Monday Reset: Why time slips through your fingers (and what to do about it)
This week's focus: Make time visible
You told yourself you’d “just check your phone for a second.” Three hours later, you look up and it’s dark outside. Dinner isn’t started. The laundry you meant to fold is still in the basket. You have no idea what happened to the afternoon. And you feel like an idiot because how do you lose three hours?
Your Brain This Week
ADHD brains don’t consistently track time passing because the prefrontal cortex (which helps you perceive and manage time) isn’t as active. Your brain literally experiences time differently. That’s why “just pay attention to the time” doesn’t work. You can’t pay attention to something your brain isn’t registering in the first place!
This Week’s Strategy: The Visual Timer Method
Don’t rely on your brain to track time. Make time something you can SEE.
How it works:
Think about the moments you always lose track of time. Maybe you skip lunch because you get absorbed in work. Maybe you’re always late to pick up your kids because “quick emails” turn into an hour. Maybe you miss the bus because you lose yourself scrolling before you leave.
Whatever you’re doing right before the thing you miss, that’s when you use a visual timer. It’s an external cue for your brain to snap out of whatever you’re doing and do the thing you’re supposed to do.
Here’s what to do:
Pick ONE situation where you always lose track of time
Before you start that activity, set a VISUAL timer where you can see it (not just your phone timer with a notification)
Use something that visually shows time moving:
Free online timer like BigTimer that you can pull up on your screen
Your phone propped up in view (not in your hand, somewhere you can glance at)
Visual timer app on a different device (tablet, old phone, computer screen)
Set it for less time than you think you need. If you want 30 minutes before you need to leave, set it for 20
When the timer goes off, that’s your cue to stop and transition to what’s next
Why this works for ADHD: Your brain needs external cues. When you can SEE time moving, you’re using your visual system instead of relying on an internal clock that doesn’t work the same way. The timer becomes your reminder that time is actually passing.
The 2-Minute Worksheet
The moment I always lose track of time: _______________________
Examples: scrolling before work, “quick” emails, getting ready in the morning, working through lunch
What I miss or what goes wrong because of it: _______________________
Examples: I’m late, I skip meals, I forget to pick up my kid, I miss my bus
This week, I’ll set a visual timer when I: _______________________
I’ll set it for: _____ minutes
My timer will be: _______________________
Examples: online timer on my computer, phone propped on my desk, timer app on my tablet
When it goes off, I’ll: _______________________
(Fill in: “Stop and move to the next thing” / “Start wrapping up” / “Check if I need to leave”)
Grab a piece of paper or open a note on your phone and fill in the blanks above. It takes 2 minutes. You can even comment it below, others will see it and cheer you on :)
1. The moment I always lose track of time: Answering “just a few” work emails after dinner.
2. What I miss or what goes wrong because of it: I end up staying up way too late and feel exhausted the next morning.
3. This week, I’ll set a visual timer when I: Start checking emails after dinner
4. I’ll set it for: 20 minutes
5. My timer will be: A visual countdown timer on my phone next to my laptop
6. When it goes off, I’ll: Stop and close my laptop for the night
I was a letter carrier for the post office for 30 years. I have never worn a watch but I learned to use the shift in sunlight over the course of the day to let me know what time it was. I was always surprised at how accurate I became with this way to tell time. It has served me well, even into retirement when I can still become anxious around time issues.