadlines to be missed, strain relationships, and impact academic/workplace performance. However, through techniques like setting alarms, breaking down tasks, and blocking time, time blindness is a challenge that can be overcome as easily as many other challenges neurodivergent individuals face.

So, have you ever experienced time blindness? If yes, then feel free to share your story in the comments below. In addition, you can take a free neurodivergent test to see if you have a neurodiverse trait.

References

ADD.org (2025). Time Blindness: How to Detect It & Regain Control Over Time

Francesco, C. (2018). The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work. PDF

Fung, B., Sutlief, E., & Hussain Shuler, M. G. (2022). Dopamine and the Interdependency of Time Perception and Reward, Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews, 125, 380-391