Many of us reach a point in adulthood where time starts to feel like it’s moving faster than it once did. Weeks seem to disappear into months, months into years, and before we know it, we’re left with the sense that it all happened very quickly, even though plenty changed along the way.
Psychologists often talk about novelty and memory when trying to explain this experience. When we’re younger, many things feel new, and new experiences require more of our attention. Because our attention is more focused, those moments tend to be remembered more clearly and with greater detail. Later in life, as more routine settles in, days increasingly begin to resemble one another, and fewer experiences stand out when we look back, which can make time feel faster in retrospect.
That explanation can be useful, but it can still leave us wondering what can be done in the middle of everyday life, when the days feel rushed and the weeks seem to roll through each month.
Here are a few ways of thinking about how we can make the most of time as we’re living it, rather than trying to get more of it…
Pay attention to what you’re doing, especially with other people
One of the most common ways time slips past us is because we divide our attention. We all know what it’s like to be in conversation with someone, but part of our mind is already planning the rest of the day, thinking about what needs to be done later, or checking our phone out of habit.
When attention keeps moving like this, experiences feel shallow. We might be physically present, but we’re not really in the experience, and this is how experiences pass us by without registering properly.
Staying with someone means allowing the conversation to be the only thing happening for that period of time. It means putting the phone away and, for the duration of the conversation, being fully with the other person. Not only will it enrich the experience, it’s also just good manners to pay attention to the person whose company you’re in. Of course, judgement matters: if you’re with a good friend you’ve known for years or it’s an informal gathering, checking your phone now and then isn’t a crime.
Reduce the pace of ordinary things
Busyness creates the sense that time is scarce. When our days are packed with tasks that bleed into one another, everything feels interchangeable, and it becomes hard to remember what actually happened during the week and what was important.
Slowing down doesn’t mean we need to make drastic changes. For example, do you sometimes find yourself walking around quickly at work even though you’re not rushing anywhere? Try slowing yourself down, relaxing your shoulders and reminding yourself you needn’t live life double-speed. This principle can apply to whatever you’re doing, although sadly, there will be times when you have to rush to get things done.
Let tasks end before starting the next thing
Modern living can feel like we’re jumping from one thing to the next. A meeting at work finishes just before you need to rush to the next appointment, or you’re eating lunch as quickly as your mouth can chew while you’re working on finishing off an upcoming presentation.
Taking some time to notice endings can help you take a much-needed brieather – even if it’s only brief. That could mean taking a minute to breathe after something finishes, noticing how you feel, and checking in with any tension in the body and taking some deep breaths to relieve the stress.
This won’t magically make demanding days any easier, but deliberately pausing at points through the day to take a few breaths can ease the strain of busy periods.
Allow uncertainty to take up some space
A lot of time pressure comes from the mind constantly moving ahead. Decisions, plans, worries, and expectations pull our attention away from what’s happening now.
Uncertainty slows this process because it helps us stay engaged rather than jumping to find a resolution. Sitting with a decision, noticing mixed feelings, or allowing a question to remain open can feel uncomfortable at first, but it also keeps attention anchored in the present.
Ambivalence often signals that there’s something important we need to attend to, and staying with that feeling can create an opening sense of the direction or decision we want to take.
Choose experiences that leave an impression on you
Not everything we do needs to be meaningful, but if much of our time is spent recovering from stress or distraction, the meaning and purpose we crave might feel a bit thin.
The kinds of experiences that leave an impression need our engagement. Long conversations, writing or journalling, or spending time somewhere without recording it for posts and reels, can help us create the sort of meaning and connection we yearn for.
It’s useful to keep in mind that time feels faster when our attention is scattered and constantly pulled toward the next thing rather than being on what we’re doing now. When attention is more intentional, the time we have doesn’t change, but how we use it does, and that makes everyday life feel like we’re more in it rather than watching as it flies by.
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