There are numerous reasons why people with ADHD struggle with time

Time Management

Hadassah Eventsur

IN past articles, I explained how people with ADHD struggle with time management because they have difficulty noticing and feeling the passage of time. They can’t accurately predict how long activities will take to complete or how much time to leave in their schedules to complete them.

There are numerous other reasons why people with ADHD struggle with time. The first skill that affects time management is the ability to regulate attention. When someone has difficulty with this skill, they’re easily distracted, which can cause them to veer off course. Picture going to the supermarket for milk and leaving with three new couch pillows, but no milk. When their attention is pulled to a more interesting activity, they can forget what their original intention was, making tasks take longer to complete.

On the other end of the continuum of attention regulation deficiencies is the tendency to hyperfocus on activities of interest. When in a state of hyperfocus, people with ADHD don’t notice the passage of time. Boredom can make five minutes feel like forever, but an engaging activity can make five hours feel like five minutes. In some situations, they may forget to eat, drink, or even sleep when absorbed in an interesting activity or project. In a state of hyperfocus, they can neglect many tasks of daily life, affecting their ability to manage their time effectively.

Another contributor to poor time management is working memory deficits. Working memory is the ability to hold information temporarily in our heads. We use working memory for activities such as remembering a few items at the supermarket, following steps to a recipe, or keeping track of a few errands. Every time we forget one or more of these things, it leads to delays in completing care tasks.

People with ADHD sometimes rely on the emotional part of their brain to help them manage life’s tasks. This can manifest as having difficulty passing up things that make them feel good in the present moment. When this happens, they put mundane or boring tasks on the back burner. Or they procrastinate until something becomes urgent, and then utilize that sense of urgency to get things done.

If you find yourself in a situation where you’re struggling to manage your time, start to pay attention to what may be keeping you in this state. Are there too many outside stimuli causing you to lose focus? Are you in a state of hyperfocus? Do you need to offload your working memory by writing things down on paper? Are you procrastinating to rely on a rush of adrenaline to get things done? Getting curious about the source of time management difficulties will provide a starting point to address the barriers to managing your time.

Hadassah Eventsur, MS, OTR/L is a licensed occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience, and a certified life coach in the Baltimore, MD area.

The Yet Mindset

Sara Eisemann

H

ere’s to the power of adding the word “yet.”

“I don’t know how to do that yet,” changes you from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Allowing for the possibility of growth actually invites growth in so many areas.

This principle can be applied across the board, from learning new skills to changing behaviors to repairing relationships and everything in between. Compare the following statements: “This team doesn’t work well together” versus “this team doesn’t work well together yet.” Or, “I haven’t met any of my goals for last year” versus “I haven’t met any of my goals for last year yet.”

The power of the word “yet” is the infinite power of hope. Hope is what empowers us, what strengthens us, and what gives us the drive to keep going. The vision of what is still possible fuels us with motivation to make it happen. In the absence of this hope it is possible to view challenges and relationships as irreparable.

The word “yet” provides fluidity and a sense of motion: progress is being made. We’re getting closer. Whatever we have done is making a difference, we just need to keep at it.

Inserting a “yet” at the end of a sentence also allows space for process. It understands that progress isn’t always linear, and that sometimes there are dips or even pauses for rest. None of this detracts from the goal or the ongoing desire to get there. Making space for the human condition allows us to measure success by ongoing progress rather than black-and-white standards, which might lead us to throw in the towel prematurely.

The word “yet” is essentially the practice of learning to trust the process. It’s the belief that we can and we will — we may just need a little time.

Sara Eisemann, LMSW, ACSW, is a licensed therapist, Directed Dating coach, and certified Core Mentor.

Thin But Unhappy

Shira Savit

“I look at a picture of myself from ten years ago — and I’m much skinnier than I am today — but I still remember not liking myself or feeling satisfied.”

Many women have shared similar feelings with me: the disbelief that they were once thinner, yet still unhappy. No matter how much weight we lose or how closely we approach the image we think we “should” have, it often doesn’t bring the happiness or self-worth we expect.

That’s because true worth isn’t tied to a number on the scale or a reflection in the mirror — it comes from within. It’s about feeling good enough as you are. When we shift from striving for perfection to embracing self-kindness, appreciating our strengths, and realizing that our worth isn’t conditional, we start to feel “enough.”

You can implement this by celebrating emotional victories: moments when you set healthy boundaries, gained deeper self-awareness, or spoke words of compassion toward yourself.

As a goal to focus on, strive to remind yourself daily: “I may not have lost all the weight I thought I needed to, but I’m committed to learning to love myself more deeply each day. I choose to feel enough now — not ten pounds from now, not ten years ago — but today.”

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, INHC is a mental health counselor and integrative nutritionist who specializes in emotional eating, binge eating, and somatic nutrition. Shira works both virtually and in person in Jerusalem.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 916)