Why Just Plan Better Doesn’t Work.
If I had a pound for every time someone told a neurodivergent person to "just plan better" or "use a planner", I’d have enough to retire early.
Let’s be clear: executive dysfunction and time blindness are not about laziness or lack of effort. They are neurobiological differences that make tasks like planning, prioritising, and estimating time fundamentally more difficult.
For neurodivergent young adults, especially those with ADHD or autism this can create real challenges when transitioning into adulthood. Managing deadlines, keeping up with responsibilities, and trying to "stay on top of life" can feel like constantly playing catch-up in a race no one told you had already started.
So, instead of giving bad advice that doesn’t work ("Just set a reminder!" or "You need more discipline"), let’s talk about why time and planning feel so hard and what actually helps.
What Is Executive Dysfunction?
Think of executive functioning as the brain’s "control centre." It helps you:
Start tasks (instead of putting them off for hours or days)
Stay focused (without getting distracted by literally everything)
Prioritise what’s important (instead of doing small, unimportant things first)
Manage time accurately (instead of realising too late that you’re out of time)
Follow through on goals (instead of forgetting about them entirely)
When someone experiences executive dysfunction, it’s like this control centre has glitches. The brain struggles to initiate, organise, or complete tasks efficiently, no matter how much the person wants to.
This is why neurodivergent young adults often struggle with the invisible load of adulting. Bills, deadlines, chores, assignments, emails—it all piles up, and when executive dysfunction kicks in, it feels impossible to break through the mental fog.
What Is Time Blindness?
Now, let’s talk about one of the biggest struggles that executive dysfunction creates: time blindness.
Time blindness is when your brain doesn’t naturally track the passage of time. It’s not just being "bad at time management", it’s genuinely not feeling the difference between ten minutes and an hour until it’s too late.
Time-blind brains struggle with:
Accurately estimating time – Everything either takes forever or no time at all. There’s no middle ground.
Sensing time passing – People with ADHD often hyperfocus and lose hours or, on the flip side, constantly feel like they’re "running out of time" and can’t get started.
Future planning – If something isn’t happening right now, it may as well not exist. This is why deadlines sneak up on people, even when they know they have something due.
Remembering sequences – Multi-step tasks (laundry, cooking, writing an essay) are harder because time isn’t naturally broken into parts.
Why "Just Use a Planner" Fails Every Time
The go-to advice for struggling with time management is almost always:
Use a planner.
Set reminders.
Make a schedule and stick to it.
Here’s the problem: these methods assume a brain that naturally organises time.
For someone with executive dysfunction and time blindness, planners become graveyards of forgotten tasks, reminders get ignored because they weren’t timed right, and schedules fall apart because the brain doesn’t naturally register time passing.
So, instead of using neurotypical strategies that don’t work, let’s talk about what actually does.
How to Work With Executive Dysfunction & Time Blindness
1. Make Time Visible
Time doesn’t exist unless you can see it. Neurodivergent brains need external visual cues to track time effectively.
Use analogue clocks and countdown timers – Digital clocks don’t show time passing. An analogue clock or a visual timer helps the brain see time moving.
Try a Pomodoro timer (or a variation of it) – Work in 25-minute sprints with short breaks. If 25 minutes feels too long, start with five minutes.
Use time-blocking, not to-do lists – Instead of writing "Do assignment," block out specific time slots for tasks. A to-do list with no time attached is just a wish list.
2. The "Body Doubling" Trick for Getting Started
Executive dysfunction makes it really hard to start tasks, even if you want to.
Body doubling means doing a task while someone else is present. This could be:
A friend studying on a video call while you do your work.
A co-working space where others are working too.
Playing background noise that mimics social presence (e.g., "study with me" videos on YouTube).
The brain responds to external accountability, making it easier to push through task paralysis.
3. Reverse-Engineer Deadlines (Because Your Brain Won’t Do It for You)
If a deadline is in two weeks, that means nothing to a time-blind brain. It will only feel urgent the night before it’s due.
Here’s how to trick your brain:
Break the deadline into mini-deadlines – Instead of "Essay due 25 March," set reminders like:
18 March: Find sources
20 March: Write first draft
23 March: Edit and finalise
Use future-you reminders – Instead of setting a generic "Start project" alert, write a specific instruction for future-you:
"Open your laptop and write two sentences."
"Email your professor and ask for an extension before it’s too late."
4. Create a "No Effort" Emergency System
On bad executive dysfunction days, your brain will reject anything too complicated. So, create low-effort solutions for when you can’t function well.
Pre-prepped meals – Ready-to-eat snacks and simple microwaveable meals.
Visible sticky notes – Put reminders where you’ll actually see them (mirror, fridge, laptop).
Done-for-you routines – Set up auto-pay for bills, use habit-tracking apps, or make daily routines automatic.
The less thinking required, the more likely it will happen.
Final Thoughts: It’s Not About "Trying Harder"
Executive dysfunction and time blindness aren’t moral failings. They are neurological realities. The goal isn’t to force neurodivergent brains to work like neurotypical ones, but to find systems that work for you.
If traditional planners and schedules don’t work, that’s okay. Try externalising time, using body doubling, and breaking tasks into tiny steps.
Because the truth is: you don’t need better willpower. You need better tools.
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