Using “social deadlines” to hack my time blindness

Time blindness is probably my biggest ADHD struggle. If I just tell myself "I’ll start at 3pm", that time does not exist. Since there is no real-world consequence, my brain ignores it.

So I started doing this: If I need to get things done, I text someone and commit to a real-world thing at a specific time.

Example: If I have dinner at 7, I’ll lock it in with a friend (it helps if your friend is picking you up too so it puts extra pressure not to be late 😉). Now my brain suddenly understands that time is real, and I work backwards:

• 6:30 pm: Leave
• 6:00 pm: Get ready
• 5:30 pm: Finish whatever I'm doing (usually gymming)

It’s not even about the dinner — it’s about creating a fixed point in time that isn’t negotiable because I have already told someone that I'll be there at a given time.

It also adds a little urgency to finish up whatever I'm doing on time. This strategy of setting "social deadlines" has been the closest thing I’ve found to making time feel concrete.

Does anyone else use other people as "time anchors" like this? Curious to see what external things make time feel real for you guys too!