Take the Time Awareness Challenge
by Life Coaching / Professional Organizer Kate Varness, CPO-CD, MA

The song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” needs to be changed to “Timers are a Girl’s Best Friend!” One of the biggest challenges for people with ADHD is developing time awareness. Time awareness means matching how long you think something will take with the time it actually takes.

 

We often overestimate how long things we hate doing will take (dishes, laundry, filing) and underestimate how long things we enjoy doing will take (exploring internet, connecting on Facebook). If your time awareness is low, it leads to chronic lateness, procrastination, feeling bad about yourself, and being out of balance.

The Time Timer is unique because it enables you to see the passing of time as well as hear when time is up. As a busy mom who hates routine household chores, I can tell you that timers are what get me from overwhelmed to done!

If I have been too busy to tackle dishes as they come and am faced with a dirty dish mountain at the end of the day, I set my Time Timer with the sound signal option for 20 minutes. More often than not I glance back at the timer and see I still have time left, or I hear the beep beep and realize that I am so close to done that I am motivated to finish.

How accurate is your time awareness? I have two challenges for you.

Challenge #1:

1. Make a list of tasks you hate doing.

2. Next to each task jot down how long you think it will take.

3. Pick two things on the list to “test” this week.

4. Set your Time Timer with your estimated time, then compare the estimated vs. actual time.

· What surprises you about the results?
· Was it easier or harder than you expected?
· How does using the Time Timer change things?

Challenge #2

1. Make a list of activities you love doing.

2. Next to each task jot down how long you think the activity will take.

3. Pick one activity on the list to “test” this week.

4. Set your Time Timer with your estimated time, then compare the estimated vs. actual time.

· Did things go as you expected?
· What was different?
· How would using the Time Timer help you to keep your time more balanced?

Once you realize the value of developing your time awareness, you will begin to use your Time Timer to keep focused on both beloved and despised activities. You can get a lot done in 20 minutes. Take my Time Timer challenge and find out. Then you too will be singing “Timers are a Girl’s Best Friend” while you get those dishes sparkling clean.

Take the Time Awareness Challenge!
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