How to Make the Future Real: A Guide on ADHD Time Nearsightedness
ADHD in 5-Minutes: From Frustration to Understanding [#005]
Skipping to the guide? Look for the header:
"How to: Build Your ADHD Heads-Up Display"
Last week, we focused on why time blindness for ADHDers is actually time nearsightedness. ADHD brains can generally see and respond to events close to the present moment, but struggle to plan for events in the near-to-distant future. The impacts of this nearsightedness can range from not engaging in self-care, struggling to see the value in saving or investing money, and even experiencing emotions more intensely (because it seems like they'll never end/change)!
Someone with visual nearsightedness can't just squint harder to see distant objects, and similarly someone with ADHD can't just "try harder" to respond to future events they can't see. Both need the right supports and tools to adapt themselves or their environment to ensure they don't suffer any more than necessary.
Our current understanding about the ADHD brain essentially points to two key factors that lead to a shortened time horizon:
differences in the brain's maturation rate and process, and
the unique wiring and function of certain regions and networks.
Without delving too deep into neurogenetics and biology, the prefrontal cortex (PFC)—the brain's executive control center responsible for planning, prioritizing, and time management—is slower to develop and wired differently in ADHD brains.
Additionally, the ADHD brain has atypical activity levels in regions responsible for reward processing, which creates a much higher awareness and preference for activities that provide immediate, pleasurable feedback.
Together (time nearsightedness + differences in reward processing) give rise to what is known as "temporal discounting," which is the tendency to select short-term benefits even at significant long-term costs.
For instance, this is one of the reasons ADHDers know a particular habit could really benefit them over the long-term but struggle to find motivation to do it.
The Gap Between Futures
So, in comparison to our neurotypical peers, how much does temporal discounting matter when it comes to planning for the future?
Unfortunately, it matters…a lot…
While neurotypical adults can generally plan and project out 8-12 weeks into the future, adults with ADHD often struggle to account for time beyond 1-2 weeks, and some ADHDers can only effectively plan for the next few days. This difference leads to very, very different outcomes, across practically all areas of life.
Without the proper support and tools to "see" (and thus respond to) the more distant future, ADHDers will struggle far more than is necessary.
Bridging the Gap
There are two primary ways to see farther into the future and respond more easily: extending the distance from your time horizon, and designing ADHD-future-friendly environments.
Extending the Distance from your Time Horizon
Unfortunately, there is mostly bad news here: the distance from your time horizon is largely out of your control.
Assuming a healthy development, the distance from your time horizon is entirely dependent on the maturation rate of your brain. So, if you're younger than 30 years old then you are stuck waiting for your brain to finish developing.
However, and unfortunately, you can do plenty of things to slow down the development process.
How? Well, any of the following (and more) can do that:
poor quality/amount of sleep, lack of exercise, an irregular & non-nutritious diet, and pervasive and intense stress.
In some ways, one of your main tasks before 30 is to take care of those main Pillars of Health (i.e. Sleep, Diet, Exercise, Stress Management).
I know, easier said than done, but at least it is something you can influence.
Outside of your brain maturing, another aspect of the future becoming easier to take into account is the role of medication for treating ADHD symptoms. Since the actions/effects of medications vary, the role they play in "extending your time horizon" ranges as well. Lots to unpack about the use of medication and definitely beyond the scope of this newsletter (and if you’re curious for more information, please talk to your doctors)!
Ok, now let's spend most of our efforts on something within our control.
ADHD Future-Friendly Environments
Remember, for ADHDers, time nearsightedness means you can see the present moment just as well as anyone else and, thankfully, the relationship between memory and visual processing is not impacted at all.
You know the old adage "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"?
Well, the ADHD version could be written as "Out of Sight, No Longer in Existence (Until It Shows Up Again)."
If the "future" isn't represented in physical space, then you will struggle to act as if it is real.
This is crucial to understand:
Every. Single. Environment. In Your Life. Must Be Designed. To represent the future you want to inhabit.
Want to be closer to friends or family?
→ Hang pictures of those people on your fridge, or by your main entrance.
Want to stay on top of deadlines at work?
→ Setup every device to open a sync'd calendar as you home screen.
Want to be in a certain job? Or living somewhere beautiful?
→ Create an image/depiction of your future-self in that position or in that beautiful place, and place it as your phone’s background.
I can’t overstate this for ADHDers: Anything you value or want in your future, must be easily seen or represented in your immediate environments.
What this means is designing your life in a specific way.
ADHD is Essentially a Glitchy “HUD”
The easiest place to draw knowledge from in designing ADHD future-friendly environments would be to mimic the principles behind something we find in all video games: a “Heads-Up Display” (HUD).
For the non-gamers reading, a HUD is any/all of the information regularly seen on-screen whenever playing a game. Game designers ensure any/all relevant information which is crucial for completing the game’s objectives is always on-screen or can be easily accessed.
For example, depending on the game, you will find the following information on your HUD: how many resources or how much time you have left, your current status, if you are in danger, or clear waypoints to your next destination.
If relevant information to our current aims and future goals is difficult-to-access, confusing or unavailable then we would likely stop playing the game after a short while.
In a poorly-designed game you will likely find a poorly-designed HUD.
In a well-designed game you will find a well-designed HUD.
In many ways, living with ADHD is essentially like having a glitchy HUD:
Relevant information, especially about the future, is hard to access, or it’s confusing, or there’s not enough to feel motivated by it, or it just doesn’t show up when it’s needed.
How to: Build Your ADHD Heads-Up Display
Like a well-designed game, all relevant information (especially about your future goals) must be in your present-moment vision or set up so you encounter it without any extra effort.
Let's walk through the steps for building your own ADHD Heads-Up Display:
Step 1: Focusing on One Area of Life (2 minutes max)
Grab paper and pen. Set a timer for 2 minutes and pick ONE area of your life where you want to see future goals or consequences more clearly:
Work/Career
Relationships
Physical Health
Money
Skill Development
Hobbies & Leisure
Or…something else…
When the timer goes off, move to Step 2.
Step 2: Find Your "Always On" Spots
Walk around your living space right now and identify 3 spots you see every day without thinking:
Morning spots: Bathroom mirror, coffee maker, or phone charger
Workday spots: Computer screen, car keys, or desk area
Evening spots: Kitchen counter, TV, or bedside table
Write down or mark these areas with a particular colored sticky note. You'll put your “future” in these spots.
Step 3: Make the Future Visible
Place one simple visual reminder in each spot you just identified. Here are some examples:
Goal photos: Picture of the job/place/relationship you want
Example: Photo of your dream office above your computer monitorDeadline alerts: Bright sticky notes with dates that matter
Example: Neon pink note on your bathroom mirror: "Project due March 15th"Outcome reminders: Simple note connecting today's action to tomorrow's result
Example: Water bottle with "No 3 PM headache today" sticky note
Get creative, but keep it simple.
One reminder per spot. Make it bright, obvious, and hard to ignore.
Just like any good game, your ‘HUD’ updates in real-time. Ideally you will treat these reminders as living representatives of your future. Touch them, move them around. Talk to them. They are your future, treat them well.
If it’s hard to notice them, then you made need to “refresh” them regularly at night. Here’s a quick sequence to follow before bed:
Nightly HUD Refresh (5 minutes)
Every evening before bed, set a timer for 5 minutes, put on some mellow music and do a quick walk-around:
Move one item/reminder to a slightly different spot, or turn it to face a different direction
Replace completed deadlines with new ones, or update the timelines by crossing out what was originally written
Add or remove items/reminders that are working. Sometimes all that’s needed is a slightly different color or size.
Pro Tip: If you stop noticing your HUD after a week, it's not because you're lazy or it’s not working—it's because the system needs adjusting, updating or refreshing. Change colors, move locations, or try different reminders. The HUD serves you, not the other way around.
Want to a simplified checklist?
Feel free to copy this one:
# ADHD Heads-Up Display Quick Setup Guide
## Step 1: Pick ONE Focus Area (2 minutes)
Set timer. Choose ONE:
- Work/Career
- Relationships
- Physical Health
- Money
- Skill Development
- Hobbies
When timer goes off → Step 2
## Step 2: Find 3 "Always On" Spots
Identify spots you see daily without thinking:
- **Morning:** Bathroom mirror, coffee maker, phone charger
- **Workday:** Computer screen, car keys, desk area
- **Evening:** Kitchen counter, TV, bedside table
Mark these with colored sticky notes.
## Step 3: Make Future Visible
Place ONE reminder in each spot:
**Goal Photos:** Image of job/place/relationship you want
*Example: Dream office photo above monitor*
**Deadline Alerts:** Bright sticky notes with dates
*Example: "Project due March 15th" on bathroom mirror*
**Outcome Reminders:** Connect today's action → tomorrow's result
*Example: "No 3PM headache today" on water bottle*
Keep it bright, obvious, hard to ignore.
## Nightly Refresh (5 minutes)
Before bed:
- [ ] Move one item slightly (keeps brain from ignoring)
- [ ] Replace completed deadlines or cross off outdated timelines
- [ ] Add/remove what's working - HUD serves you, not the other way around!
- [ ] Change colors/sizes as needed
**Pro Tip:** If you stop noticing after 1 week = system needs refreshing, not you!
---
*Focus Area: ___________*
*HUD Spots: 1._______ 2._______ 3._______*
*Print Date: ___________*Thanks for reading this far!!
The key takeaway: your ADHD brain just needs the right environment to make your future feel real and actionable.
Whether that's photos of your goals above your computer monitor or bright deadline reminders on your bathroom mirror, the goal is bringing tomorrow into today's vision.
Your spaces don’t need to to be perfectly designed—it just needs to work for your specific brain and life. Start with one focus area, pick three spots you can't miss, and be ready to refresh and tweak as you go.
Remember: your HUD serves you, not the other way around.
If this issue helped you see your future more clearly, please consider subscribing!
And I'd love to hear about your “HUD” experiments—what focus area did you choose? What spots are working?
Until next week, sending good vibes your way.
Cheers,
Michael