For a woman with ADHD, estimating time is quite complex. This is because people with ADHD don’t perceive time. It is difficult for them to estimate how long tasks will take or to comprehend how much time they just spent doing a task. As a woman with ADHD, you can get better at time estimation, but you will need to work on it. Improving your time estimation involves multiple skills: breaking down and sequencing tasks, self-reflection and self-awareness, the ability to notice the passing of time, cognitive flexibility, and big picture planning. It also requires lots and lots of practice.
One of the most important things that a woman with ADHD can do to improve their time estimation is to realize that this is a skill that needs to be developed in combination with increasing your awareness of time, and actively practicing time estimation. One of the best ways a person can improve their time estimation is to practice in a way that allows you to quickly assess the accuracy of your estimation. This time estimation example will help you do that in a few easy steps
-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.
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