Chronically Late? You Might Have ‘Time Blindness’

You know the drill: You swear you’ll leave at 7:30. At 7:28, you're still not dressed. It's 7:45, and you’re still frantically trying to find matching shoes. At 8:00, you’re texting “So sorry, traffic is wild” (even though you’re still at home and haven’t even stepped out the door). 

If this sounds suspiciously like you every time you try to go out and meet your friends, you might have "Time Blindness." 

Stephanie Sarkis, a psychotherapist and author with a specialization in ADHD, anxiety, and narcissistic abuse, said that “Time blindness is a difficulty with a perception of time, how much time is passed, how much time it's going to take to do something, and it can be quite impairing to people. It is a real thing that's been researched,” per USA Today. 

Sarkis added that people with time blindness have difficulty keeping track of time and estimating how long it will take them to finish a task or to arrive somewhere. It’s a condition most common in people with ADHD, but even if you don’t have it, regular people can still experience time blindness, especially if they have an impairment in the frontal lobe area of their brain. 

Aside from people with ADHD, those with depression, bipolar disorder, suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health issues. 

Time blindness isn’t curable with good intentions, and if you feel tired apologizing every time you’re late, there are ways to manage it: 

Use timers: Set alarms before you actually need to do something, giving yourself a margin or buffer in case unexpected things come up. After all, if you're just starting to manage your time blindness, you’ll need a few early wins, and “failing” right out of the gate (like your timer going off while you're still mid-task) can feel discouraging. 

Chunk your time: Break your day into smaller blocks and give yourself transition time. This tip isn’t just for those with time blindness; it can also boost productivity and help you avoid feeling burned out by the end of the day. That said, be sure to also allot time for small breaks throughout your day. 

Use visual cues: Analog clocks are often more effective than digital ones because they give you a visual sense of how much time you have left, like how many hours remain before you need to start getting ready for drinks with friends. Countdown apps can also be helpful (though they might feel a bit pressuring), and let’s not forget the power of good old sticky notes. 

Include “getting ready to get ready” time: If you're the type of person who gets easily distracted, or spends shower time questioning everything and having a mid-life existential crisis, then what takes other people 30 minutes might not be enough for you. So, consider all the little detours and pauses you’ll take while trying to get ready to avoid running late. 

Of course, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Being chronically late doesn’t mean you’re careless or inconsiderate; it just might mean your brain needs a little extra help processing time.