Let's slow down time

After a long day of work, you’re finally able to sit down and idly check your phone. Suddenly, images of you from 10 years ago pop up. You and your friends are smiling ear to ear at one of the local bars. You think to yourself, “We all look so young and energetic. Where did the time go?”. If you are a parent, you probably feel like school just started but what? It’s already the end of school year? How did time fly so fast? 

If you find yourself saying “time flies” often, don’t worry. You’re feeling exactly how the rest of the adults feel on this planet. Scientists agree that there are valid reasons why adults feel this way much more than kids. One reason is that to children, one year’s time takes up much higher percentage of their entire life vs to adults. Hence, one year of events seems a lot longer to kids. Another reason is that for kids, they’re constantly learning new things. Given the significant amount of learning every hour of the day, they feel like so much more time has passed vs for adults. 

This second reason gives much clue to what we can do to slow down time: 

Introduce something novel to your life. As an adult, our lives tend to operate on a routine. You wake up at a certain time everyday, with each working day looking almost identical with jam-packed meetings and endless emails, and go to bed exhausted so that you can repeat this cycle for the rest of the week. The only way to slow down time is to break this routine. It doesn’t have to be through something big such as going on a vacation abroad. It could be as simple as trying out a new recipe, enrolling to learn something new, or biking to work instead of driving. When we do something new, our brains are engaged more. You will then remember more of these unique things that you tried. I started learning tennis when I turned 40. Learning tennis was always on my bucket list, and I decided that I will no longer give excuses and just make it work. I’m so glad I did. Now I have a lot more fun memories learning tennis in the past year than I would have otherwise. What is in your bucket list that can break your daily routine? 

Be present. Every morning when I wake up, I imagine how the day’s going to go given all the to dos I have. The moment my kids get up, the day gets on full speed non-stop. I realized, the easiest trick to slow down time, is to just focus on breathing, especially when I feel my brain is rushing through all the to dos. That helps me notice the clouds in the sky, the cool breeze through the window, the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of summery grass. When our family eats meals together, we all put away our electronic devices. This is so that we can focus on each other’s stories. We call it our sacred time. This really helps bring our family closer because we give each other undivided attention in every meal. Focus on now and you’ll notice how a day immediately slows down with so much more wonders. 

Celebrate often. When my husband and I were dating, we used to give each other awards. The awards recognized something small. It could be the Best Can Do Attitude, the Best Breakfast Chef, the Silliest Dancer, etc. When you pay attention to the present, you’ll be surprised to find how much there are to celebrate day to day. Just reflecting on my past few days, my daughter lost her seventh tooth, my son finished eating the lunch I packed him, my husband finished making slides for senior leadership, and I finally saw an eye doctor for the irritations that have been bothering me. Take time to celebrate and that will create lasting positive memories for our brains. 

Last week, I had a chance to catch up with a friend who lost his six year old son to a terminal brain cancer. He is determined to focus on the positives and make as much wonderful memories as possible with his remaining kid. Our time on earth is short. Let’s make each moment count by engaging in something novel, being fully present, and celebrating small things in life.  

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