How executive dysfunction effects our attendance.
Why Being Late is “Bad”
Being late is typically considered rude and being regularly late can be associated with lack of respect. Tardiness has disciplinary consequences in both school and the workplace — leading to suspension, a failed class, or even work termination. From a boss or professor’s point of view (especially one who isn’t well aware of ADHD or executive dysfunction), they see your repetitive poor attendance from a face point rather than considering a deeper meaning behind why you’re always late. Often, in the eyes of your boss/professor/event organizer, the behaviors of your attendance are connected to your character and performance and are not seen as simply a skill struggle to be tackled.
Why Can’t I Help Being Late?
The issue can be far deeper than purposely showing up late. For many people who struggle with time management, their main struggle is “time blindness.” This is when you underestimate, and sometimes overestimate, how much time it takes to complete a task. If your job is 30 minutes away and your job starts at 9 am, it’s probably not a good idea to set your alarm to 8:15 and only give yourself 15 minutes to wake up, start your morning routine, make coffee, pack lunch, and get dressed. You may think “I can sleep a little extra and just power through the day” and not realize that brushing your teeth takes 2 minutes, showering takes 10 minutes, getting dressed takes 5 minutes, packing lunch and making coffee takes 6 minutes, which is in total 21 minutes of your 15-minute time slot, not including bathroom breaks and the time it takes to gather all your belongings.
What Can I Do?
If you struggle with time management like I do, you have surely heard advice such as “Just leave the house earlier” or “Wake up earlier and set up an alarm.” To be frank, hearing advice from neurotypical people who have no trouble with time blindness is equivalent to a wealthy person giving a working-class person money advice. It’s important to evaluate why you are being late. Are you only late to work but on time for social events? Do you find yourself getting ready on time but leaving the house late? Do you tend to lose belongings and spend much of your morning trying to find your keys/phone/ wallet?
These other factors can be related to weaknesses in separate, but overlapping, executive functions such as task initiation, planning, working memory, and organization. When other executive functions are co-impacted, it’s best to make a plan on how to strengthen these together. A coach can help pinpoint areas in your organizational style that you may have missed.
Many times, motivation is a factor as well. Having a job that feels like a dead-end with no room for growth can be emotionally debilitating. Some people are able to handle mundane tasks and find that the reward (salary/benefits) outweigh the boring work. For people with ADHD, we are constantly seeking dopamine and if we are not immediately rewarded or find our job interesting, a poorer performance and attendance will occur. Find out what keeps you motivated at work and why you work at that job. If necessary, perhaps finding a new career might be best.
Trial and Error
You might have to test out different strategies to see what works best. Instead of setting up only one alarm for waking up; set up multiple alarms throughout the day. One alarm to alert you to wake up, another alarm to remind you to brush your teeth, another alarm for getting dressed, and lastly an alarm to tell you when its time to leave the house.
If you live with roommates or family, see if you can ask them to prompt you. By reaching out to those close to you and addressing your issues in time management and willingness to improve, you will be surprised how many people will agree to give you a nudge at a certain time when it’s time to leave for work or class.
How Can I Get Help Immediately?
There are several resources for those struggling with executive function deficits such as “time management.” A popular social media option is the Reddit group r/ADHD where 2 million members with ADHD or ADHD-like symptoms have formed a community to help others and ask for advice. Apps such as Pomofocus, ATracker, and RescueTime have shown to improve time management. For additional help and to have your progress monitored and appraised, consider getting an ADHD coach to keep you on track! Book your first session with a qualified coach here !
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