Time Blindness — Honest Effort Estimates

What this addresses

Time blindness: the reduced ability to intuitively sense how long things take. This is one of the most functionally impactful ADHD symptoms. In development work, it manifests as chronic underestimation ("this should take an hour" → 8 hours), missed deadlines, and the constant surprise that things took longer than expected.

An agent that gives honest, calibrated estimates with ND-aware adjustments significantly reduces the gap between planned and actual time.

When to apply

Apply when:

• A user asks "how long will this take?" or "is this a quick fix?"
• You are proposing a plan with time estimates
• A user is deciding whether to start something before a deadline
• A scope estimate is needed for prioritization

Instructions

1. Never give only the "ideal" estimate. Always give a range with explicit hidden costs: