The “Now vs Not Now” phenomenon is a term frequently used to describe the unique way in which people with ADHD perceive time. Rather than experiencing time as a continuous flow, those with ADHD often categorise tasks and events into two distinct states: those happening in the immediate present (“Now”) and those relegated to an ambiguous, indeterminate future (“Not Now”). This binary perception of time is deeply tied to the neurological and cognitive characteristics of ADHD, shaping behaviour and decision-making.
Time Blindness and Temporal Disconnect
Zylowska et al. (2008) explain that individuals with ADHD often lack an internal “time map,” making it difficult to visualise the passage of time or relate to future events. This results in a temporal disconnect where tasks that do not demand immediate attention feel intangible and are often deprioritised.
Sonuga-Barke et al. (2010) describe this as a form of temporal discounting, where future rewards or consequences are undervalued compared to immediate gratification. For those with ADHD, time often feels non-linear, with “Not Now” tasks seeming unreal until they are imminent.
Tasks in the “Now” category are characterised by urgency, emotional salience, or intrinsic interest. According to Brown (2005), ADHD is not a deficit of attention but a challenge of regulating attention. Activities that evoke strong emotions or require immediate action often capture the ADHD brain’s focus, creating a sense of urgency that drives action.
This hyperfocus on immediate tasks can be both a strength and a challenge. Ashinoff and Abu-Akel (2019) describe hyperfocus as a state of intense concentration on a single task, often at the expense of other priorities. While it can result in exceptional productivity in the short term, it highlights the ADHD brain’s reliance on immediacy to sustain attention.
By contrast, “Not Now” tasks are those without immediate deadlines or rewards, which are often ignored or postponed. Pope et al. (2007) highlight how the ADHD brain’s difficulty with goal-directed behaviour stems from an inability to connect with future outcomes. The lack of an emotional or practical anchor makes such tasks feel distant, leading to procrastination or neglect.
This phenomenon is not a lack of motivation but a cognitive difficulty in perceiving and engaging with future demands. Sonuga-Barke et al. (2010) argue that the ADHD brain undervalues these future-oriented tasks because they lack the emotional immediacy required to bring them into the “Now” zone.
Neurological Foundations
The “Now vs Not Now” dichotomy is rooted in neurological and neurochemical differences associated with ADHD. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning, decision-making, and self-regulation, often shows reduced activity in individuals with ADHD (Faraone et al., 2015). This contributes to challenges in managing tasks that require delayed gratification or sustained effort over time.
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward processing and motivation, also plays a critical role. Volkow et al. (2009) found that lower dopamine levels in the ADHD brain lead to diminished motivation for tasks without immediate rewards. This neurochemical underpinning reinforces the focus on “Now” and the tendency to delay or avoid “Not Now” tasks.
The Other Extreme
You could be forgiven for thinking the “Now vs Not Now” phenomenon is less common in ADHD people than it is – because of the way many people have developed coping strategies around it. Growing up, many people with ADHD would have gotten into trouble, missed opportunities, upset others, felt embarrassment about being late for important things, and suffered consequences of not ‘getting things done’ on time, from bad school reports to losing jobs and more. As a result, learned behaviour to counteract this becomes doing everything immediately. Some people with ADHD will be obsessive about task completion, living in a sense of urgency to get everything done as quickly as possible. This coping strategy hides the fact that “Now vs Not Now” still exists for them, which will show up in other ways (e.g. leaving the house to get somewhere without factoring in potential delays – and leaving no buffer time). The coping mechanism is driven by fear, learned from past experiences, and is one of many reasons that misdiagnosis of OCD happens so often to people with ADHD. In the end, despite the time blindness, some of these people will create their lists and not rest until they’re able to check off everything on them, for fear of the “Not Now” catching up to them.
References
- Ashinoff, B. K., & Abu-Akel, A. (2019). Hyperfocus: The Forgotten Frontier of Attention. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 4(1), 1-11.
- Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the Nature of Self-Control. Guilford Press.
- Brown, T. E. (2005). Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults. Yale University Press.
- Faraone, S. V., Biederman, J., & Mick, E. (2015). The Age-Dependent Decline of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Follow-Up Studies. Psychological Medicine, 36(2), 159-165.
- Pope, C., Dudley, J., & Scott, S. (2007). ADHD and Goal-Directed Behavior. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11(2), 141–151.
- Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Wiersema, J. R., van der Meere, J. J., & Roeyers, H. (2010). Context-Dependent Dynamic Processes in ADHD: Differentiating Deficit and Delay Models. Neuropsychology Review, 20(1), 86–102.
- Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Kollins, S. H., et al. (2009). Evaluating Dopamine Reward Pathway in ADHD. JAMA Psychiatry, 66(10), 1149-1158.
- Zylowska, L., Smalley, S. L., & Schwartz, J. M. (2008). The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD. Shambhala Publications.
- Zylowska, L. (2012). Mindfulness Training for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults: A Pilot Study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11(6), 737–746.