The difficulty known as “time blindness” is a well-documented feature of ADHD, but experts say it's not an automatic excuse and not everyone who turns up late has ADHD.
Alice Lovatt, a musician and group-home worker in Liverpool, England, was often getting into trouble for being late.
She felt embarrassed when she let down friends because of her tardiness and was frequently stressed about arriving at school on time.
“I just don’t seem to have that clock ticking in my head,” Lovatt said.
It was not until she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 22 that she learned there was a name for what she was experiencing.
Sometimes it’s called time blindness and in 1997, Russell Barkley, a retired clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Massachusetts, called it “temporal myopia.”
Time blindness refers to problems judging how long tasks take or how much time has passed. It has long been associated with ADHD and, in some cases, autism.
More recently, the concept has gained traction on social media, prompting debate about where the line lies between a recognised condition and behaviour others see as disorganised or even rude.
Experts say time blindness is linked to executive function in the frontal lobes of the brain and is a well-documented feature of ADHD.
“Anyone can have issues with running late, just with ADHD there’s functional impairment,” said Stephanie Sarkis, a psychotherapist and the author of 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD.
“It impacts family life and social life. It impacts work, money management, all areas of life,” she added.
Can ADHD be an excuse?
Sarkis said that if chronic lateness is “one star in the constellation of symptoms”, it could point to a treatable condition.
However, she stressed that not everyone who turns up late has ADHD or an automatic excuse.
She pointed to research showing that stimulant medications prescribed for ADHD symptoms such as inattention or restlessness can also help reduce time blindness.
Jeffrey Meltzer, a therapist in the United States who works with people struggling with punctuality, said it is important to understand the reasons behind repeated lateness.
Some people avoid arriving early because they dislike small talk, often linked to anxiety. Others may feel they lack control in their lives and use lateness to reclaim a sense of autonomy.
“It’s the same psychological idea behind revenge bedtime procrastination,” he said, referring to staying up late to claw back personal time after a demanding day.
Meltzer suggests using a simple “coping card”, with one side challenging the underlying fear and the other reminding people of the consequences of being late.
For instance, on one side write, “Attending this meeting doesn’t mean that I lose my freedom.” On the other side, write, “Being late again will upset people at work.”
More difficult to address, he said, is lateness driven by entitlement. People who feel their time matters more than others’ may give themselves permission to arrive late, often alongside other behaviours that signal a sense of superiority.
Meltzer said those people would also exhibit entitlement in other areas, such as parking in a spot designated for people with disabilities or tending to make a grand entrance at an event.
“Maybe they’re 20, 30 minutes late, and it’s like, ‘Oh, look who is here,’” he said. “So it’s a way to kind of get attention.”
Regardless of the cause, Sarkis said people are still responsible for how their behaviour affects others. The tools used to help people with ADHD can also benefit anyone who struggles with time.
Sarkis recommends using smart watches or multiple clocks to reduce distractions from phones, breaking tasks into smaller steps and avoiding overscheduling.
Lovatt has adopted many of these strategies. She gives herself far more time than she thinks she needs, uses apps to block distractions and keeps detailed lists of how long everyday tasks actually take.
What once felt like a 20-minute morning routine turned out to take 45 minutes when broken down step by step, from getting out of bed to finding her shoes.
“It doesn’t work 100 per cent of the time,” she said. “But generally, I am a lot more reliable now.”
