Ways to Slow Down Time and Be Present

Seven things to do to slow down. When I was little, time felt so

long.

A week felt like forever. A day off felt like a whole adventure.

But as I've grown, time sped up, weeks felt like days, and days felt

like hours. Time started slipping through my fingers.

I wanted to find a way to stop that. Is there a way to feel like a kid again?

Is there a way for time to slow down?

Then it happened.

I felt that feeling again.

Time slowed. I was studying abroad, and it came back.

Days seemed longer, more full.

But what changed? What made them slow down?

Here's how the days go. Wake up,

school or work,

and then come home.

We get into a routine. When we're little, our routine is so new,

everything becomes rememberable. But eventually,

we get stuck in the routine.

Time starts moving faster because every day looks the same. It's predictable.

No memories. We look back, and boom, three weeks have gone by,

and we barely remember anything from it.

We need to have more attention to the days.

The more attention, the more focus we have on something,

the more likely memories

are to form from it.

So change the routine. It stops you from just going through the

motions.

Add new things to your day. Take a different way home from work.

Go for a walk. By adding something new, it changes things up.

It makes the day a lot more memorable. It causes you to stop and focus a little.

Even a little change is better than nothing.

Like I said, when we're kids, everything was new.

We're constantly learning.

That's why we had so much attention to everything.

But we learned, so we stopped learning.

That meant newness was gone. So learn something, a new skill, a new

language, a new thought,

because that's gonna break the same old, same old. A new experience.

You'll be focused on new info, new thoughts.

Do something you can work towards.

That way, each day has a portion of learning,

something that you have to give your

attention to. It again breaks the autopilot.

But it also could be something that's...

Like I said, something you have to work towards

and complete will be memorable.

The more memorable the moment is, the more full that portion of life will

feel

like. Doing something that's hard, that causes you to think, causes you to

try, you'll appreciate those moments because

you have worked hard.

You had to be engaged in those moments. You'll be proud of it.

This could totally go along with learning something.

You'll remember the struggles, but you'll also remember

when you pushed through.

Some of the most memorable, fun, relaxing, exciting times come from

going somewhere, somewhere new. When we were little, most places were new,

unexplored. Go explore somewhere new. It doesn't have to be some crazy place.

It doesn't have to be for a month. Even just a day trip is perfect.

Be safe, though. But so many memories are made when you explore.

In that moment, time might fly by, but looking back, it will be full.

Even better when you do it with...

The most memorable times are usually with people.

Go out and do stuff with people. Go on that trip with someone. Go hang out.

But being with someone adds so much more depth to a moment, another perspective,

more emotion. The time will be much fuller, even

if that's just a

conversation. But whatever you do, don't sc--

Here's two days. Day A, you learn something new for an hour,

you go on a hike

for an hour, and you talk with a friend for an hour.

Day B, you scroll for an hour, then another hour,

and then finally another

hour. Looking back, obviously day A is gonna feel a lot fuller.

So limit that. Make scrolling as hard as possible.

Set limits, and choose to actually follow them.

It's gonna take effort. Even watching a movie is better.

The whole point is to be more aware, to be more in the moment, to stop being

mindless.

Scrolling doesn't do that.

Constant motion, constant noise, constant changes.

We are always occupied by something. Something has our attention.

What if we just stopped everything for a few minutes, just sat still?

No music, no video, nothing. Just sitting still for a few minutes,

noticing things around you. That brings you back to the moment,

especially if

you've been rushing all day. The whole goal is to not let life fall

through our

fingers. Don't get stuck in the routine to where

you don't remember anything you've

done. Stop for a sec. Do something different. Do something hard.

Change it up.