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Impulse spending is often rooted in how our brains process time and rewards. Time blindness and impulsivity are two major struggles for many adults living with ADHD and are big players in why we spend money impulsively.
Time feels slippery when you have ADHD. Things either feel urgent right now, or so far off they may as well not exist. Add in a brain that’s wired to chase dopamine and you’ve got a recipe for impulse purchases that feel good at the moment but add significant stress and burden to your mental load later.
Together we will explore the connection between time blindness and impulsivity, why they lead to impulse purchases, and most importantly, how to manage their impact on your wallet and life.
⏳ What is time blindness?
Time blindness is a common challenge for people with ADHD. Dr. Russell Barkley describes it as a kind of nearsightedness to time—a struggle to plan for or even perceive the future. Jessica McCabe, from How to ADHD, explains:
“Time horizons—the point at which events are close enough to begin to feel real—tend to be much shorter for those with ADHD. For many of us, projects, tasks, and events exist either ‘now’ or ‘not now’—and anything ‘not now’ can feel as if it doesn’t exist at all.”
This disconnect makes it tough to stay organized and manage long-term goals. Here’s why:
- Difficulty gauging how long tasks take: If you don’t know how long something will take, how can you plan for it?
- Trouble planning ahead: Without a clear sense of time, it’s hard to prioritize or space tasks out over time.
- Everything feels last minute: With a shortened time horizon, things that felt distant suddenly feel urgent, leading to rushed and poorly planned decisions.
🧠 The science behind time blindness
Time blindness isn’t just about feeling disorganized—it’s rooted in the way the ADHD brain processes time:
- Executive function deficits: The prefrontal cortex, responsible for working memory and planning, tends to be underactive and slightly smaller in ADHD brains.
- Dopamine deficiency: Dopamine plays a key role in regulating the brain’s internal clock. With lower levels, it’s harder to gauge the passage of time accurately.
- Altered brain connectivity: Changes in how different parts of the brain communicate can throw off time perception even more.
⚡️ What is impulsivity?
Impulsivity is one of the core challenges of ADHD. It’s that tendency to act without fully thinking things through. Whether it looks like blurting out a thought, interrupting someone mid-sentence, making snap decisions, or impulse buying, impulsivity often feels like an unstoppable urge—like it’s the only thing that can make you feel good right now—but it’s frequently followed by shame and guilt for choosing the quick “feel good” action instead of the action that truly meets your needs.
Here’s how it typically shows up:
- Acting before thinking: There’s little pause between the urge to act and the action itself, which can lead to decisions you later regret.
- Interrupting during conversations: The urge to jump in with your thoughts can be so strong that you speak before the other person finishes, often without realizing it.
- Emotional spending: When emotions run high, spending can feel like a quick fix for stress or boredom.
- Difficulty delaying gratification: The brain craves immediate rewards, even if they come at the cost of long-term goals.
🧠 The science behind impulsivity
Like time blindness, impulsivity in ADHD is rooted in neurological differences:
- Slower “stop” signals: The thalamus, which acts as a filter, sends “start” or “stop” messages to the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s decision-making hub. In ADHD, this process is slower, leading to actions that feel automatic or hard to control.
- Dopamine deficiency: Dopamine plays a key role in motivation and reward. ADHD brains often have lower dopamine levels, making impulsive actions—like buying something new—feel extra rewarding.
- Impaired self-regulation: The brain struggles to manage impulses effectively, especially when emotional or environmental triggers are at play.
🔗 The connection between time blindness and impulsivity when making purchases
Time blindness and impulsivity don’t just exist in isolation—they team up in ways that can make managing money a unique challenge for people with ADHD. When the future feels abstract or far away, it’s natural to focus on what feels rewarding in the moment. Recognizing this tendency is the first step toward making more mindful choices and building strategies that work with your brain.
Here’s how the two interact:
- Time blindness makes future consequences feel distant or unreal. If “future you” doesn’t feel real, it’s hard to consider how today’s spending choices will impact you later.
- Impulsivity craves instant rewards. The dopamine rush from making a purchase can feel irresistible, especially when paired with the emotional distance created by time blindness.
❓ Other ADHD symptoms at play
Several other ADHD traits can team up with impulsivity and time blindness when it comes to spending money:
- Out of sight, out of mind: If you’re not actively tracking your money or budget, it’s easy to lose sight of how much you’ve spent. Both your financial situation and future goals can quickly fade from view.
- All-or-nothing thinking: Spending can feel like an “all-in” activity—either you’re sticking rigidly to a budget, or you’ve already overspent, so why not go all out?
- Time-sensitive marketing: Modern advertising leans heavily on urgency, with countdowns, flash sales, and “limited-time offers” designed to trigger impulse purchases. These tactics play directly into ADHD’s challenges with time and decision-making.
💸 A real-life example
Here’s how time blindness and impulsivity recently caught me off guard:
I had been following a business coach who offered valuable insights for free, and I genuinely appreciated her help. Then came the pitch: a limited-time sale to join her program at the lowest price it would ever be, with rates set to increase next time. The urgency hooked me. I thought, If I don’t sign up now, I’ll miss out forever.
So, I jumped in and spent over $4,000. Here’s the thing: while her work was valuable, I wasn’t in a position to fully commit my time to the program. I ended up paying what I now call the ADHD tax—an expensive lesson that added financial strain to my household. It also meant I couldn’t invest in other coaching programs I had carefully vetted and truly wanted to pursue.
This experience was a tough reminder of how time blindness can cloud future priorities, and impulsivity can push us toward quick decisions that feel right in the moment but come at a cost later.
🏃♀️ Long-term habits for awareness building
The strategies below aren’t just about curbing impulse spending—they help you build awareness of how time and impulses influence all your financial decisions.
- Externalize time and budgets with visual aids
- Calendars or countdowns make future events feel real, helping you anticipate financial needs.
- Visual spending trackers reveal patterns in your spending habits.
- Reminders ensure consistent check-ins with your budget and goals.
- How I manage the 24-hour rule
- Adding items to your cart provides a visual reminder of your spending impulses.
- Walking away for a day creates space to evaluate your choices.
- Forgetting about items highlights what isn’t truly important.
- Use technology to your advantage
- Budgeting apps help you stay mindful of spending limits and long-term goals.
- Spending limits and cooling-off features slow down impulsive actions, giving you time to reflect.
- Realign with your “why”
- Exploring aspirational goals keeps your long-term priorities front and center.
- Dreaming without spending satisfies the shopping urge without financial impact.
- Reassessing priorities helps you focus on what truly matters.
- Practice gratitude
- Listing things you’re grateful for redirects focus from anxiety to abundance.
- Reflecting on wins builds positive momentum and reduces emotional spending.
- Shifting your mindset replaces impulsivity with appreciation.
- Find an accountability partner
- Sharing goals with a trusted person provides external feedback and support.
- Talking through spending decisions introduces a pause to reflect on choices.
- Working with an ADHD coach helps develop personalized strategies for managing time perception and spending triggers.
Toolkit Building Resources
Your time, your terms
Awareness of how time blindness and impulsivity affect you financially can reduce stress and give you more control over your spending habits. Just like your brain has its own unique way of processing time, your path to financial wellness deserves personalized strategies that work with your natural wiring – something an ADHD coach can help you discover and implement. Whether you're taking small steps on your own or dancing through this journey with professional support, remember that every "pause and reflect" moment is a win, and you're building a more empowered relationship with both time and money. ✨
