How neurodivergent brains experience time differently
Time doesn't flow the same for everyone. Here's how executive functioning and sensory processing shape time perception for Autistic and ADHD people.
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Time doesn't flow the same for everyone. Here's how executive functioning and sensory processing shape time perception for Autistic and ADHD people.
For many neurodivergent people, the way we sense and process the world around us is fundamentally different. One of the most misunderstood differences is how we experience time.
Our differences in time perception are not just quirks, they are closely linked to how our brains process information, manage attention, and respond to the world around us. For many of us, the passage of time can feel unpredictable, overwhelming, or disconnected from what we are doing or feeling.
This is especially true for Autistic people and ADHD'ers because our executive functioning skills and sensory processing play a large role in shaping how we move through time and how time moves through us.
Executive functions are the mental processes that help us regulate attention, remember information, switch between tasks, and make decisions. These functions all contribute to how we understand time.
When your working memory is limited, it can be hard to hold onto the sequence of events or remember how long something has taken. If focus is difficult, time can either disappear or drag, depending on the task and the environment. When planning and organization feel overwhelming, estimating how long something will take or how to begin becomes much harder.
Time becomes slippery when the systems meant to anchor it are struggling.
When your sense of time is shaky, the whole day can start to feel like guesswork. Many Autistic and ADHD people describe experiences like these:
These experiences are shaped by time agnosia, a real difficulty sensing and mapping time in ways that align with everyday expectations. What we feel internally and what the world expects from us often do not match, which can make even small tasks feel heavier or harder to navigate.
To compensate, many of us build rigid systems around time. We might:
These coping strategies can be helpful, but they can also come at a cost. Constant time checking may lead to more stress. Extreme punctuality can become exhausting. Planning everything in advance might bring structure, but also heightens the risk of Autistic burnout when life doesn’t go to plan.
For some, the pressure to stay on time can become so intense that it leads to task paralysis. The fear of being late, missing something, or doing it wrong can make it hard to start at all. Time becomes something we brace against instead of move with.
Time anxiety can feel like being trapped between needing structure and being overwhelmed by it.
Time perception is not just about cognitive skills, it is also influenced by how we experience sensory input.
Many neurodivergent people have heightened sensory awareness. Our brains may pick up on more information at once, making time feel slower, faster, or completely disconnected from the task at hand. This is closely linked to interoception, the sense that helps us notice internal cues like hunger, thirst, or energy levels. When interoception is under-responsive or overwhelming, we might miss sensory signals that usually help us orient in time, like noticing when the light changes or feeling when our body is tired or hungry.
This makes it harder to stay oriented in time using the environment. When external cues feel too loud or too faint, our internal sense of timing becomes even more difficult to trust.
There is no single solution for time perception struggles. But there are ways to work with your brain instead of against it, and tools like Tiimo can make that process gentler and more grounded. The goal is not to force structure, but to create enough support that time feels a little more visible and a little less overwhelming.
Not all time perception strategies will work for everyone. And that is okay. What matters is finding support that fits your brain, your body, and your pace.
Being out of sync with time does not mean something is wrong with you. It often means you need tools that are more flexible, more visible, or more connected to your sensory world. Keep experimenting. Keep adjusting. The goal is not to be perfectly on time. It is to find a relationship with time that feels less chaotic and more humane.
Branstetter, R. (2016). The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Executive Functioning Disorder: A Mindful Approach for Helping Your child Focus and Learn (The Conscious Parent’s Guides). Adams Media.
Mascarelli, A. L. (2010, September 20). Time perception problems may explain autism symptoms. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/time-perception-problems-may-explain-autism-symptoms/
Willingham, E. (2014, August 29). For people with autism, time is slippery concept. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/for-people-with-autism-time-is-slippery-concept/
Lerner, J., Li, Y., Vadesolo, P. & Kassam, K.S.. (2015) Emotion and decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, January( 66): 799-823. Retrieved from: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043.
Ptacek, R., Weissenberger, S., Braaten, E., Klicperova-Baker, M., Goetz, M., Raboch, J., Vnukova, M., & Stefano, G. B. (2019). Clinical Implications of the Perception of Time in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 25, 3918–3924. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.914225
Time doesn't flow the same for everyone. Here's how executive functioning and sensory processing shape time perception for Autistic and ADHD people.
For many neurodivergent people, the way we sense and process the world around us is fundamentally different. One of the most misunderstood differences is how we experience time.
Our differences in time perception are not just quirks, they are closely linked to how our brains process information, manage attention, and respond to the world around us. For many of us, the passage of time can feel unpredictable, overwhelming, or disconnected from what we are doing or feeling.
This is especially true for Autistic people and ADHD'ers because our executive functioning skills and sensory processing play a large role in shaping how we move through time and how time moves through us.
Executive functions are the mental processes that help us regulate attention, remember information, switch between tasks, and make decisions. These functions all contribute to how we understand time.
When your working memory is limited, it can be hard to hold onto the sequence of events or remember how long something has taken. If focus is difficult, time can either disappear or drag, depending on the task and the environment. When planning and organization feel overwhelming, estimating how long something will take or how to begin becomes much harder.
Time becomes slippery when the systems meant to anchor it are struggling.
When your sense of time is shaky, the whole day can start to feel like guesswork. Many Autistic and ADHD people describe experiences like these:
These experiences are shaped by time agnosia, a real difficulty sensing and mapping time in ways that align with everyday expectations. What we feel internally and what the world expects from us often do not match, which can make even small tasks feel heavier or harder to navigate.
To compensate, many of us build rigid systems around time. We might:
These coping strategies can be helpful, but they can also come at a cost. Constant time checking may lead to more stress. Extreme punctuality can become exhausting. Planning everything in advance might bring structure, but also heightens the risk of Autistic burnout when life doesn’t go to plan.
For some, the pressure to stay on time can become so intense that it leads to task paralysis. The fear of being late, missing something, or doing it wrong can make it hard to start at all. Time becomes something we brace against instead of move with.
Time anxiety can feel like being trapped between needing structure and being overwhelmed by it.
Time perception is not just about cognitive skills, it is also influenced by how we experience sensory input.
Many neurodivergent people have heightened sensory awareness. Our brains may pick up on more information at once, making time feel slower, faster, or completely disconnected from the task at hand. This is closely linked to interoception, the sense that helps us notice internal cues like hunger, thirst, or energy levels. When interoception is under-responsive or overwhelming, we might miss sensory signals that usually help us orient in time, like noticing when the light changes or feeling when our body is tired or hungry.
This makes it harder to stay oriented in time using the environment. When external cues feel too loud or too faint, our internal sense of timing becomes even more difficult to trust.
There is no single solution for time perception struggles. But there are ways to work with your brain instead of against it, and tools like Tiimo can make that process gentler and more grounded. The goal is not to force structure, but to create enough support that time feels a little more visible and a little less overwhelming.
Not all time perception strategies will work for everyone. And that is okay. What matters is finding support that fits your brain, your body, and your pace.
Being out of sync with time does not mean something is wrong with you. It often means you need tools that are more flexible, more visible, or more connected to your sensory world. Keep experimenting. Keep adjusting. The goal is not to be perfectly on time. It is to find a relationship with time that feels less chaotic and more humane.
Branstetter, R. (2016). The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Executive Functioning Disorder: A Mindful Approach for Helping Your child Focus and Learn (The Conscious Parent’s Guides). Adams Media.
Mascarelli, A. L. (2010, September 20). Time perception problems may explain autism symptoms. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/time-perception-problems-may-explain-autism-symptoms/
Willingham, E. (2014, August 29). For people with autism, time is slippery concept. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/for-people-with-autism-time-is-slippery-concept/
Lerner, J., Li, Y., Vadesolo, P. & Kassam, K.S.. (2015) Emotion and decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, January( 66): 799-823. Retrieved from: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043.
Ptacek, R., Weissenberger, S., Braaten, E., Klicperova-Baker, M., Goetz, M., Raboch, J., Vnukova, M., & Stefano, G. B. (2019). Clinical Implications of the Perception of Time in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 25, 3918–3924. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.914225
Time doesn't flow the same for everyone. Here's how executive functioning and sensory processing shape time perception for Autistic and ADHD people.
For many neurodivergent people, the way we sense and process the world around us is fundamentally different. One of the most misunderstood differences is how we experience time.
Our differences in time perception are not just quirks, they are closely linked to how our brains process information, manage attention, and respond to the world around us. For many of us, the passage of time can feel unpredictable, overwhelming, or disconnected from what we are doing or feeling.
This is especially true for Autistic people and ADHD'ers because our executive functioning skills and sensory processing play a large role in shaping how we move through time and how time moves through us.
Executive functions are the mental processes that help us regulate attention, remember information, switch between tasks, and make decisions. These functions all contribute to how we understand time.
When your working memory is limited, it can be hard to hold onto the sequence of events or remember how long something has taken. If focus is difficult, time can either disappear or drag, depending on the task and the environment. When planning and organization feel overwhelming, estimating how long something will take or how to begin becomes much harder.
Time becomes slippery when the systems meant to anchor it are struggling.
When your sense of time is shaky, the whole day can start to feel like guesswork. Many Autistic and ADHD people describe experiences like these:
These experiences are shaped by time agnosia, a real difficulty sensing and mapping time in ways that align with everyday expectations. What we feel internally and what the world expects from us often do not match, which can make even small tasks feel heavier or harder to navigate.
To compensate, many of us build rigid systems around time. We might:
These coping strategies can be helpful, but they can also come at a cost. Constant time checking may lead to more stress. Extreme punctuality can become exhausting. Planning everything in advance might bring structure, but also heightens the risk of Autistic burnout when life doesn’t go to plan.
For some, the pressure to stay on time can become so intense that it leads to task paralysis. The fear of being late, missing something, or doing it wrong can make it hard to start at all. Time becomes something we brace against instead of move with.
Time anxiety can feel like being trapped between needing structure and being overwhelmed by it.
Time perception is not just about cognitive skills, it is also influenced by how we experience sensory input.
Many neurodivergent people have heightened sensory awareness. Our brains may pick up on more information at once, making time feel slower, faster, or completely disconnected from the task at hand. This is closely linked to interoception, the sense that helps us notice internal cues like hunger, thirst, or energy levels. When interoception is under-responsive or overwhelming, we might miss sensory signals that usually help us orient in time, like noticing when the light changes or feeling when our body is tired or hungry.
This makes it harder to stay oriented in time using the environment. When external cues feel too loud or too faint, our internal sense of timing becomes even more difficult to trust.
There is no single solution for time perception struggles. But there are ways to work with your brain instead of against it, and tools like Tiimo can make that process gentler and more grounded. The goal is not to force structure, but to create enough support that time feels a little more visible and a little less overwhelming.
Not all time perception strategies will work for everyone. And that is okay. What matters is finding support that fits your brain, your body, and your pace.
Being out of sync with time does not mean something is wrong with you. It often means you need tools that are more flexible, more visible, or more connected to your sensory world. Keep experimenting. Keep adjusting. The goal is not to be perfectly on time. It is to find a relationship with time that feels less chaotic and more humane.
Branstetter, R. (2016). The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Executive Functioning Disorder: A Mindful Approach for Helping Your child Focus and Learn (The Conscious Parent’s Guides). Adams Media.
Mascarelli, A. L. (2010, September 20). Time perception problems may explain autism symptoms. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/time-perception-problems-may-explain-autism-symptoms/
Willingham, E. (2014, August 29). For people with autism, time is slippery concept. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/for-people-with-autism-time-is-slippery-concept/
Lerner, J., Li, Y., Vadesolo, P. & Kassam, K.S.. (2015) Emotion and decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, January( 66): 799-823. Retrieved from: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043.
Ptacek, R., Weissenberger, S., Braaten, E., Klicperova-Baker, M., Goetz, M., Raboch, J., Vnukova, M., & Stefano, G. B. (2019). Clinical Implications of the Perception of Time in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 25, 3918–3924. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.914225
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