If you’re anything like me, you juggle tasks like a circus performer. How often do you drop a task? Do you forget to run an important errand? Do you arrive on time for a meeting, except the meeting is the following week?

There are different kinds of tasks. Some tasks have to be done at a specific start and end time. Some tasks have to be done in a specific place or within a span of time. Some tasks are more time consuming than others.

How do our brains make sense of time? Our brains have an internal clock which tells us how much time has passed. This internal clock tells us when to speed up, start a new plan, and how to prioritize our time. Most people can create a schedule and make adjustments when tasks take more or less time than planned.

This internal clock doesn’t work well for people who have executive function deficits.

People with executive function difficulties might:

• Hyperfocus on a specific task and forget to do others
• Lose track of time when we’re having fun.
• Feel like time is dragging along when we’re doing tasks that are repetitive and boring.

How does our brain process time? We have to hold the task in our working memory and maintain awareness of time passing as we do it. We have to estimate with some accuracy how long something will take. We plan ahead to include time to park or visit the restroom when we go to an appointment. It’s important to prioritize which tasks have to be done and which are less important. When we run late, we have to judge whether to keep going or drop some tasks to free time for sleep. We might forget important details when we’re rushed. Our brain has to activate several executive functions to do all these tasks.

Here are some tips for managing our time successfully:

• Put clocks all around the house and office
• Wear a watch
• Use a timer that makes noise or buzzes
• Use an app to limit time spent watching videos or playing games
• Connect your schedule to someone else’s so they can help you manage your time
• Write down your schedule the day before and make adjustments as needed during the day
• Include time for transitions
• Follow someone else’s schedule
• Estimate how long you expect tasks to take and add an extra 50% extra time to your estimate
• Reward yourself when you successfully meet your own expectations
• Remember to be flexible when a strategy isn’t working.

Thank you to Ari Tucker for his very helpful workbook:

Tuckman, A. (2012). Chapter 7 Sense of Time: It Can’t Be 5:00 Already! In A. Tuckman, PsyD, MBA, Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions Workbook (pp. 59-78). Plantation, FL: Specialty Press.