Guidance for: I lose hours and don't know where they went

Make time visible outside your head

Internally, elapsed time is a guess, and it's a bad one through no fault of yours. So the fix has to be external: the information needs to live somewhere you can see it.

Then, if you have room for it

• Get an analogue clock or a visual countdown in your line of sight. Digital numbers don't show duration; a shrinking wedge does.
• Use timers you can watch counting down, so the time going is something you can see.
• Interval chimes every 20–30 minutes to re-anchor you.
• Log a couple of days. Almost everyone is wrong in a consistent direction, which makes it correctable.

Watch

• How to master time management: ADHD skills part 1Dr. Tracey Marks, psychiatrist · 12 minExternalising time — clocks, timers, and estimating how long things take.(opens in a new tab)
• ADHD tools that help with time blindnessHow to ADHD · 1 minUnder a minute — the concrete tools, no explanation of the theory.(opens in a new tab)

Read

• Losing track of time? How to manage time blindnessADDitudeAnalogue clocks, visual timers, alarms as transition warnings, estimation practice.(opens in a new tab)
• How to detect time blindness and regain controlADDAAdult-focused walkthrough, including what coaching and medication do and don't fix.(opens in a new tab)
• Time blindness: 12 ways to use every hourADDitudeExplains the time horizon idea and walks through specific timer tools.(opens in a new tab)