So I’ve been doing it all wrong. For the past few years I have embarked on a slow, routine lifestyle in order to do all I can to slow down time. I based this on the premise: “Time flies when you’re having fun,” which I contend we have all experienced. So, I thought if I kept a routine full of comfy, relaxing tasks, time would certainly slow down. Although I have tried this practice for at least the past two years, I didn’t feel that my efforts worked well. I still felt time was zooming, in stark opposition to the slow, waning, quality of the perception of my childhood.
Recently, my mind has been blown. I just read an article exposing my method as the complete opposite of what I SHOULD be doing! And come to find out, there are many articles and books and research perpetuating this same idea.
The way you slow down time is by introducing novel experiences along the way. I’m still wrapping my head around this as I really believed this was what speeds it up! But it makes sense! According to these excellently written articles based on scientific research, here is the gist: in the moment, a novel experience may seem to go by quickly, but when you REMEMBER the novel experience, it gives you the perception of the experience having been longer.
The articles also said we perceive something lasting longer when big emotions are tied to them, (this explains why my tweens and teen eras now seem to have lasted an eternity) so perhaps this is another variable in the novel experience. Bigger emotions may be elicited during new experiences, further solidifying the perception of slowness when looking back.
Now, I feel silly for sticking to the plan of trying to have the most routine lifestyle for the past few years. I go to work, come home, get in my comfy clothes, enjoy my family time then enjoy my alone time daily. Anything out of the ordinary became routine as well, going to the same parks, going to the library, going out to eat at the same places. I did all of these things under the impression being in the present moment doing things I was comfortable doing would help my perception of time since it was the least amount of sensory overload. I thought this would stream my conciousness at a snail’s pace. And on any given day, this can feel true, in the best way. But on 12/31 of the past few years, it is evident that this routine life is a blur and if it is a blur then it pretty much feels very short.
So now, amid 2025 having already started, I am on a new mission. I will say yes to things, plan new adventures and be present in the NOVEL things!
I heavily blame the echo chamber of accounts I have been following. So many say to “slow down” and “enjoy the present moment.” What they failed to be clear about is making the present moment be more adventurous! I can see how these messages are needed for busy-bee type personalities but what they didn’t know was this audience of one was already going pretty slow and I doubled down!
It’s not their fault, really. However, this brings up a really good reason to analyze your life and habits often. You never know, you may need to change your path for what you are trying to achieve. It reminds me what I think is the right way to get something, may be entirely wrong, and I should always remain open to different perspectives.
This past spring break has been the perfect example for my experience of time. For the first 4 days, Zach’s mom was in town and we did a few new experiences around Galveston and Houston that I had not done and Zach and I went to a concert in a venue I’ve never experienced as well. For the remaining 5 days, we went to our neighborhood park, library, cleaned, hung out at home, played, etc. It’s the last day of Spring Break and those first 4 days live in my mind as lasting at least a week. The last 5 days live in my mind as about 3 days so if we are going to do math here, which I gave up years ago….here it is: Novel experiences generally expand time by 75% and routine experiences can collapse time by 40%. This is all according to AI so if it’s wrong, I apologize but you get it.
So routine is best represented in memory as one step forward, two steps back.
And it doesn’t have to be extravagant new things, start a new hobby, make something you have never made before, go a different route home, say yes to a new activity, go to a new place around your area you have never been to, plan trips to new places, lay down somewhere new, move in a new way.
So THIS is why people travel. I’ve been searching for a motivating reason for myself as of late as I found myself having no desire. Now, I’ve met my match: slow down time.
Anywho, plan and say yes to new things, percieve a longer life! New goal unlocked!
onthecontrarykelly 