Is it "time blindness" or "being in the zone"?

You get to be the judge of that

Jeanne Demers

Sep 21, 2025

When last we saw Ruby she was getting valuable lessons on adversity, adaptability, and resilience from a bike god.

She went on to learn even more about what it would take to turn herself into a bike goddess, and now……

Oh, Ruby. And you were doing so well. I think what we’re looking at here is called time blindness.

difficulty in perceiving the passage of time

It’s often attributed to people with ADHD and autism. But anyone can experience it. And due to the fact that being cognizant of time is rather important to most people’s day-to-day living, being BLIND to the passage of time can be perceived as a real problem.

Except sometimes it’s considered a great thing.

When “time blindness” gets a nice name

Imagine an athlete, an artist, an entrepreneur in their groove — hours disappear, focus is effortless, the work is its own reward. We don’t call that time blindness. We call it the much-sought-after experience of “being in the zone”. We call it being in a “flow state”.

The difference?

Ummmmmm…. Outcome?

Is it that if ‘being lost in time’ produces something admirable — or at least doesn’t mess with others — then it’s great? But if it derails you from your responsibilities, makes you miss deadlines and otherwise frustrates you, it’s un-great?

Let’s look at Ruby’s experience of getting caught up in her conversation with Gator…..

Losing track of time is preventing Ruby from the task at hand — getting important papers where they need to go fast — so… not productive, not admirable.

Thus, TIME BLINDNESS.

But if we were to put aside the ‘task at hand’ for a moment (for the sake of exploration), might it be possible to see Ruby’s relationship to time as resulting in a very productive, very admirable outcome?

Thus, BEING IN THE ZONE?

Oh, I say YES. Sooo admirable, Ruby. Sooo productive.

When Ruby hears the words, “Played the Apollo seventeen years” ~~time blindness~~ BEING IN THE ZONE kicks in and allows her to take in what’s going on around her soo fully that she suddenly sees Gator as not just some street corner busker, but as the HOLDER OF HISTORY that he is.

It’s ~~time blindness~~ BEING IN THE ZONE that makes it possible for Ruby to sit down on the curb with him, open up her book and write down everything that comes out of his mouth.

Time blindness just means that time stopped being LINEAR.

Which — when you live in a linear world and are expected to do things in a linear way — is problematic.

Buuut if Ruby were better at remaining linear… then Gator’s ORAL HISTORY GOLD would have gone uncaptured. Which would have been far worse than problematic, it would have been utterly tragic.

So… the takeaway from this installment will be a lyric from Secret Of Life ….

“Now the thing about time is that time isn't really real.
It's just your point of view.
How does it feel for you?”
~ James Taylor

How about you?

Do you have a tendency to lose track of time?

Do you give yourself a hard time (haha) if you do get lost in time?

Or do you give yourself props for your ability to step outside our collectively-agreed-upon experience of time?

Tapping On: That thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time

Begin by calling to mind a time when you’ve recently gotten lost in time. Maybe for the good, or maybe the not-so-good. Doesn’t matter. Just find a recent experience of getting “lost in time” and know how you know you had that experience. Call up what it feels like, what the inner-dialogue is like, what images might be there.

Got it?

Begin tapping through the points as you say….

This way of operating that some call “time blindness”
I’m choosing to re-name it,
un-shame it and claim it,
tame it and game it!
I re-name it something more neutral
but that still captures its essence.
I re-name it…
”That thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time.”
Having re-named it,
it’s time to UN-SHAME it…
I un-shame it
that thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time…
and has at times made me feel as though
there’s something wrong with me
fundamentally flawed
frustrating
flakey
I un-shame it
that thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time
by rejecting that perspective
by reminding myself
that what some call “time blindness”
others call ”being in the zone”
a “flow state”.

I choose THAT way of holding
the thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time.
And why not?
It’s what allows me to go deep
go to places others cannot
and create magic while I’m there.
Taking the shame out of it allows me to…
full-out CLAIM it!
I claim it
that thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time
I claim this astonishing ability to focus
immerse
be present to what I’m doing…
I claim it and I value it
The way athletes value the way it helps them perform.
The way artists value the way it helps them create.
The way entrepreneurs value the way it helps them connect dots....
dots others cannot.
And the way it helps me shine…
in that way others cannot.
Claiming it puts me in a position to…
TAME it!
I tame it
that thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time,
by finding ways to work with it.
by being honest about the good and the not-so-good of it,
the upside and the downside of it.
I tame it with compassion
with a gentle hand
a collaborative spirit
by being ready for it and happy when it visits
”Oh there you are again!”
by asking it questions when it shows up
”Anything we should attend to first?”
”Shall we set a timer?”
”Find an accountability partner?”
”Commit to just one piece of this project perhaps?”
Taming it puts me in a position to…
GAME it!
I game it
that thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time,
by exploiting it
allowing myself to take full advantage of it
I game it — exploit it, manipulate it, take advantage of it by…
naming it
un-shaming it
claiming it
and taming it
and then feel its presence
— this thing that happens that causes me to lose track of time —
as my secret strength.

Stop tapping, place your hands over your heart space, take a deep breath, feel the changes you just made within yourself by saying…
“I allow myself to honor this trait.
I always have permission to name it, un-shame it, claim it, tame it, and game it.
I always have permission to use it to my advantage.”

Thanks for tapping along! Join us next time when Ruby deals with getting fired.