ADHD Time Blindness: The Now vs. Not Now Problem Explained

About this episode

Jorie Houlihan explains the now vs. not now problem in ADHD and how it affects time perception.

Have you ever had something on your to-do list for weeks - something you knew needed to happen - and you just couldn't make yourself start it? And then one day the deadline got close enough, the stakes got real enough, and suddenly you were doing it fast, wondering why you couldn't have just done this sooner? That experience has a name. It's called the now versus not now problem, and it's one of the most clarifying frameworks for understanding how the ADHD brain experiences time. In this solo episode, Jorie breaks down Dr. Russell Barkley's research on ADHD and time - specifically the idea that the ADHD brain doesn't experience time as a continuous line the way neurotypical brains do. Instead, time gets sorted into two categories: now and not now . And not now? It basically doesn't exist. It doesn't feel real, urgent, or pressing — even when you logically know it's coming. Jorie also shares her own experience — from being the last-minute term paper person to waiting until guests are walking in to clean the house — and how understanding this pattern changed the way she works with it. 💬 Where does now vs. not now show up most in your life? DM Jorie on Instagram RESOURCES Timetimer…

People in this episode

Host: Jorie Houlihan

Topics covered

• ADHD
• time blindness
• now vs. not now
• mental health
• self improvement

Keywords

• ADHD
• time blindness
• now vs. not now
• Dr. Russell Barkley
• mental health
• self improvement
• procrastination

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Timetimer

Books & works: ADHD and Time Blindness Season 1 Ep 4

More episodes of ADHD &...with Jorie Houlihan

• ADHD & Motivation: The Brain Chemistry Behind Why You Can't Just Try Harder · June 9, 2026 · 20 min
• ADHD, Hormones and Burnout | Dr. Amy Loden Tiffany · June 2, 2026 · 56 min
• ADHD &... Parenting: When You and Your Kid Both Have ADHD | Kelly Kustusch · May 26, 2026 · 46 min
• ADHD and the Adulting Gap: Career, Money, and Self-Trust | Heather Redisch · May 19, 2026 · 56 min
• ADHD at Work: The Case for Neuro-Inclusion | Tracy King · May 12, 2026 · 56 min
• ADHD, Shame, and Addiction: What No One Tells You | Hilary Momberger-Powers · May 5, 2026 · 54 min