I was speaking with a client recently about time blindness.
Time blindness is the difficulty (or complete inability) to sense the passing of time. It is a common symptom for those who have neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Though we all at times can experience it.
Estimating
There are a few things that someone can do to help them become more aware of time.
1. This first one is my go-to. One of my favourite tools : Practice Estimating Time
Estimating how long something will take and then seeing how accurate you were can help you determine your rhythm. To make your time estimates more precise do this exercise three times at a minimum for each regular task. This knowledge really helps with future planning as well as time blindness.
Another way to develop a rhythm is to train yourself to always spend the same amount of time on a recurring task by using a countdown timer or specific song.
Make it visual
2. Place an analogue clock or an hourglass in front of you while you work for a strong visual.
As they say, seeing is believing! Being able to actually visualise time ticking by increases your awareness of it. However, if you are someone who finds clocks distracting or you start to feel anxious when under such pressure, you might want to give this technique a miss.
Have you tried either of those before? What did you find? Or will you try one out?
