That sounds very familiar. As someone with ADHD when I get hyperfocused I can completely loose track of time. It’s a large part of why many ADHDers struggle with being on time to things.
However it can be great for getting into the flow programming.
> It’s a large part of why many ADHDers struggle with being on time to things.
The group of ADHDers that can be on time on the other hand will often accomplish this by spending the time up to an appointment doing nothing but worrying about being on time.
I think there is a lot of promising tech to help people out with this stuff. Just having your phone prompt you when you need to do stuff. I saw Google maps (perhaps recently) added a feature where you tell it the time you need to be somewhere and it will notify you when it's time to leave.
He uses his iPhone extensively to do things like this. I recently learned that the native Calendar app can do the same thing for scheduled appointments that have a location specified. Reminders can be set for things like: (can set multiple) "30 minutes before travel time" or "Time to leave", etc.
One thing he's struggled with is establishing the habits to set up these kinds of tools. There are often other issues associated with TBI and memory/new habit formation have been a challenge. Needs reminders for the reminders.
He's determined to find the right combination of tools/processes so he can create a guide to help other people use their current tools to manage this aspect of their lives. The potential is definitely there.
> I saw Google maps (perhaps recently) added a feature where you tell it the time you need to be somewhere and it will notify you when it's time to leave.
Has been doing this for me since 2009, a lifesaver in unexpected traffic or construction.
Now I feel bad. I had an ex who would always lose track of time and I wasn’t understanding enough (being late by several hours and forgetting important things like her first chance at a covid shot, or getting lost while driving and having spent an hour driving around the neighborhood without realizing how long she’d been lost for).
Timers make a lot of sense, if you can remember to set them.
I’ve gained a lot of empathy for folks dealing with this as I’ve seen my brother’s struggles up close. I definitely didn’t understand the dynamics before.
One of the things we’ve talked about is how otherwise “normal” he seems to most people, and the problems this causes. The symptoms aren’t as obvious as wearing a cast on your broken leg, or having severe speech issues, etc. and as a result, people are more likely to get frustrated or not understand when the symptoms spill over and affect other people (being late, forgetting things, etc).
I wonder whether my work colleague has that issue. Every 20mins there are timers going off on his phone. On the other hand, he is a smoker, and I imagine that the nicotine dependency ought to act as sort of a replacement for that sense. Not a terribly precise one though.
Given how he often disrespects other people's efforts to stay focused, I doubt it. It might be a crude approximation of it though. And I don't 100% remember what they interval exactly is.
Be as that may, I find the Pomodoro method to be a wonderful tool to structure one's time!
The reason most of us glance at the clock is because we feel the passage of time and wonder what time it must be now.
He doesn’t always feel time passing, and he could go hours before it even occurs to him to look at his phone or a clock.
He relies on timers and reminders to keep things on track.