I have ADHD so I often lose track of time in general. In fact, there’s even a term for it, time blindness. I have often been late to work but I learned to manage my time better so I make it on time or early. However, when it comes to everyday distractions I struggle to keep track of time.
I often resort to scrolling through YouTube shorts on my phone just to do something, otherwise known as doom scrolling. I can get lost for hours just scrolling through videos without really watching any just because it’s something to do. It’s as if I am caught in this cycle of perpetual motion just swiping away at the screen until an alarm goes off telling me to get out the door. I found a way to set time limits in the YouTube app to remind me every hour that I’ve been on YouTube for a little too long. It’s good for doom scrolling through shorts but not so much for watching actual videos or listening to music. I tend to scroll most when I’m laying in bed right after waking up and I feel if I can manage to work on a morning routine, I won’t spend an hour or more just scrolling through shorts.
Video games are a lot of fun for me and at times can be meditative for my over active brain. I like to do simple things while I let my mind roam to just relax for a bit. Games keep my hands busy and give me something to focus on. My favorite is Minecraft; I can spend hours at a time exploring and building! I prefer to play Java on my laptop, but it is currently broken so I’m stuck playing Bedrock on console or just sticking to other games. Currently, I’m using my dad’s old laptop which allows me to play the Sims without too much lagging or disruption. I have a lot of fun making characters for my girlfriend and me! I also found a way to download a couple of mods to make it more interesting. Gaming helps a lot with my stress levels and it’s nice to just relax every now and then!
While distractions seem to be the largest void sucking away my concept of time, writing and art have the same effect. When I’m really into a story, I can spend hours sitting at my laptop writing. Next thing I know, it’s well past one in the morning and I haven’t eaten or used the bathroom in hours, but at least I have 3000 words! Whether it’s scrolling through the internet researching a topic, digging through a thesaurus to find the right word, testing various colors and brushes to get just the right texture, or even just coloring my line art, I can spend forever just perfecting every story or art piece! Sometimes these phases last for days or weeks! I follow my motivation, even if it means missing out on sleep for a little bit so I can finish what I’m working on.
ADHD comes with a variety of moods. Sometimes I lack the executive function to do more than the basics and get stuck scrolling through my phone for hours, sometimes I just want to play video games and ignore the world, sometimes I’m excited for whatever creative pursuits I happen to be hyperfixated on, or sometimes I just feel like cleaning the house and getting stuff done! Whatever I’m in the mood for, I don’t pay attention to how much time has passed! I simply live in the moment.
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