Learning THIS About Time Changed My Life ⏳

Wish you could make time slow down or speed up!? This is what I've learned about how our brains process time.

Ever reach the end of the day...or week (or year)…and feel like it passed by in an absolute blur?

We have endless sayings about the way time feels in different situations: Time flies when you’re having fun. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it. Time is dragging on. The days are long, but the years are short.

So what is it about time that can make it fly? Blur? Drag? And do we have any control over which “mode” we’re in?

There are two things I’ve learned about time that have fascinated me and changed the way I plan and structure my life.

The first is that time seems to speed up as we age because of the speed at which our brain is processing images. 🧠

As kids, our brain is basically rapid-fire processing — image after image, we consume and process them quickly. This can make memories from our childhood seem incredibly vivid — not necessarily because they were better times or more memorable times — but because our brain was processing them in high-definition (to put it simply). It was capturing SO much.

As we age, our brains process fewer frames per second — which can make events seem a bit less vivid. Or, perhaps, like they pass by “in a blur.”

Duke University Professor Adrian Bejan explained it like this:
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“Over time, the rate at which we process visual information slows down, and this is what makes time ‘speed up’ as we grow older. As we age, the size and complexity of the networks of neurons in our brains increases – electrical signals must traverse greater distances, and thus, signal processing takes more time. Slower processing times result in us perceiving fewer ‘frames-per-second’ – more actual time passes between the perception of each new mental image. This is what leads to time passing more rapidly. When we are young, each second of actual time is packed with many more mental images. Like a slow-motion camera that captures thousands of images per second, time appears to pass more slowly.”

The second thing I’ve learned is that our brain can speed up or slow down time to protect us from stress or trauma…or simply to conserve energy 🧡

Many of us experienced this during the pandemic…or perhaps during other stressful times in our lives. When things are stressful our brain can fast forward through them as a defense mechanism.

And sometimes our brain does this simply because we are performing the same routines over and over…and instead of wasting unnecessary energy being super present or focused on what’s going on, our brain goes into a sort of “auto-pilot” that allows it to conserve energy. Personally, I experience this any time I have a long international flight. I can almost feel my brain switch into this “energy-saving mode” and then I snap-to on a different continent.

It’s awesome that our brains are so adaptable and good at protecting us — but in our modern lives, it can be helpful to know how to override these natural mechanisms from time to time.

Maybe you’re home with your three-month-old for the twelfth consecutive week in a row. The baby is teething. You didn’t sleep well. And another day is passing by in a blur of diapers and bottles.

Your brain might say, “This is repetitive, a bit boring, and we can do this in a low-energy mode,” but your heart is saying, “This is my last week of parental leave. I want to feel present and soak up each moment.” What can you do?

Below are a few methods that can help time feel as though it passes faster or more slowly…and help memories feel more vivid instead of blurring.

🐢TO MAKE TIME SLOW DOWN + CREATE MORE VIVID MEMORIES:

1. Be more mindful. Take a moment to stop, breathe, and ground yourself in the moment. It can be helpful to identify one thing you can hear, one thing you can see, and one thing you can smell. And try putting down the tech — if you want time to slow down, avoid screen time and stay present.

2. Create a highlight. Make note of one thing from your day — whether it was a high or low — and write it down. This can help bring the focus back into each day so they feel more intentional and less "blurry.”

3. Switch things up. To prevent your brain from going into “auto-pilot,” you need to switch things up. Try doing your morning routine in a new order, brush your teeth with your opposite hand, sip your coffee in a new spot, take a new route to work, or do an evening workout instead of morning.

4. Learn something new. Taking up a new hobby, learning a new skill, or even going back to school can be great ways to fire up new neural pathways in your brain and slow down your perception of time.

🐇TO MAKE TIME SPEED UP + EXPERIENCE TIME BLURRING:

1. Avoid looking at the clock. Obsessing over time is one surefire way to make it move slowly. If possible, avoid looking at the clock when you’re hoping for time to pass more quickly.

2. Reframe the situation. If you have to wait 20 minutes for a train to arrive…it can feel like forever. But most of us would kill for an extra 20 minutes to clear out our inbox or catch up with a friend. So, reframe a “wait time” as a time to do something you often feel you don’t “have time for” — like connecting with a friend via phone or sifting through your inbox.

3. Stick to routines. The less surprises your brain experiences, the more likely it is to stay in those flow states that allow time to pass by more quickly. So if that’s what you desire, establish solid routines and stick to them.

4. Break time up. Most of us can focus well for small chunks of time — like 15 or 25 minutes. Being proactive about scheduling your day with blocks of focused work and intentional breaks can help the time pass by more quickly.

I talked about this concept on Instagram. You can find it in this post if you’d like to save or share:

thyme_is_honey

A post shared by @thyme_is_honey

💬 Do these two concepts about time align with your experiences? How do you think our perception of time might impact how we formulate beliefs or values? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.