In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Scott Maclean, entrepreneur, corporate consultant, and single dad, shares the inspiration behind his groundbreaking time management tool—the VISUAL Timer. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, Scott struggled with conventional time management methods and sought a better way to stay on track without constant clock-watching or disruptive alarms. Drawing on neuroscience and visual learning research, he developed a patent-pending, color-coded timer that makes managing time intuitive and stress-free. Now Amazon’s #1 new timer, the VISUAL Timer is gaining traction among professionals, educators, parents, and neurodivergent individuals. Scott discusses his journey from personal challenge to business success, the science behind visual time perception, and his vision for expanding the impact of innovative time management tools
Scott Maclean is a business professional, entrepreneur, and single dad who knows firsthand the challenges of staying focused, managing time, and transitioning between tasks—both for himself and his children. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, he struggled with traditional time management tools that relied on constant clock-checking, rigid schedules, or disruptive alarms.
Determined to find a better way, Scott turned to neuroscience and visual learning research, leading him to develop the VISUAL Timer—a patent-pending, color-coded tool designed to make time management intuitive, effortless, and stress-free. By externalizing time with gradual color shifts, it helps users stay on track, reduce overwhelm, and transition between tasks naturally.
Since its launch, the VISUAL Timer has become Amazon’s #1 new timer, resonating with professionals, educators, parents, and neurodivergent individuals alike. Now, Scott is focused on expanding its impact through new product variations, deeper research into visual time perception, and an upcoming book on practical visual neuroscience strategies to help people struggling with procrastination, focus, and overwhelm.
Balancing this with a successful career as a consultant in corporate communications and change management, Scott understands how people engage with information, adapt to new systems, and build habits that last. He brings this expertise into his work, ensuring that his tools and strategies are not just effective but practical and easy to integrate into daily life.
The concept of the Visual Color Timer is intriguing. Can you describe the inspiration behind this innovative time management tool and the journey of bringing it to market?
Time management is something we all struggle with—whether it’s staying focused, keeping meetings on track, or getting kids out the door without a battle. But most productivity tools don’t solve the problem; they just remind you that time is running out. I wanted to create something different—a tool that doesn’t just track time but actually helps you use it better.
As a business professional, single dad, and someone diagnosed with ADHD later in life, I’ve experienced firsthand how traditional time management methods fail people who struggle with focus, transitions, and procrastination. I saw it in my own work, in my kids’ school routines, and even in everyday situations like screen time battles.
I started digging into neuroscience research and found that color is one of the fastest ways the brain processes information. Instead of relying on numbers, which require constant mental effort to interpret, a color-coded system creates an instant, intuitive understanding of time passing.
That’s how the VISUAL Timer was born. It removes the mental burden of tracking time by using gentle, predictable color shifts to help people pace themselves naturally. Green means go, yellow signals it’s time to check progress, and red is the final warning, before time’s up, to give your brain time to assess what your last minutes need to look like.
Launching the VISUAL Timer on top of my consulting career was a leap into product development, manufacturing, and marketing. But within weeks of its release, it became Amazon’s #1 new timer, proving that so many others were looking for a better way to manage time.
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How does Visual Color Timer’s unique color-coded system enhance focus and productivity compared to traditional time management methods?
Most timers just sit there—waiting for time to run out. The VISUAL Timer is active. It works with your brain, not against it, guiding focus naturally without needing to check the clock.
Instead of numbers, it uses 360° LED color shifts and optional chimes to create an intuitive, stress-free way to track time. Green signals focus mode, yellow is a check-in at 25% time remaining, and red gives a final warning at 5%. These gradual shifts help prevent last-minute panic, procrastination, and abrupt transitions.
For business professionals, it keeps meetings, presentations, and coaching sessions running on time without anyone needing to play timekeeper. For students, it helps structure study sessions without distractions. And for parents, it turns arguments about homework or screen time into something visual and self-managed.
Because the brain processes color faster than numbers, this method reduces cognitive load, making it easier to stay on task. Instead of relying on willpower or alarms, the VISUAL Timer provides a constant, reassuring guide that helps you stay focused and on track.
We’d love to hear about some success stories. Can you share how Visual Color Timer has transformed the way individuals or teams work?
One of the most rewarding parts of launching the VISUAL Timer has been hearing how people benefit from it.
A business manager in Colorado was struggling with meetings running over, leaving no time for key agenda items. Now, he sets the VISUAL Timer at the start, and instead of awkwardly cutting people off, the color shifts create a shared awareness of time, keeping discussions concise and making wrap-ups smoother.
A teacher in Connecticut told me her students used to constantly ask how much time was left or lose focus. Now, they pace themselves independently just by watching the colors shift. The bright LED lights are visible across the classroom, and now the teacher spends more time focusing on teaching instead of timekeeping.
A parent working from home shared that their kids used to argue about screen time limits every night. Now, they follow the VISUAL Timer’s cues on their own—one night, her son even handed over his tablet without being asked because the red light had signaled time was up. She also uses it to signal that she can’t be disturbed while working. From across the room, her kids and husband know to give her space until the red lights flash.
A college student with ADHD told me the steady glow of the VISUAL Timer keeps them anchored in their work, reducing the urge to check their phone or drift off task.
In offices, classrooms, and homes, this simple tool is changing the way people engage with time.
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Your recent time management product launch has received excellent feedback. What features make it stand out in the crowded productivity tool market?
Most productivity tools expect people to constantly check a fast moving counter or react to alarms. The VISUAL Timer is different because it removes that mental burden and makes time work in the background.
It’s the first neuroscience-backed timer designed to work with the brain’s natural processing.
65% of people are visual learners, so a color-based system is far more effective than numbers alone. The timer helps users instinctively track time without needing to think about it.
I built this tool because I needed it myself, but the overwhelming response from professionals, educators, parents, and neurodivergent individuals proves that so many others needed a solution like this, too.
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Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for Visual Color Timer? Can you give our readers a sneak peek into any upcoming features or developments that will further revolutionize time management?
The VISUAL Timer has already changed how people experience time, but I know this is just the beginning.
To give people more choice, I’m developing new versions in different sizes, shapes, and colors to better fit different needs.
At the same time, I’m continuing to explore the neuroscience of how visual time perception affects focus, motivation, and executive function. My goal is to keep refining tools that help people stay on task, avoid procrastination, and transition between activities with less stress.
I’ve also started writing a book on practical visual neuroscience strategies to help people who struggle with procrastination, overwhelm, and focus. Traditional productivity methods don’t work for everyone, and I want to share real world strategies that do.
Ironically, time to get it all done is a major factor.
The post Color Your Way to Better Productivity – How a Busy Single Dad is Revolutionizing Time first appeared on CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.