Woman Who Struggles With Time Blindness In Tears After Being Yelled At A Job Interview
Looking for a new job can be very stressful. And job interviews aren’t there just to check if you’re a good fit for the company—you also want to see that the company fits you, your style of work, and your values well. And probably the last thing you’d expect is for recruiters to mix up neurodivergence with ‘entitlement.’
TikToker Sarah, @chaotic_philosopher, recently went viral and divided social media when she shared how she got yelled at for asking a question about time blindness—the difficulty of sensing the passage of time. It’s a real disorder that some people with ADHD, and others, may struggle with. While some people were on the TikToker’s side, others were less sympathetic. Scroll down for the full story. Bored Panda has reached out to @chaotic_philosopher via email and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.
Meanwhile, Bored Panda wanted to learn more about time blindness, how it differs from laziness, and the impact it can have in the workplace, so we reached out to Ainsley Hawthorn, Ph.D., an international expert in sensory studies, author, and the host of The Sensory Revolution blog on Psychology Today. Read on for the insights she shared with us.
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After an awful job interview experience, one woman took to TikTok to share how a recruiter reacted to her question about time blindness
Image credits: wayhomestudioo (not the actual photo)
“So I just got yelled at for asking a very reasonable question”
Image credits: chaotic_philosopher
“I’m applying to go somewhere, and I just wanted to know, are there accommodations for people who struggle with time blindness and being on time, you know?”
“And then the person I was with interrupted and acted like I was asking something else.”
Image credits: chaotic_philosopher
“When we were done, they actually started yelling at me and saying that accommodations for time blindness doesn’t exist”
“And if you struggle with being on time, you’ll never be able to get a job. You know, provided you’re trying your absolute best to be there. And then they’re like, ‘your stupid generation wants to destroy the workplace.'”
Image credits: chaotic_philosopher
“I think that a culture where workers are just cut off because they struggle with being on time when there’s other solutions that we can look to”
“I think that just anybody who thinks it’s okay to just treat people like that, yeah, that culture needs to be dismantled. And then I ask that person, ‘how can you feel good about yourself upholding this kind of system?’ And then to think I’m entitled, no. If people think it’s okay to treat others like this, that’s entitlement.”
The TikToker’s video was viewed over 5.3 million times. You can watch it in full right here
@chaotic_philosopher I’m tired of workers’ rights not being prioritized in this country. And we’re entitled for suggesting it should be different… I don’t think so. #workersrights #employeerights #workers #capitalismsucks #capitalism #thesystemisbroken #fyp ♬ original sound – ♻️🌎Chaotic Philosopher♾️🇺🇸
The topic started a massive discussion on the internet
The TikToker’s one-minute video went massively viral. At the time of writing, it was viewed 5.3 million times and counting. What’s more, it got 202k likes and nearly 49k comments. The discussion the clip started was very intense.
The main question here for many internet users was whether the content creator was being sincere about struggling with time blindness and whether she was putting in all the effort that she could to be punctual.
While some folks were relatively reasonable and wanted to have a genuine conversation with the TikToker, others were far from friendly. They called out the content creator for trying to disguise laziness as time blindness. Others were slightly confused about how workplaces can realistically accommodate people who struggle to notice the passage of time. After all, punctuality and meeting deadlines are core parts of practically any job.
Time blindness can also affect people other than those suffering from ADHD
“Time blindness is a difficulty with a perception of time, how much time is passed, how much time it’s going to take to do something, and it can be quite impairing to people. It is a real thing that’s been researched,” psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis told USA Today. According to her, time blindness is something that people with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and other mental health conditions aside from ADHD can also struggle with.
“It’s not exclusive to ADHD, but it does impact ADHD quite a bit,” she explained. “We all have different strengths and weaknesses,” she says. “Not only do we positively reinforce people’s strengths, but we also need to be kind and understanding about people’s weaknesses, and getting upset with someone isn’t going to improve that weakness.”
Meanwhile, psychologist and ADHD specialist Ari Tuckman pointed out people who are grieving, drunk, stressed, or sleep-deprived can also experience time blindness. Though in these cases, it’s temporary.
“We all have some sense of time. This ability to see and be aware of time, it’s a human ability that’s on a spectrum. Some people are really good; some people are not as good,” the expert said.
Alarms, calendars, and apps can help mitigate the negative effects of time blindness
There are various ways how people with time blindness can ensure that they’re staying punctual and don’t miss important events and deadlines. The most important thing is embracing how technology can help you: alarms and various apps can act as constant reminders so you don’t forget.
It’s also essential to take care of your physical and mental health, including getting plenty of sleep, having a healthy diet, moving lots, and having a thriving social life. It’s also important to see a mental health expert who specializes in ADHD so that they can help you treat the condition, whether through lifestyle changes or with the help of medication.
Meanwhile, Verywell Mind suggests that people with time blindness time themselves on tasks, breaks, and projects with the help of apps or spreadsheets. It’s also useful to add some extra time to your schedule for each task in case you lose track of everything: every activity tends to last longer than people think they will. In the meantime, playing some music in the background can help with focus.
“We naturally tend to assume everyone perceives the world the same way we do, when that’s not really the case”
“Many of the consequences of time blindness, like being late, missing deadlines, or forgetting to respond to messages, are ones we associate with laziness, but laziness implies choice. When we say someone is lazy, we mean they had the option to be productive but instead made the decision to relax, to dawdle, or to procrastinate. Time blindness isn’t a choice but a symptom linked with conditions like ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and traumatic brain injury,” Hawthorn explained to Bored Panda via email.
“All of these conditions impair executive function, the skills that allow a person to plan ahead and take step-by-step actions to achieve long-term goals. A time-blind individual generally wants to be punctual, to make deadlines, and to answer messages promptly, but their inability to track time constantly gets in their way. Laziness is relaxing, an escape from the pressures of work, but time blindness is stressful. It prevents a person from doing tasks they themselves care about and leads to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.”
We were curious about what could help others to empathize more with those suffering from time blindness. Sensory studies expert Hawthorn was kind enough to shed some light on this. “We naturally tend to assume everyone perceives the world the same way we do, when that’s not really the case. There are many types of sensory differences and disabilities. We have no trouble accepting that a person can be color blind or tone deaf, so why do we struggle to accept that someone might have impaired time perception?”
According to the expert, this may be because we tend to give behaviors like punctuality moral value. However, not all cultures do so. “The majority of the population, who have no trouble tracking time, have no reason to change this way of thinking because it allows them to feel virtuous for something that comes easily to them. I believe the best way to learn empathy for others is to listen to or read their stories. It broadens your own mind and makes you more aware of the diversity of human experience,” she told Bored Panda.
“It’s generally a good idea to seek professional advice if a problem like time blindness is interfering with your quality of life”
What’s more, were interested in the effects that time blindness can have for people in the workplace. “Whether you’re traditionally employed or self-employed, the ability to make appointments, meet deadlines, and communicate promptly are fundamental requirements of our working world. These expectations can pose a real challenge for those who suffer from time blindness. Time blind individuals compensate by wearing watches, setting alarms, keeping time logs, and avoiding activities that will cause them to hyperfocus,” the expert said.
“It’s generally a good idea to seek professional advice if a problem like time blindness is interfering with your quality of life. Look for a professional who specializes in neurodiversity and may be more aware of time blindness. If professional support isn’t accessible for you, organizations like Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) or the Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC) may be able to provide resources and support.
According to Hawthorn, all of us are expected to be more keenly aware of time than ever before. “Mechanical clocks weren’t invented until the late thirteenth century, and standard time wasn’t introduced until 1883. Now we divide up our days into precise increments packed with time-sensitive meetings, messages, and appointments,” she said.
“Human beings historically lived in contexts where time was measured by night and day and by the passage of the seasons more so than in tiny segments of minutes and seconds. So it shouldn’t be surprising that a portion of the population isn’t well adapted to this highly time-sensitive way of living.”
Some TikTokers supported the woman and her position
Other internet users, however, were far more critical. Here’s what they said
I have late phase sleep disorder and my time perception is certainly off, but have never used it as an excuse for anything! I set alarms for things all the time.
I have ADHD and struggle with getting out the door in the morning on time. I have different alarms set for each stage of getting ready: "Out of Bed," "Take Your Shower," "Get Dressed," "Get Your Work Things Together," "Leave Now," and "Seriously, WALK OUT THE DOOR."
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I suffer from "money blindness" so you need to accommodate me and pay me 100x my salary! It's work, they set the schedule, do whatever you have to do to show up on time or find freelance work where you can set your own schedule. It's like being a night watchmen who's scared of the dark, expecting the entire warehouse to be lit up all night to accommodate you.
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I can see this becoming the new buzz word as an excuse for always being late. Maybe if their wages/salary was not paid on time, they would put some more effort into paying attention to time.
That's all an interviewer needs to say ' ah well yes, we can accommodate that by just not paying you for all the time you don't turn up' See how quickly they 'have great medication now' for their disorder or ' I have been cured by therapy' once they can't earn the money. LoL
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So if a person is blind to time, shouldn't they (statistically speaking) be _early_ 50% of the time?
Good point. Does the condition only exist when it benefits her?
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I have ADHD and time blindness, if I have to be on time, I'm on time. But give me any wiggle room and it's a mess! I even think having to be on time is a blessing for people with ADHD. You can always find strategies to be on time : my alarm goes off every 3 minutes in the morning until the time I need to be out the door. The real struggle with time blindness is when managing things in the long run.
Yes! Wiggle room (often part of accommodations) often makes things worse.
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Accommodations for time blindness are unnecessary. Our phones, watches and computers all have this handy little feature called an alarm/reminder. Yes there are genuinely people that struggle to perceive the flow of time, but given how easy it is to compensate for this lack of perception we don't need special accommodations.
I'm automatically going to take the other side when it's a tiktokker shoving their face into the camera, filming themselves crying, and posting it online.
I know several people with ADHD and do struggle with time, however they just set multiple alarm clocks and are never late. It is not rocket science! If you can't be on time you'll never find a good job
I even write down household tasks orderwise i forget them. It really helps
Load More Replies... 1. The term ADHD is way overused, just saying you have it doesnt mean that you do. Most people who say they have it, have never been diagnosed by a professional, and no the internet doesn't count as a professional. 2. As an employer, if someone told me they have "time blindness" in a job interview, I would politely finish the interview, put the application in the "circular file" and move on with the next one. 3. This person will disrupt the work place with their "special needs" because nobody there will understand it or take the time to do so, and then they will feel resentful. 4. This person is just a "safe space" away from the next problem they will bring to the workplace and demand concessions for it. 5. The crying on camera thing and posting it online is way overdone. "Look at me, I finally found a way to get the attention I so rightly deserve, I feel so special!" 6. I can feel your thumb hovering over the down vote button right now. This is my opinion, if you don't like it,sorry
. I have been diagnosed with adhd in childhood and it's really annoying when I can't get my medicine filled because everyone and their mother are abusing stimulants. Coffee knocks me out and adhd medicine slows my body and mouth down and turns my brain on focus mode. If the medicine wires you up, makes you talk nonstop and clean the whole house in one go, you might not have adhd, you might just be high.
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Flexible working hours are pretty common here, although almost exclusively for office jobs. You can start any timer from 6am to 9am and just work you 8h a day. It's not like this is completely unreasonable in my experience
That's not helpful for people who claim time blindness as an excuse for not being on time. They are never on time with anything. They don't get tasks done, they miss meetings, they come to late all the time. While in a way time blindness does exist, most people using it as an excuse just don't bother to set alerts or procrastinate when the alarm goes of and just don't do what they've set the alarm for. Other people who also have time blindness are very punctual because they set alarms and leave on time or use other strategies to be punctual like being early and working in the meeting room etc. But they don't ask others what accommodations they offer. They ask for specific accomodations, like being allowed to do work in the meeting room before the meeting begins or having their mobile phone with their scheduling apps always on them etc.
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No special accommodations. Be more diligent with using tools like alarms, reminders, calendars, etc. You carry a device with you 24/7 that handles this.
Exactly. Plus, I can't think of any special accommodations that could be done for time blindness. I hate to judge - especially with the sparse information you get from a BP article -but it just seems to me like she's wanting special treatment from whoever hires her. Like she wants to go in when she wants to go in and tell her coworkers 'oh, it's okay that I'm late. I have a disability.'
Load More Replies... I have ADHD and the time blindness is real. Hours and days might slip away during hyperfocus and it can seem like no time at all. But that's my job to manage, not anyone else's. An employer would be right to require me to be on time. A friend hopefully would be forgiving if I took a couple days to reply.
Yeah, I've got ADD and time blindness is definitely real. I remember reading a book when I was 16. Started reading that book at about noon and finished it around 7 pm and being surprised at the time because it honestly felt like I'd only spent an hour reading it. As you said though, it's on us to manage it. Especially when we have phones that we can set alarms on. I have to set alarms for waking up, for going to bed, for eating, for taking my pills. Yes, it's hard but it can be done.
Load More Replies... Would it have been better if the person interviewing her handled the question more calmly and politely? Yes. Does she come across as rather clueless, annoying and entitled? Also yes. It's clear that there are lots of ways to handle this "condition", most of which are down to the person with "time blindness".
We only have her word for how the interviewer handled this. If you have a victim mentality then anything Said to you must be coming from a villain and you will colour their words to suit.
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I'll probably get downvoted for this, but I think that while time blindness can make this lady struggle a lot, it's also her responsibility to find some way to minimize it's inpact on her life.
I agree. This is like someone showing up to work without their glasses and demanding that someone read everything to them.
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Flexible starting times were a life savor for me. I seriously lucked out with my job. It's not just about getting up in the morning. I've tried all available tactics, but it's still ALWAYS tight. Maybe I get in my car on time and then see I need to get gas. Or I need to circle back because I forgot my lunch/wallet/cell. Before wfh my bf would find my coffee thermos on the shelf or floor next to the front door a few times a month. But because of the flexible start time, nobody at work knows that I usually start a half hour later than I intended to xD
Interesting that she wants accommodations and wants the company to look for other solutions to accommodate her... she should be looking into making accommodations for herself! Set your alarm an hour earlier, put an alarm somewhere away from where you sleep, set out your clothes the night before, get your lunch ready the night before. There are lots of ways she can help herself without expecting others to help her.
WTF is time blindness? You mean you have trouble being on time? Well, work on it live everybody else.... maybe try alarm clocks, you know these noisy things that remind you to get up wien you need to be somewhere at a certain time?
It's a real thing. For me, it feels like no time has passed when I'm focusing on whatever I'm doing, such as reading a book or scrolling the internet on my phone. I assume it feels different for everyone but I don't know. Haven't really talked to anyone else who has it. But, yeah, alarms are what I use. They're very useful at reminding me to take my pills and to eat. I think that girl needs to start using hers. I feel for her but this is on us to manage. I honestly don't know what accommodations she expects. Does she think that her boss would call her 20 minutes before she starts work? Or maybe they show up to her house to drive he to work on time? I don't get it. It's easy enough to set an alarm or put something in your calendar on your phone.
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You didn't do your homework on this article. She never went on a job interview. It was her mom who yelled at her. She also doesn't have a real diagnosis of it. Ridiculous.
I have the exact opposite- my internal clock is always right. No idea why, I just always seem aware of what time it is and it’s really really rare for me to lose track of time
And I thought I was the only one! Hello fellow time knower.
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Since time blindness is proven to exist, can we look at it like this: if you have a handicap (any handicap), you look for a job where it is relatively easy to accommodate for it. For example: if you don't have arms, you don't become a typist. If you are blind, you don't become a security guard. If you have time blindness, you don't look for a job where timed shifts/tasks/meetings are important. If you do, it would be logical to not get hired. There are, however, other jobs out there where timeliness isn't very important, or shifts can be adjusted easily. (The employer shouting isn't nice, but if flexibility in time isn't an option, you can't blame them for not hiring.)
The problem is that while it's true that time blindness exists it's not a reason not to be on time. It just needs more planning and more effort to be on time. Time blindness isn't something others can accommodate. It's something the person themselves needs to adjust to. I myself go nowhere without my watch. I have tons of alarms and need to schedule everything including my household or nothing gets done. But I'm punctual. Because I know if I don't set my alarms I will be too late and if I have no schedule I might get distracted and sit and stare at a wall daydreaming for hours. I once worked through 12 consecutive hours to correct a spreadsheet, without even noticing how the time was passing. I felt intrigued by the data and were exploring the possibilities to make the spreadsheet more user-friendly. Not only did I miss several meetings, I violated labour laws. I get it. I know what time blindness is. But it can be dealt with. It's the responsibility of the time blind person to do so.
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I'm struggling with this one. I accept that there are people who are challenged to determine how much time has passed - I can personally say that I am not a good estimator of how long something took or how long I've been doing a thing if I don't have a device near by. But if you know it is a struggle, you take measures to address it.
Exactly. I've also got time blindness and I'm struggling to think of what can be done to accommodate her. The only things I can think of are things that we can already do ourselves. Does she expect them to call her before work and tell her it's time to work? Does she expect someone to come pick her up to make sure she's on time? I don't get it.
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The one that said he gave employees a 15 minute grace period for getting to work is the kind of person who should be promoted to management everywhere, instead of the a******s we always get. Even if you don’t have ADHD/Time blindness, and leave early enough to be early to work, you never know what unexpected obstacle is waiting for you on your normal commute. Accidents, road work, construction, flooding, extra long funeral processions, extra long trains, heavy snow and unplowed roads, malfunctioning stoplights stuck on red, traffic backups for any reason, including slowpoke drivers. That grace period allows commuters some breathing space if they are made late by extenuating circumstances. I have encountered stuff like that myself, and have even texted/emailed pictures from my cellphone, showing the miles of traffic backup in front of me with a message to my manager, to show them exactly why I would be late by an amount of time I couldn’t even estimate at that point.
Just spent an afternoon with someone in medical school who is quadriplegic. He told me about numerous schools who have refused accommodation to people because they have wheelchairs. Even with our ADA to help disabled people, the fact that they use a chair won't be accommodated. (Classes in basements, non-functional elevators) This person wants accommodation because they can't be arsed to use alarms?!
Would love to know what accommodations she thinks they'd give? Time blindness is hard but with a phone or tablet or even a laptop, it's pretty easy to manage it. This just confuses me.
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I'm in the middle on this. On one hand, I understand why she would ask. On the other hand, I'm having a difficult time thinking of what kind of accommodations she would want. I mean, it's okay to acknowledge you're struggling with being on time, but what do you expect? Meetings not starting unless you've arrived? Not being warned after consistently being late?
Maybe something like, if you're late but it has no considerable impact on anyone else, you're not gonna get yelled at, instead you make up for missed time at the end of the day? - This was how it worked in my old job. I didn't miss any meetings, but if on a quiet day I showed up an hour late, I would just stay an hour longer.
Load More Replies... WHY WOULD YOU ASK THIS QUESTION AT A JOB INTERVIEW? I have never heard of this in my life and I have severe adhd. I am excellent at perceiving what time it is (often dead on or within 5-10 minutes of the actual time) but the problem isn't the time, it's me and motivating myself to leave earlier than 5 minutes before I'm supposed to be somewhere. I thought time blindness was some strange form of dyslexia where mornings are like afternoons or something crazy like that...like people who can't see or remember faces like there was people who cant see or remember a clock. Then I read on and was disappointed.
Her mother said it to her. Not a job interview and it's sketch on whether she has actual an diagnosis. Bored Panda didn't do their homework on this woman.
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I know people with time blindness. They're never late. They make sure they get their things done on time and show up on time because they realize this is an issue. This girl doesn't seem to want to do that, she seems to think everyone needs to put up with her time blindness and does nothing about it.
I've always had this, and I'm 58yo, so my school and work life existed at a time when no accommodations were made for anything short of hospital-level illness or injury. It's manageable, especially in 2023. I set my phone and computer to loudly announce the time every hour (and on bad days, every half hour). For appointments, I automatically add 15 minutes to the expected travel time. The universe doesn't care that you have issues, so you have to learn how to manage your issues. Don't expect the entire world to change for you.
Clocks have done that for forever. Chimes in clocks used to be commonplace. We've actually gone backwards in that regard.
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Time blindness is very much a thing for those of us with ADHD. I can go through the same routine, every single day, and yet I seem to leave the house at a different time each of those days. If I'm 5 minutes late to work, it's not because I was f*cking off, it's because something in my routine took a little longer than usual, or something came up and interrupted that routine and caused it to take longer. Just because your thing worked for you doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.
I wish I had all the apps and alarms to have helped me. I did not know there was such a thing as adhd or autism as a kid. I just thought I was stupid and lazy. I worked very hard at making tricks and adjustments so I could fit in and not look like an idiot. For those of you who are struggling, do not give up - BUT also learn to work towards fitting in instead of having everyone else make concessions for you.
I have really bad time perception, I can't for the life of me tell if it's been 30 minutes or three hours unless I have a clock in front of me. Neither can I estimate how long it will take to do something. It's my problem to handle and find solutions for and I wouldn't expect others to accommodate me, especially at work, but I will say this: everyone saying "it's just being lazy" can f.ck right of.
Yes! It's the same with me. I had to hear the "you're just being lazy" thing all my life and that's just not true. I'm not being lazy, I genuinely can't tell how long something takes or how long it's been without having a clock in front of me, staring me in the face. What feels like five minutes to me could actually have been an hour and I honestly have no idea. It is easy enough to manage once you know what the problem is though but it's still not "being lazy".
Load More Replies... I can see that Boredpanda commenters aren't ready to accept this. It isn't okay to pick and choose which symptoms of a condition or disability we are willing to make accommodations for and which ones we are going to condemn as "lazy". I guess it will take some brave people with the resources and energy to bring this to multiple courts and employment tribunals before it's taken seriously. I know that some people with ADHD are jumping in and saying "If I can do it then everyone else with the same diagnosis must of course be able to do it they just aren't trying hard enough", which is just another variation of "I've had it hard so everybody else must suffer too".
I have ADHD. I struggle a lot with time management. I think if she had stated it as "I have time blindness and I need these specific accommodations," it could have worked out differently. The way she put it may have sounded like fishing to the interviewer, like she's trying to get around their policies on timeliness or set up future excuses. It was not okay for the interviewer to be rude about it, though.
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I have trouble with time, but if I *have* to be somewhere on time I will be. However in my current job I’m allowed to organize my own hours and it’s heaven, some days I will work for 16 hours straight and some days I just show up for an hour or two in the afternoon.
Er... access to those apps and timers people are talking about *is* an accommodation. Acknowledging that the person needs their phone nearby, or headphones, or having the sound on so they can hear alarms is an accommodation. An accommodation is something that helps you work, not necessarily something that gets you out of it.
The medical term for time blindness is dyschronometria. It IS real and not just associated with ADHD. It
It IS real. It's a cerebellar dysfunction that causes people to lose the ability to accurately tell how much time has passed. It can be caused by grief, injury, depression, lack of sleep, disease, anxiety, etc. It can also affect spatial awareness and thought processes. Setting alarms and reminders can help, but even then, the slightest distraction can derail their process. For example, after an alarm, a person may be in the process of putting on a coat and heading out the door. However, there are a couple of dirty dishes that need to go into the dishwasher. We'll, now the cabinet is dirty from where the dishes sat, so that needs to be wiped off. The dishcloth can't be left dirty, so now that needs to be rinsed out. Suddenly, 8-9 minutes have passed from when the person put on the coat with the intention of immediately leaving. People are often labeled as lazy or irresponsible when it's actually a neurological condition. On the flip side, people can also become so focused and engrossed in an activity that they will work for hours without realizing it.
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Good look finding a job like that. Most workplaces are based around time, meetings, zoom calls, replying to emails etc. You can't demand that the whole company change its ways just because you have a very unusual condition (which many people say doesn't exist). You need to be the one to come up with a solution.
So I wonder if she were given an accommodation and they hired her, will there be days where she works an extra hour or 2 when she doesn't have to? How about when she has a concert to band she always wanted to see at 7, her schedule ends at 4. Will she just be blind to the 4 end time and work until 6, and risk missing the concert. Something tells me her condition would magically improve in those circumstances. If you are claiming a disorder, then it has to affect YOU negatively as well, not just everyone around you. I met a few people that are perpetually late. And sometimes they are late to things they want to do. But I've never seen them actually miss out on anything they truly wanted to do. The problem with c**p like Time Blindness is it takes away from people with real disorders.
So would she still be sitting at her desk at midnight not having realised when it was home time?
If she really has time blindness, yes, this can happen. If she's just using it as an excuse for constantly being late or procrastinating, no, she won't.
Load More Replies... hmm... it depends on the job and country i guess but in general i dont start at a certain time and even have a four hour window, and the clients i work for have a certain window as well :-D
Hmm, I predict this business is one of many places that'll end up telling her that they "went in a different direction"? It's a job interview, you're selling yourself and your ability to do that job. Now, are there efficient employees who show up on time-- or even late-- and hit their deadlines/do the work assigned to them much quicker than their coworkers? Will she have coworkers that drag their feet completing those same tasks/slack off once they're at work? Yes, the sad truth is that it can take weeks/months before you as an employer or coworker can really learn one's work ethic, how committed and driven they are (hopefully they can reward or reproach accordingly when a performance review or raise request comes up). But it starts with putting your best foot forward, including being on time. They may not notice if you stay late to get more work done, but they'll ALWAYS notice if you're not there on time. Learn to overcome your "condition" on your own time, not theirs.
I’m getting really pissed at people here claiming that time blindness doesn’t exist. Are you a psychologist? No? Then STFU. It’s a real thing. We have to give it a name so we can talk about it, understand what it is, and learn to cope. Maybe “time blindness” isn’t the best term to describe it, it’s not as if folks with ADHD such as myself can’t perceive the passage of time at all. But I definitely struggle with understanding how long things take to happen. And I regularly (multiple times per day) have the experience of looking at my watch and it’s 7:30 or whatever, and then starting on a task and believing it is still 7:30 for quite a while, sometimes for over an hour, before I check my watch again and realizing how much time has passed. As others have said, modern technologies gives us some tools to help us compensate for this condition. But understanding what is going on is the first step towards developing coping strategies.
The thing is, it's personal responsibility to develop those coping strategies. It's the pushing the onus onto other people that is so maddening.
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There's a magical app on your phone called an alarm. You set 4 separate ones: 1. Wake Up 2. Get Ready 3. Leave For Work (Soft Warning) 4. Leave For Work (Immediately.) Google instructions if that's hard to figure out.
It's called entitlement. As in "I'm entitled to do something over and above what is actually expected of me regardless of what effect my actions are likely to have on those around me, and I will use a made up word to excuse said entitlement."
Hmmm ... ... as employer ... ... I see it as: - exploiting for excuse of not been organized and adult enough to understand why timetables somewhere need to exist, - if it is part of some serious personal condition - well there is answer why I am afraid to take person with serious medical/personal condition on team. But still - we can and should remain in cultural and kind talking relation - no need to be rude or disrespectful to anybody ... ... but of course - I can be very wrong, and really it is hard for me to grasp some modern "cultural" concepts. And than, that can be reason why You don't wanna work with me. But in no way I am contrary to these new concepts - I wish You all luck and good in life, I support Your freedom of choice as should we all. (Just don't try to press it with stick in my throat - and I won't bother You with timetables ...;)
Your smart phone, which you never put down, has alarms and reminders. If you are "time blind" try harder.
The reasonable accommodation is on her end--setting alarms and alerts for each thing she has to be on time for. Most workplaces use Outlook email and calendar, which you can set to give 15-minute warnings or whatever before each event on your calendar. It makes more sense for her to do that than for her employers, clients, etc. to just be fine with her waltzing in late all the time.
I'm dyslexic. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 9 or 10. Prior to that, teachers just thought I was "stupid", and "lazy", and would tell me so, to my face, several times a day. My parents fought tooth and nail to get me a diagnosis. Contrary to established wisdom of the time, they *knew* there was something amiss. Just because people have never heard of "time blindness", it doesn't mean it's not a real condition.
When you teach your kid that everybody wins (participation trophy) everything you do is perfect, nobody ever says no & accommodates you like you’re the only person on earth; you get what you create. -I have severe depression & anxiety, add to that PTSD to the point I disassociate and get lost in my head. I set alarms. Multiple alarms. I set them so that I’m early. I think of having to interact/be somewhere stressful as ways to work through my issues, like mental exercise. I do not expect the world to stop for me because I can’t be bothered. At the very base here may I say “Survival of the Fittest.” If you were put in a situation where your very survival depended on your ability to overcome & be successful at whatever task was in front of you, you would become more mentally flexible real quick, especially if you didn’t have someone bailing you out of every small inconvenience. If society caters to every “disability” life would come to a screeching halt. It doesn’t work that way.
Lolololol this can't be for real. Time blindnes? Here's a solution to you "condition" -buy a watch, set a timer, quit being inconsiderate of other people's time.
This is ridiculous. You can't just create a diagnosis for being lazy and expect to be taken seriously. Start identifying the reason you can't be on time and then start taking steps to address those issues. Set more than one alarm, do everything before you go to bed so you don't have to in the morning, etc. This is called being an adult. "Time blindness" is a way for you to not have to address the issue. You seem like you have "reality blindness."
Good lord, there is an excuse for everything today. You can just make it up- Can't turn up for work one day? 'work memory blindness' - the disorder of forgetting where you work. Must take four weeks vacation instead of two? - 'holiday vacation blindness' - the disorder of needing more time off etc etc etc. This is just nuts! Time blindness? I bet this girl doesn't have 'time blindness' for things like attending a concert or going on a date or catching a flight for a great holiday!. What she really has though is ' I don't want to work but still get paid' blindness. This generation are such pansies!
People looking to hire do so with a set of requirements they are willing to pay you "x" amount to meet. If you can't fulfill those requirements then that is not a job you can do. For example: we need a receptionist to greet clients between 9am to 5pm because those are our opening ours and clients rightfully expect us to have someone to greet them in those hours. We are willing to pay someone to fulfill these requirements. As much as nobody should be discriminated against or treated unfairly, also nobody is entitled to someone else's money if they are not doing what has been agreed as required to earn that money. If you book a hair appointment for a specific time, you expect a hairdresser to be there when you arrive, not when they remember to show up. Businesses can't run any other way, you need concrete poured on Tuesday at 10ambecause "x" is following on at 2pm, you hire someone dependable so your budget doesn't blow out and the next step is delayed. Time is money.
I guess I too suffer from "Time Blindness" in a sense. I grew up with ADD before it had a name. It was hell. I'd lose papers with homework, forget assignments, show up late. It's a real handicap in life. However, I worked at it and I had to structure my life differently. Computer and cellphones helped a great deal in this regard. My productivity skyrocketed and my mind found the needed structure when I started working in IT related businesses. Today, with supercomputers that can also make phone calls, there is really no excuse for Time Blindness, unbless it is an actual mental condition like people that have short term memory issues (like my wife). I don't know if this time blindness is a recognized mental health syndrome, but if it is plain old ADD or ADHD, it can be remedied.
I have incredibly good time sense, so I was upset by what happened when I had surgery for an aneurysm. Coming out of anesthesia, my time sense failed completely. I had to be lying down on my back for 8 hours before I could sit up and I was constantly asking the nurses if it had been 8 hours yet. It would seem like an hour had passed, but the nurse would tell me it was only ten minutes since the last time I had asked. I remember this clearly and I also remember wondering how I could be misjudging the time so badly. So I can completely relate to people who have "time blindness". Our time sense is so ingrained in us, that not having it doesn't seem possible. Yet it is possible for some people to have time blindness and I have to give them kudos for finding workarounds for something the don't have that seems so basic for the rest of us. Those of you trying to shame this woman, think about this: what would you do if you didn't have a time sense and how would it effect you?
The problem is that such people think that they're unique. That other people can just tell time or asses how long things will take. But the truth is, time is a completely human construct and rarely anyone can tell time without a watch. Some can, as long as they can see the sun. But put anyone in a black room without a clock or a window and that's gone. No one can tell time without any scale or orientation point. Yes, it's easier for some to estimate how long things will take to be done, but even that is based on experience, and that experience comes from looking at the watch when you start and then again looking on your watch when you're finished. And people can learn that. If you're not looking at a clock when you're doing stuff, you'll never learn how to estimate how long any given thing might take. I get it that it's more difficult to do so for some people who have to put in more effort than others. But still, it's your responsibility. Not something you can have accomodations for.
I've never been officially diagnosed, but I probably have ADHD. I can get a thought in my head and disappear down a rabbit hole for hours, or get hyperfocused on things and not notice that I've been at it for an hour or three. I can also set an alarm for things that I consider important. If I have something lie a doctor's appointment where the time is rigidly fixed I'm rarely more than a minute or two late and that's only because I know doctor is almost never ready at that appointment time. When I had a job with a fixed starting time, long before cell phones and an alarm clock in my pocket I still managed to get to work on time. If this woman can't manage that the she's got a disability that will severely limit what jobs she can do, whether it's a "real" mental disability or just a general inability to cope with the general demands of life.
If it is a really big issue for her, maybe one of the sheltered jobs would be better, with care staff guiding her through the day?
This is just a lame excuse for being late.... i used to work early mornings, and had to use public transportation. if i solely used public transit to get to work i would always be 10-20 minutes late... .that being unreasonable for me i decided to start walking (about 10KM) and lo and behold i was actually 15-20 minutes early everyday..... stop using excuses, even if this is a thing, and change your routine.
guess what... not everyone is like you. For example, if I had to walk 10 km to work every day, i woudlnt be able to work anymore. Surprise! (before you come at me: im on my feet all day and i also ride my bicycle to work, so dont call me lazy)
Load More Replies... Time is the one constant in our lives. That’s why we have things called clocks. Your perception of time is your own problem, not a prospective employer’s problem. The fact that this person is crying in a TikTok video about it says everything people need to know. Get a grip, get a work ethic and set alarms and reminders ffs. I have excellent time management skills and I still use my digital calendar to set a reminder for everything I need to do at work. I don’t necessarily need to, I just like to have that backup. For someone who does need help there are dozens of tools available, even an old fashioned page per day handwritten diary. TikTok is not on the list.
Time Blindness.. its a thing (Who knew) .. At the same time so is Down Syndrome & being Paraplegic, So is Dyslexia so is CP , ALS MP ,AIDS and Severe Rheumatoid arthritis and these people go to work and lead productive lives . The Problem I have is when you broadcast yourself (poor Me) and look for pity. A man with a missing leg can seek accommodation. you my time blind friend are simply seeking attention.. Use your phone.. it has the total sum of human knowledge on it, and infinite alarms, What more do you want?
I mean, if you can acknowledge it's a handicap, then you can acknowledge that a lot of handicaps have some sort of extra rule to make it easier to function in the workplace. Why not this one?
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I consider myself to be pretty open-minded, but this is just.... I don't even have the words. I will hope that this was her attempt at a joke. Timeblindnes might be a real thing, but so are freaking watches, and alarms. I do not condone what the interviewer said to her, they sound like an a*s, but she is also being delusional.
He didn't have to yell. I would have handed her a watch and said, "consider it accommodated."
*He didn't have to yell. He could have said "I'm sorry but we cannot accommodate this here, I wish you good luck in your future endeavours."
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We all have foibles, disclosing that you’re not managing them yourself was a bad idea.
Yeah I've seen this. This is not a condition. It's called not wanting to be somewhere on time. It's the failure of our education system to even teach time. These days we have these wonderful things where we can set reminders and alarms and maps that tell us how long it takes to get somewhere.
There has been research into time blindness. If you don't agree with making accommodations for it, that's fine. But don't deny an actually proven to exist handicap.
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I don't really know what to think. I feel it is not really fair to cling on a mental health issue and use as an excuse and just wait for the whole world to accept it, however the world also should be more understanding. Honestly I feel sad for people with this issue because being on time and manage everything in time is hard AF even for someone without this kind of difficulties. I think being a bit late is just normal. It happens to everyone I guess or at least it happens to me too. No workplace should be so strict that an employer can't be late at all even for a few minutes.
I've never heard the term "time blindness" before. And I can't guess the scope of it's validity. But, I do know, for better or worse, our world runs on a clock. And it can greatly impact many jobs if people aren't on time. If I am late to my job that may mean someone else can't leave when they are supposed to or someone else gets stuck doing extra work. Business runs on the greater good, as well.
You can also make the world a better place by calmly explaining things and having a civilised discussion, instead of swearing and judging.
Load More Replies... I have late phase sleep disorder and my time perception is certainly off, but have never used it as an excuse for anything! I set alarms for things all the time.
I have ADHD and struggle with getting out the door in the morning on time. I have different alarms set for each stage of getting ready: "Out of Bed," "Take Your Shower," "Get Dressed," "Get Your Work Things Together," "Leave Now," and "Seriously, WALK OUT THE DOOR."
Load More Replies... I suffer from "money blindness" so you need to accommodate me and pay me 100x my salary! It's work, they set the schedule, do whatever you have to do to show up on time or find freelance work where you can set your own schedule. It's like being a night watchmen who's scared of the dark, expecting the entire warehouse to be lit up all night to accommodate you.
Load More Replies... I can see this becoming the new buzz word as an excuse for always being late. Maybe if their wages/salary was not paid on time, they would put some more effort into paying attention to time.
That's all an interviewer needs to say ' ah well yes, we can accommodate that by just not paying you for all the time you don't turn up' See how quickly they 'have great medication now' for their disorder or ' I have been cured by therapy' once they can't earn the money. LoL
Load More Replies... So if a person is blind to time, shouldn't they (statistically speaking) be _early_ 50% of the time?
Good point. Does the condition only exist when it benefits her?
Load More Replies... I have ADHD and time blindness, if I have to be on time, I'm on time. But give me any wiggle room and it's a mess! I even think having to be on time is a blessing for people with ADHD. You can always find strategies to be on time : my alarm goes off every 3 minutes in the morning until the time I need to be out the door. The real struggle with time blindness is when managing things in the long run.
Yes! Wiggle room (often part of accommodations) often makes things worse.
Load More Replies... Accommodations for time blindness are unnecessary. Our phones, watches and computers all have this handy little feature called an alarm/reminder. Yes there are genuinely people that struggle to perceive the flow of time, but given how easy it is to compensate for this lack of perception we don't need special accommodations.
I'm automatically going to take the other side when it's a tiktokker shoving their face into the camera, filming themselves crying, and posting it online.
I know several people with ADHD and do struggle with time, however they just set multiple alarm clocks and are never late. It is not rocket science! If you can't be on time you'll never find a good job
I even write down household tasks orderwise i forget them. It really helps
Load More Replies... 1. The term ADHD is way overused, just saying you have it doesnt mean that you do. Most people who say they have it, have never been diagnosed by a professional, and no the internet doesn't count as a professional. 2. As an employer, if someone told me they have "time blindness" in a job interview, I would politely finish the interview, put the application in the "circular file" and move on with the next one. 3. This person will disrupt the work place with their "special needs" because nobody there will understand it or take the time to do so, and then they will feel resentful. 4. This person is just a "safe space" away from the next problem they will bring to the workplace and demand concessions for it. 5. The crying on camera thing and posting it online is way overdone. "Look at me, I finally found a way to get the attention I so rightly deserve, I feel so special!" 6. I can feel your thumb hovering over the down vote button right now. This is my opinion, if you don't like it,sorry
. I have been diagnosed with adhd in childhood and it's really annoying when I can't get my medicine filled because everyone and their mother are abusing stimulants. Coffee knocks me out and adhd medicine slows my body and mouth down and turns my brain on focus mode. If the medicine wires you up, makes you talk nonstop and clean the whole house in one go, you might not have adhd, you might just be high.
Load More Replies... Flexible working hours are pretty common here, although almost exclusively for office jobs. You can start any timer from 6am to 9am and just work you 8h a day. It's not like this is completely unreasonable in my experience
That's not helpful for people who claim time blindness as an excuse for not being on time. They are never on time with anything. They don't get tasks done, they miss meetings, they come to late all the time. While in a way time blindness does exist, most people using it as an excuse just don't bother to set alerts or procrastinate when the alarm goes of and just don't do what they've set the alarm for. Other people who also have time blindness are very punctual because they set alarms and leave on time or use other strategies to be punctual like being early and working in the meeting room etc. But they don't ask others what accommodations they offer. They ask for specific accomodations, like being allowed to do work in the meeting room before the meeting begins or having their mobile phone with their scheduling apps always on them etc.
Load More Replies... No special accommodations. Be more diligent with using tools like alarms, reminders, calendars, etc. You carry a device with you 24/7 that handles this.
Exactly. Plus, I can't think of any special accommodations that could be done for time blindness. I hate to judge - especially with the sparse information you get from a BP article -but it just seems to me like she's wanting special treatment from whoever hires her. Like she wants to go in when she wants to go in and tell her coworkers 'oh, it's okay that I'm late. I have a disability.'
Load More Replies... I have ADHD and the time blindness is real. Hours and days might slip away during hyperfocus and it can seem like no time at all. But that's my job to manage, not anyone else's. An employer would be right to require me to be on time. A friend hopefully would be forgiving if I took a couple days to reply.
Yeah, I've got ADD and time blindness is definitely real. I remember reading a book when I was 16. Started reading that book at about noon and finished it around 7 pm and being surprised at the time because it honestly felt like I'd only spent an hour reading it. As you said though, it's on us to manage it. Especially when we have phones that we can set alarms on. I have to set alarms for waking up, for going to bed, for eating, for taking my pills. Yes, it's hard but it can be done.
Load More Replies... Would it have been better if the person interviewing her handled the question more calmly and politely? Yes. Does she come across as rather clueless, annoying and entitled? Also yes. It's clear that there are lots of ways to handle this "condition", most of which are down to the person with "time blindness".
We only have her word for how the interviewer handled this. If you have a victim mentality then anything Said to you must be coming from a villain and you will colour their words to suit.
Load More Replies... I'll probably get downvoted for this, but I think that while time blindness can make this lady struggle a lot, it's also her responsibility to find some way to minimize it's inpact on her life.
I agree. This is like someone showing up to work without their glasses and demanding that someone read everything to them.
Load More Replies... Flexible starting times were a life savor for me. I seriously lucked out with my job. It's not just about getting up in the morning. I've tried all available tactics, but it's still ALWAYS tight. Maybe I get in my car on time and then see I need to get gas. Or I need to circle back because I forgot my lunch/wallet/cell. Before wfh my bf would find my coffee thermos on the shelf or floor next to the front door a few times a month. But because of the flexible start time, nobody at work knows that I usually start a half hour later than I intended to xD
Interesting that she wants accommodations and wants the company to look for other solutions to accommodate her... she should be looking into making accommodations for herself! Set your alarm an hour earlier, put an alarm somewhere away from where you sleep, set out your clothes the night before, get your lunch ready the night before. There are lots of ways she can help herself without expecting others to help her.
WTF is time blindness? You mean you have trouble being on time? Well, work on it live everybody else.... maybe try alarm clocks, you know these noisy things that remind you to get up wien you need to be somewhere at a certain time?
It's a real thing. For me, it feels like no time has passed when I'm focusing on whatever I'm doing, such as reading a book or scrolling the internet on my phone. I assume it feels different for everyone but I don't know. Haven't really talked to anyone else who has it. But, yeah, alarms are what I use. They're very useful at reminding me to take my pills and to eat. I think that girl needs to start using hers. I feel for her but this is on us to manage. I honestly don't know what accommodations she expects. Does she think that her boss would call her 20 minutes before she starts work? Or maybe they show up to her house to drive he to work on time? I don't get it. It's easy enough to set an alarm or put something in your calendar on your phone.
Load More Replies... You didn't do your homework on this article. She never went on a job interview. It was her mom who yelled at her. She also doesn't have a real diagnosis of it. Ridiculous.
I have the exact opposite- my internal clock is always right. No idea why, I just always seem aware of what time it is and it’s really really rare for me to lose track of time
And I thought I was the only one! Hello fellow time knower.
Load More Replies... Since time blindness is proven to exist, can we look at it like this: if you have a handicap (any handicap), you look for a job where it is relatively easy to accommodate for it. For example: if you don't have arms, you don't become a typist. If you are blind, you don't become a security guard. If you have time blindness, you don't look for a job where timed shifts/tasks/meetings are important. If you do, it would be logical to not get hired. There are, however, other jobs out there where timeliness isn't very important, or shifts can be adjusted easily. (The employer shouting isn't nice, but if flexibility in time isn't an option, you can't blame them for not hiring.)
The problem is that while it's true that time blindness exists it's not a reason not to be on time. It just needs more planning and more effort to be on time. Time blindness isn't something others can accommodate. It's something the person themselves needs to adjust to. I myself go nowhere without my watch. I have tons of alarms and need to schedule everything including my household or nothing gets done. But I'm punctual. Because I know if I don't set my alarms I will be too late and if I have no schedule I might get distracted and sit and stare at a wall daydreaming for hours. I once worked through 12 consecutive hours to correct a spreadsheet, without even noticing how the time was passing. I felt intrigued by the data and were exploring the possibilities to make the spreadsheet more user-friendly. Not only did I miss several meetings, I violated labour laws. I get it. I know what time blindness is. But it can be dealt with. It's the responsibility of the time blind person to do so.
Load More Replies... I'm struggling with this one. I accept that there are people who are challenged to determine how much time has passed - I can personally say that I am not a good estimator of how long something took or how long I've been doing a thing if I don't have a device near by. But if you know it is a struggle, you take measures to address it.
Exactly. I've also got time blindness and I'm struggling to think of what can be done to accommodate her. The only things I can think of are things that we can already do ourselves. Does she expect them to call her before work and tell her it's time to work? Does she expect someone to come pick her up to make sure she's on time? I don't get it.
Load More Replies... The one that said he gave employees a 15 minute grace period for getting to work is the kind of person who should be promoted to management everywhere, instead of the a******s we always get. Even if you don’t have ADHD/Time blindness, and leave early enough to be early to work, you never know what unexpected obstacle is waiting for you on your normal commute. Accidents, road work, construction, flooding, extra long funeral processions, extra long trains, heavy snow and unplowed roads, malfunctioning stoplights stuck on red, traffic backups for any reason, including slowpoke drivers. That grace period allows commuters some breathing space if they are made late by extenuating circumstances. I have encountered stuff like that myself, and have even texted/emailed pictures from my cellphone, showing the miles of traffic backup in front of me with a message to my manager, to show them exactly why I would be late by an amount of time I couldn’t even estimate at that point.
Just spent an afternoon with someone in medical school who is quadriplegic. He told me about numerous schools who have refused accommodation to people because they have wheelchairs. Even with our ADA to help disabled people, the fact that they use a chair won't be accommodated. (Classes in basements, non-functional elevators) This person wants accommodation because they can't be arsed to use alarms?!
Would love to know what accommodations she thinks they'd give? Time blindness is hard but with a phone or tablet or even a laptop, it's pretty easy to manage it. This just confuses me.
Load More Replies... I'm in the middle on this. On one hand, I understand why she would ask. On the other hand, I'm having a difficult time thinking of what kind of accommodations she would want. I mean, it's okay to acknowledge you're struggling with being on time, but what do you expect? Meetings not starting unless you've arrived? Not being warned after consistently being late?
Maybe something like, if you're late but it has no considerable impact on anyone else, you're not gonna get yelled at, instead you make up for missed time at the end of the day? - This was how it worked in my old job. I didn't miss any meetings, but if on a quiet day I showed up an hour late, I would just stay an hour longer.
Load More Replies... WHY WOULD YOU ASK THIS QUESTION AT A JOB INTERVIEW? I have never heard of this in my life and I have severe adhd. I am excellent at perceiving what time it is (often dead on or within 5-10 minutes of the actual time) but the problem isn't the time, it's me and motivating myself to leave earlier than 5 minutes before I'm supposed to be somewhere. I thought time blindness was some strange form of dyslexia where mornings are like afternoons or something crazy like that...like people who can't see or remember faces like there was people who cant see or remember a clock. Then I read on and was disappointed.
Her mother said it to her. Not a job interview and it's sketch on whether she has actual an diagnosis. Bored Panda didn't do their homework on this woman.
Load More Replies... I know people with time blindness. They're never late. They make sure they get their things done on time and show up on time because they realize this is an issue. This girl doesn't seem to want to do that, she seems to think everyone needs to put up with her time blindness and does nothing about it.
I've always had this, and I'm 58yo, so my school and work life existed at a time when no accommodations were made for anything short of hospital-level illness or injury. It's manageable, especially in 2023. I set my phone and computer to loudly announce the time every hour (and on bad days, every half hour). For appointments, I automatically add 15 minutes to the expected travel time. The universe doesn't care that you have issues, so you have to learn how to manage your issues. Don't expect the entire world to change for you.
Clocks have done that for forever. Chimes in clocks used to be commonplace. We've actually gone backwards in that regard.
Load More Replies... Time blindness is very much a thing for those of us with ADHD. I can go through the same routine, every single day, and yet I seem to leave the house at a different time each of those days. If I'm 5 minutes late to work, it's not because I was f*cking off, it's because something in my routine took a little longer than usual, or something came up and interrupted that routine and caused it to take longer. Just because your thing worked for you doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.
I wish I had all the apps and alarms to have helped me. I did not know there was such a thing as adhd or autism as a kid. I just thought I was stupid and lazy. I worked very hard at making tricks and adjustments so I could fit in and not look like an idiot. For those of you who are struggling, do not give up - BUT also learn to work towards fitting in instead of having everyone else make concessions for you.
I have really bad time perception, I can't for the life of me tell if it's been 30 minutes or three hours unless I have a clock in front of me. Neither can I estimate how long it will take to do something. It's my problem to handle and find solutions for and I wouldn't expect others to accommodate me, especially at work, but I will say this: everyone saying "it's just being lazy" can f.ck right of.
Yes! It's the same with me. I had to hear the "you're just being lazy" thing all my life and that's just not true. I'm not being lazy, I genuinely can't tell how long something takes or how long it's been without having a clock in front of me, staring me in the face. What feels like five minutes to me could actually have been an hour and I honestly have no idea. It is easy enough to manage once you know what the problem is though but it's still not "being lazy".
Load More Replies... I can see that Boredpanda commenters aren't ready to accept this. It isn't okay to pick and choose which symptoms of a condition or disability we are willing to make accommodations for and which ones we are going to condemn as "lazy". I guess it will take some brave people with the resources and energy to bring this to multiple courts and employment tribunals before it's taken seriously. I know that some people with ADHD are jumping in and saying "If I can do it then everyone else with the same diagnosis must of course be able to do it they just aren't trying hard enough", which is just another variation of "I've had it hard so everybody else must suffer too".
I have ADHD. I struggle a lot with time management. I think if she had stated it as "I have time blindness and I need these specific accommodations," it could have worked out differently. The way she put it may have sounded like fishing to the interviewer, like she's trying to get around their policies on timeliness or set up future excuses. It was not okay for the interviewer to be rude about it, though.
Load More Replies... I have trouble with time, but if I *have* to be somewhere on time I will be. However in my current job I’m allowed to organize my own hours and it’s heaven, some days I will work for 16 hours straight and some days I just show up for an hour or two in the afternoon.
Er... access to those apps and timers people are talking about *is* an accommodation. Acknowledging that the person needs their phone nearby, or headphones, or having the sound on so they can hear alarms is an accommodation. An accommodation is something that helps you work, not necessarily something that gets you out of it.
The medical term for time blindness is dyschronometria. It IS real and not just associated with ADHD. It
It IS real. It's a cerebellar dysfunction that causes people to lose the ability to accurately tell how much time has passed. It can be caused by grief, injury, depression, lack of sleep, disease, anxiety, etc. It can also affect spatial awareness and thought processes. Setting alarms and reminders can help, but even then, the slightest distraction can derail their process. For example, after an alarm, a person may be in the process of putting on a coat and heading out the door. However, there are a couple of dirty dishes that need to go into the dishwasher. We'll, now the cabinet is dirty from where the dishes sat, so that needs to be wiped off. The dishcloth can't be left dirty, so now that needs to be rinsed out. Suddenly, 8-9 minutes have passed from when the person put on the coat with the intention of immediately leaving. People are often labeled as lazy or irresponsible when it's actually a neurological condition. On the flip side, people can also become so focused and engrossed in an activity that they will work for hours without realizing it.
Load More Replies... Good look finding a job like that. Most workplaces are based around time, meetings, zoom calls, replying to emails etc. You can't demand that the whole company change its ways just because you have a very unusual condition (which many people say doesn't exist). You need to be the one to come up with a solution.
So I wonder if she were given an accommodation and they hired her, will there be days where she works an extra hour or 2 when she doesn't have to? How about when she has a concert to band she always wanted to see at 7, her schedule ends at 4. Will she just be blind to the 4 end time and work until 6, and risk missing the concert. Something tells me her condition would magically improve in those circumstances. If you are claiming a disorder, then it has to affect YOU negatively as well, not just everyone around you. I met a few people that are perpetually late. And sometimes they are late to things they want to do. But I've never seen them actually miss out on anything they truly wanted to do. The problem with c**p like Time Blindness is it takes away from people with real disorders.
So would she still be sitting at her desk at midnight not having realised when it was home time?
If she really has time blindness, yes, this can happen. If she's just using it as an excuse for constantly being late or procrastinating, no, she won't.
Load More Replies... hmm... it depends on the job and country i guess but in general i dont start at a certain time and even have a four hour window, and the clients i work for have a certain window as well :-D
Hmm, I predict this business is one of many places that'll end up telling her that they "went in a different direction"? It's a job interview, you're selling yourself and your ability to do that job. Now, are there efficient employees who show up on time-- or even late-- and hit their deadlines/do the work assigned to them much quicker than their coworkers? Will she have coworkers that drag their feet completing those same tasks/slack off once they're at work? Yes, the sad truth is that it can take weeks/months before you as an employer or coworker can really learn one's work ethic, how committed and driven they are (hopefully they can reward or reproach accordingly when a performance review or raise request comes up). But it starts with putting your best foot forward, including being on time. They may not notice if you stay late to get more work done, but they'll ALWAYS notice if you're not there on time. Learn to overcome your "condition" on your own time, not theirs.
I’m getting really pissed at people here claiming that time blindness doesn’t exist. Are you a psychologist? No? Then STFU. It’s a real thing. We have to give it a name so we can talk about it, understand what it is, and learn to cope. Maybe “time blindness” isn’t the best term to describe it, it’s not as if folks with ADHD such as myself can’t perceive the passage of time at all. But I definitely struggle with understanding how long things take to happen. And I regularly (multiple times per day) have the experience of looking at my watch and it’s 7:30 or whatever, and then starting on a task and believing it is still 7:30 for quite a while, sometimes for over an hour, before I check my watch again and realizing how much time has passed. As others have said, modern technologies gives us some tools to help us compensate for this condition. But understanding what is going on is the first step towards developing coping strategies.
The thing is, it's personal responsibility to develop those coping strategies. It's the pushing the onus onto other people that is so maddening.
Load More Replies... There's a magical app on your phone called an alarm. You set 4 separate ones: 1. Wake Up 2. Get Ready 3. Leave For Work (Soft Warning) 4. Leave For Work (Immediately.) Google instructions if that's hard to figure out.
It's called entitlement. As in "I'm entitled to do something over and above what is actually expected of me regardless of what effect my actions are likely to have on those around me, and I will use a made up word to excuse said entitlement."
Hmmm ... ... as employer ... ... I see it as: - exploiting for excuse of not been organized and adult enough to understand why timetables somewhere need to exist, - if it is part of some serious personal condition - well there is answer why I am afraid to take person with serious medical/personal condition on team. But still - we can and should remain in cultural and kind talking relation - no need to be rude or disrespectful to anybody ... ... but of course - I can be very wrong, and really it is hard for me to grasp some modern "cultural" concepts. And than, that can be reason why You don't wanna work with me. But in no way I am contrary to these new concepts - I wish You all luck and good in life, I support Your freedom of choice as should we all. (Just don't try to press it with stick in my throat - and I won't bother You with timetables ...;)
Your smart phone, which you never put down, has alarms and reminders. If you are "time blind" try harder.
The reasonable accommodation is on her end--setting alarms and alerts for each thing she has to be on time for. Most workplaces use Outlook email and calendar, which you can set to give 15-minute warnings or whatever before each event on your calendar. It makes more sense for her to do that than for her employers, clients, etc. to just be fine with her waltzing in late all the time.
I'm dyslexic. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 9 or 10. Prior to that, teachers just thought I was "stupid", and "lazy", and would tell me so, to my face, several times a day. My parents fought tooth and nail to get me a diagnosis. Contrary to established wisdom of the time, they *knew* there was something amiss. Just because people have never heard of "time blindness", it doesn't mean it's not a real condition.
When you teach your kid that everybody wins (participation trophy) everything you do is perfect, nobody ever says no & accommodates you like you’re the only person on earth; you get what you create. -I have severe depression & anxiety, add to that PTSD to the point I disassociate and get lost in my head. I set alarms. Multiple alarms. I set them so that I’m early. I think of having to interact/be somewhere stressful as ways to work through my issues, like mental exercise. I do not expect the world to stop for me because I can’t be bothered. At the very base here may I say “Survival of the Fittest.” If you were put in a situation where your very survival depended on your ability to overcome & be successful at whatever task was in front of you, you would become more mentally flexible real quick, especially if you didn’t have someone bailing you out of every small inconvenience. If society caters to every “disability” life would come to a screeching halt. It doesn’t work that way.
Lolololol this can't be for real. Time blindnes? Here's a solution to you "condition" -buy a watch, set a timer, quit being inconsiderate of other people's time.
This is ridiculous. You can't just create a diagnosis for being lazy and expect to be taken seriously. Start identifying the reason you can't be on time and then start taking steps to address those issues. Set more than one alarm, do everything before you go to bed so you don't have to in the morning, etc. This is called being an adult. "Time blindness" is a way for you to not have to address the issue. You seem like you have "reality blindness."
Good lord, there is an excuse for everything today. You can just make it up- Can't turn up for work one day? 'work memory blindness' - the disorder of forgetting where you work. Must take four weeks vacation instead of two? - 'holiday vacation blindness' - the disorder of needing more time off etc etc etc. This is just nuts! Time blindness? I bet this girl doesn't have 'time blindness' for things like attending a concert or going on a date or catching a flight for a great holiday!. What she really has though is ' I don't want to work but still get paid' blindness. This generation are such pansies!
People looking to hire do so with a set of requirements they are willing to pay you "x" amount to meet. If you can't fulfill those requirements then that is not a job you can do. For example: we need a receptionist to greet clients between 9am to 5pm because those are our opening ours and clients rightfully expect us to have someone to greet them in those hours. We are willing to pay someone to fulfill these requirements. As much as nobody should be discriminated against or treated unfairly, also nobody is entitled to someone else's money if they are not doing what has been agreed as required to earn that money. If you book a hair appointment for a specific time, you expect a hairdresser to be there when you arrive, not when they remember to show up. Businesses can't run any other way, you need concrete poured on Tuesday at 10ambecause "x" is following on at 2pm, you hire someone dependable so your budget doesn't blow out and the next step is delayed. Time is money.
I guess I too suffer from "Time Blindness" in a sense. I grew up with ADD before it had a name. It was hell. I'd lose papers with homework, forget assignments, show up late. It's a real handicap in life. However, I worked at it and I had to structure my life differently. Computer and cellphones helped a great deal in this regard. My productivity skyrocketed and my mind found the needed structure when I started working in IT related businesses. Today, with supercomputers that can also make phone calls, there is really no excuse for Time Blindness, unbless it is an actual mental condition like people that have short term memory issues (like my wife). I don't know if this time blindness is a recognized mental health syndrome, but if it is plain old ADD or ADHD, it can be remedied.
I have incredibly good time sense, so I was upset by what happened when I had surgery for an aneurysm. Coming out of anesthesia, my time sense failed completely. I had to be lying down on my back for 8 hours before I could sit up and I was constantly asking the nurses if it had been 8 hours yet. It would seem like an hour had passed, but the nurse would tell me it was only ten minutes since the last time I had asked. I remember this clearly and I also remember wondering how I could be misjudging the time so badly. So I can completely relate to people who have "time blindness". Our time sense is so ingrained in us, that not having it doesn't seem possible. Yet it is possible for some people to have time blindness and I have to give them kudos for finding workarounds for something the don't have that seems so basic for the rest of us. Those of you trying to shame this woman, think about this: what would you do if you didn't have a time sense and how would it effect you?
The problem is that such people think that they're unique. That other people can just tell time or asses how long things will take. But the truth is, time is a completely human construct and rarely anyone can tell time without a watch. Some can, as long as they can see the sun. But put anyone in a black room without a clock or a window and that's gone. No one can tell time without any scale or orientation point. Yes, it's easier for some to estimate how long things will take to be done, but even that is based on experience, and that experience comes from looking at the watch when you start and then again looking on your watch when you're finished. And people can learn that. If you're not looking at a clock when you're doing stuff, you'll never learn how to estimate how long any given thing might take. I get it that it's more difficult to do so for some people who have to put in more effort than others. But still, it's your responsibility. Not something you can have accomodations for.
I've never been officially diagnosed, but I probably have ADHD. I can get a thought in my head and disappear down a rabbit hole for hours, or get hyperfocused on things and not notice that I've been at it for an hour or three. I can also set an alarm for things that I consider important. If I have something lie a doctor's appointment where the time is rigidly fixed I'm rarely more than a minute or two late and that's only because I know doctor is almost never ready at that appointment time. When I had a job with a fixed starting time, long before cell phones and an alarm clock in my pocket I still managed to get to work on time. If this woman can't manage that the she's got a disability that will severely limit what jobs she can do, whether it's a "real" mental disability or just a general inability to cope with the general demands of life.
If it is a really big issue for her, maybe one of the sheltered jobs would be better, with care staff guiding her through the day?
This is just a lame excuse for being late.... i used to work early mornings, and had to use public transportation. if i solely used public transit to get to work i would always be 10-20 minutes late... .that being unreasonable for me i decided to start walking (about 10KM) and lo and behold i was actually 15-20 minutes early everyday..... stop using excuses, even if this is a thing, and change your routine.
guess what... not everyone is like you. For example, if I had to walk 10 km to work every day, i woudlnt be able to work anymore. Surprise! (before you come at me: im on my feet all day and i also ride my bicycle to work, so dont call me lazy)
Load More Replies... Time is the one constant in our lives. That’s why we have things called clocks. Your perception of time is your own problem, not a prospective employer’s problem. The fact that this person is crying in a TikTok video about it says everything people need to know. Get a grip, get a work ethic and set alarms and reminders ffs. I have excellent time management skills and I still use my digital calendar to set a reminder for everything I need to do at work. I don’t necessarily need to, I just like to have that backup. For someone who does need help there are dozens of tools available, even an old fashioned page per day handwritten diary. TikTok is not on the list.
Time Blindness.. its a thing (Who knew) .. At the same time so is Down Syndrome & being Paraplegic, So is Dyslexia so is CP , ALS MP ,AIDS and Severe Rheumatoid arthritis and these people go to work and lead productive lives . The Problem I have is when you broadcast yourself (poor Me) and look for pity. A man with a missing leg can seek accommodation. you my time blind friend are simply seeking attention.. Use your phone.. it has the total sum of human knowledge on it, and infinite alarms, What more do you want?
I mean, if you can acknowledge it's a handicap, then you can acknowledge that a lot of handicaps have some sort of extra rule to make it easier to function in the workplace. Why not this one?
Load More Replies... I consider myself to be pretty open-minded, but this is just.... I don't even have the words. I will hope that this was her attempt at a joke. Timeblindnes might be a real thing, but so are freaking watches, and alarms. I do not condone what the interviewer said to her, they sound like an a*s, but she is also being delusional.
He didn't have to yell. I would have handed her a watch and said, "consider it accommodated."
*He didn't have to yell. He could have said "I'm sorry but we cannot accommodate this here, I wish you good luck in your future endeavours."
Load More Replies... We all have foibles, disclosing that you’re not managing them yourself was a bad idea.
Yeah I've seen this. This is not a condition. It's called not wanting to be somewhere on time. It's the failure of our education system to even teach time. These days we have these wonderful things where we can set reminders and alarms and maps that tell us how long it takes to get somewhere.
There has been research into time blindness. If you don't agree with making accommodations for it, that's fine. But don't deny an actually proven to exist handicap.
Load More Replies... I don't really know what to think. I feel it is not really fair to cling on a mental health issue and use as an excuse and just wait for the whole world to accept it, however the world also should be more understanding. Honestly I feel sad for people with this issue because being on time and manage everything in time is hard AF even for someone without this kind of difficulties. I think being a bit late is just normal. It happens to everyone I guess or at least it happens to me too. No workplace should be so strict that an employer can't be late at all even for a few minutes.
I've never heard the term "time blindness" before. And I can't guess the scope of it's validity. But, I do know, for better or worse, our world runs on a clock. And it can greatly impact many jobs if people aren't on time. If I am late to my job that may mean someone else can't leave when they are supposed to or someone else gets stuck doing extra work. Business runs on the greater good, as well.
You can also make the world a better place by calmly explaining things and having a civilised discussion, instead of swearing and judging.
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