How the ADHD Brain Keeps Track of Time

In the world of attention deficit disorder, it’s as if, in the words of a good friend and fellow adult ADDer, "the future doesn't exist."

Since the layoff in December, I’ve been Miss Tardy, Tardy. My ability to get from point A to point B on time diminishes with each passing day—and each night, I go to sleep later and later.

I miss the she-boss, with her invisible whip and her ability to scare me into meeting deadlines. The basic abilities to follow up, be accountable for your time, and get things done barely exist in the ADD world. And in the ADD world of unemployment, those simple skills fail to exist altogether.

Despite the meticulous schedule that the dad and I made together, I find myself awakening well after 9 a.m., with the sluggish feeling that comes with oversleeping. The line between laziness, depression, and adult ADHD is fast disappearing. Which is the culprit?

A Type-A friend scolded me recently, and said he thought I was spoiled and I needed tough love. We are planning to swim a 24-mile race together in less than two months, and he doesn't understand why I haven't been practicing more since I have so much free time now.

I hate to use adult attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD) as an excuse, but at times like this, I feel like saying, "Hey, take it easy, I'm already trying my best." It is hard enough to deal with losing a job and hunting for an apartment.

Speaking of the fifth floor walk-up hell: Yesterday as I was scrambling to finish an article, the buzzer rang and a broker showed up with a geeky young man. What the hell were they doing here?

Then it hit me: The apartment will soon be leased to someone else, and my chapter here will close. I let them walk about the apartment, and peer their heads into the rooms that will soon be empty.

All things come to an end.