“The days are long, but the years are short.”
― Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project
If you talk to anyone over 30, they’ll tell you they feel like time is flying.
A study in the book “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari, talks about how the amount of information coming at us today has led to the sensation of the world speeding up.
Researchers looked at the average amount of news one person would get in the 1980s compared to the early 2000s and it had risen from 1 newspaper to 174 newspapers’ worth of information per day.
The consequence of absorbing all of this information regularly is that we can’t spend as much time with one piece of information.
We constantly move on to the next news item, video, article, or idea.
We never go deep on any one topic before moving on.
This acceleration is not just a vague feeling, it is happening to all of us.
It also impacts our ability to be patient and to stick with something until it grows.
Whether that’s a business, a creative pursuit, or a new skill we want to develop.
If time is speeding up, why does it feel like it’s crawling, too?
If we’re constantly taking in new information which speeds up our interpretation of time, why do we also feel like our days drag on?
This might not apply to everyone, but in mid-life we tend to have fallen into predictable life patterns.
At least according to Tali Sharot, author of the forthcoming book “Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There“.
You likely have a regular workday routine, home maintenance tasks, and people that you spend most of your time with.
When things stay the same, it leads to habituation.
If everything feels predictable, you stop paying attention.
We might take people for granted. Or our businesses, and the benefits of our accomplishments so far.
Tali Sharot offers ideas to help you appreciate what’s in front of you more:
- Going on local 3-day vacations, to change your perspective and get that sense of “newness” back into your life.
- Starting a new project or hobby. You’ll learn skills and explore new interests.
- Spending time away from your spouse or partner, because time away gives you something fresh to talk about and rejuvenates your relationship.
The deluge of information we get from news and social media isn’t a “fresh new thing” that helps us feel more alive.
News is often more of the same, and adds to the sense that every day is a repeat of the last.
How to defy time and gain new perspectives
In our businesses, we’re often rushing from one thing to another.
Appreciating the slow pace of growth doesn’t come easy.
But we can do two things to help us defy time:
- Reduce the flow of information coming in, and go deeper
It’s a good idea to tune out the noise around you.
I’ve done everything from not checking the news during focused periods, to leaving social media platforms that affect my ability to focus and stay positive (looking at you, Instagram).
Instead of skimming lots of headlines, I prefer to subscribe to a few long-form publications that go deeper on topics.
This feels less overwhelming and it’s a more satisfying look at what’s happening.
It’s more nuanced, and even when it’s not positive news, I understand things better. Which makes me feel like I can do something about it, unlike the hundreds of alarming headlines that I used to scroll by.
To go even deeper, books are powerful, too.
- Embrace small changes over time
Small changes that are barely noticeable daily add up to big changes over the years.
It’s like seeing a child grow up in front of your eyes: it’s very gradual.
But if you haven’t seen someone else’s child in many years and you meet them again, suddenly they’re all grown up and it’s a shock to the system.
The same goes for your business.
Small subtle changes don’t feel like a big deal, but over time they add up to big results and changes.
It’s one of the reasons that we love to focus on incremental changes and updates in our software, AccessAlly.
Yes, it’s tempting to do a big redesign project that will “change the game”.
But it’s jarring for our users, and it’s not as useful as making small improvements that add up to bigger shifts over time.
It’s also less likely to break anything, which is very important when we’re helping people take payments for their courses and offers.
How do you defy time?
I’d love to hear from you on the topic of time. Does it feel like it’s going faster? Are you making the most of it?
