For women with ADHD, estimating time can be quite challenging. This difficulty arises because individuals with ADHD often struggle to perceive time accurately. They may find it hard to gauge how long tasks will take or to keep track of the time they have already spent on an activity. However, as a woman with ADHD, you can enhance your time estimation skills through dedicated effort. Improving your ability to estimate time involves several interconnected skills: breaking tasks into smaller steps, self-reflection and awareness, recognizing the passage of time, cognitive flexibility, and overall planning. Consistent practice is also crucial.
One key step for women with ADHD to bolster their time estimation abilities is to recognize that this skill must be cultivated alongside a growing awareness of time and regular practice. An effective approach to enhance your time estimation is to engage in exercises that allow for quick feedback on the accuracy of your estimates. Attached is a worksheet that provides an example of time estimation will guide you through a few straightforward steps to help you improve your time Estimating time worksheet
-You’ll start by writing down the task or project you wish to work on,
-How long you think it will take you to complete,
-How long the task or project took to complete,
-What stopped you from completing the task or project on time (i.e. phone calls)
-How you could change your approach to do the task more effectively.
If this is the first time you are trying this method your best course of action might be to give yourself more time than you think you need. The chances are that you will underestimate rather than overestimate how much time is needed.