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Do you find it hard to be on time for a meeting or an appointment? Do you get distracted easily? Are you often late or tight on meeting deadlines?
If any of the above sounds familiar to you, you might be time blind. Learn what it means and how you can tackle time blindness!
What is time blindness?
Time blindness means the difficulty of capturing a sense of time. Time blindness could show up as:
Losing track of time
Acting impulsively
Getting bored easily
Procrastination
Photo by Sonja Langford on UnsplashIt could have different impacts on your life, such as:
Being constantly late for events or meetings
Difficulty completing school/work tasks on time
Missing important deadlines for school/work
Being mislabeled as "lazy"
How can I manage time blindness?
Time blindness might be a sensory issue, but that doesn't mean you can't improve your time management skills! There are small steps you can take to better manage your time.
Make a To-do List
It can be overwhelming when you don't know how many tasks you have to complete. A to-do list can help you visualize or make sense of what's on your plate.
Prioritize
Sometimes you have a lot going on, and that's okay! Try prioritizing tasks based on criteria like this:
Importance of the tasks
Deadlines associated with these tasks
Time and effort required to complete them
Find Your Focus Time and Break Routine
Everyone has a certain time of the day when you can focus the most. That's a great time for you to get a lot done! Identify your focus time and build your schedule around it.
Managing time blindness isn't about working extra hard to get things done. Taking the right amount of breaks at the right time can help you make the most out of your focus time.
Quiz
Which of these are NOT good behaviours for managing time blindness? Choose all that apply.
To-do lists, prioritization, and a healthy work routine are important for tackling time blindness. It's not about exceeding your physical capability or forcing multi-tasking.
Are there any tools that will help me?
Glad you asked! Technology is a great friend when it comes to handling your time blindness.
Time Trackers
Time trackers allow you to better understand how much time you spend on particular activities.
Focus Apps
Most focus apps will block certain apps/websites for a given period of time for you to focus on your tasks.
To-do Lists
If you're not a good old paper to-do list type, you can also use those planning apps.
Quiz
True or false? "It's embarrassing to be time blind, and I should rely only on myself or online tools to handle it."
There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! You don't choose to be time blind, and it's more than okay to ask for support from your family and peers. 🙂
What if none of the above is helping?
If you try all the strategies and it's not helping you much, it might be time for you to seek professional support. Time blindness can be a symptom related to neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD or autism.
You might also want to consider hiring a professional coach or joining a support group.
Neurodiverse-affirming therapists can help you understand your situation and identify the best next steps. Remember, it's always a good thing to seek support, never something to be ashamed of. 🙂
Take Action
If you're ready to take steps to tackle time blindness:
This Byte has been authored by
Yumiko Mizuno
Multilingual Team Lead
BA