Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If you have ADHD, being late or losing track of time isn't a discipline problem — it's a difference in how your brain processes time. Psychologist Dr. Andy Kahn explains what's actually happening, and shares three strategies grounded in neuroscience that you can start using today.
Time blindness is part of executive function — the brain's system for planning, organizing, and managing time. For people with ADHD, it can make it genuinely hard to sense how much time has passed, or how long a task will actually take. That's why so much of what looks like procrastination or carelessness is really a processing difference, not a character flaw.
In this video, Dr. Kahn walks through three practical approaches: externalizing time using visual and auditory cues, habit stacking to attach new routines to ones you already have, and body doubling to create accountability. He also explains why using tools to support your brain isn't a crutch — it's a strategy.
Dr. Andy Kahn is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of experience helping people build systems that work with how their brains actually experience time.
Timestamps
0:00 How ADHD affects time perception
0:37 Why time feels different with ADHD
1:24 Why ADHD makes you procrastinate
1:46 Why the world makes ADHD harder
2:50 Strategy 1: Externalize time
3:49 Strategy 2: Habit stacking
4:42 Strategy 3: Body doubling
5:13 Why using tools isn't cheating
For more on this topic:
Watch: Executive dysfunction explained: Why ADHD makes everything so hard youtu.be/0XcppZUxxUo
Read: ADHD and time blindness understood.org/en/articles/adhd-time-blindness
Questions about learning and thinking differences? Get answers and expert-vetted resources by asking the AI-powered Understood Assistant:
understood.org/en/assistant?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=assistant-agn-prod&utm_content=video
Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.
For more resources, support, and excellent memes, subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on:
Instagram: instagram.com/understoodorg
Facebook: facebook.com/Understood
TikTok: tiktok.com/@understood.org
Pinterest: pinterest.com/understoodorg
If you have ADHD, being late or losing track of time isn't a discipline problem — it's a difference in how your brain processes time. Psychologist Dr. Andy Kahn explains what's actually happening, and shares three strategies grounded in neuroscience that you can start using today.
Time blindness is part of executive function — the brain's system for planning, organizing, and managing time. For people with ADHD, it can make it genuinely hard to sense how much time has passed, or how long a task will actually take. That's why so much of what looks like procrastination or carelessness is really a processing difference, not a character flaw.
In this video, Dr. Kahn walks through three practical approaches: externalizing time using visual and auditory cues, habit stacking to attach new routines to ones you already have, and body doubling to create accountability. He also explains why using tools to support your brain isn't a crutch — it's a strategy.
Dr. Andy Kahn is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of experience helping people build systems that work with how their brains actually experience time.
Timestamps
0:00 How ADHD affects time perception
0:37 Why time feels different with ADHD
1:24 Why ADHD makes you procrastinate
1:46 Why the world makes ADHD harder
2:50 Strategy 1: Externalize time
3:49 Strategy 2: Habit stacking
4:42 Strategy 3: Body doubling
5:13 Why using tools isn't cheating
For more on this topic:
Watch: Executive dysfunction explained: Why ADHD makes everything so hard youtu.be/0XcppZUxxUo
Read: ADHD and time blindness understood.org/en/articles/adhd-time-blindness
Questions about learning and thinking differences? Get answers and expert-vetted resources by asking the AI-powered Understood Assistant:
understood.org/en/assistant?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=assistant-agn-prod&utm_content=video
Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.
For more resources, support, and excellent memes, subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on:
Instagram: instagram.com/understoodorg
Facebook: facebook.com/Understood
TikTok: tiktok.com/@understood.org
Pinterest: pinterest.com/understoodorg
