Become a Master of Time: 5 Tricks to Slow Down and Have More

Have you ever said “Wow, I can’t believe it’s half way through the year already. Time flies! I swear it was JUST Christmas”.

It’s commonly said that time goes quicker as an adult. But is that actually true? Is time speeding up as we age?

Researchers from the Hokaido University in Japan found that feeling time pressure affects people’s perception of time. The busier you feel, more more time flies.

The older people in the study did believe the previous 10 years to move quicker than the younger participants. And those who felt time pressure felt that time passed in a flash.

This study also found that participants had a memory bias that underestimated the time pressure they felt in the past, adding to the perception that time moved slower when they were younger.

This is great news!

Perceptions can be changed. 

You already have the super power to master and manipulate time. But like all super heroes, you just need to learn how to use your power.

1. Do Less, Live More

Want more time? Stop filling it up.

In adulthood the days become routine and stick together. Stress and busyness cause people to zip through the days, adding to the blur.

While you might not be able to drop all your responsibilities at home and work, there are some simple ways you stop your time leaking out of your bucket:

• Spend less time on social media and other distractions that don’t add value in your life and cause you to zone out.
• Be OK with saying no when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do.
• Unclutter your mental to do list by dropping all the things that you told yourself you should do.
• If you are going to watch TV or a movie, enjoy one and then do something else. With Netflix, it’s easy to binge watch and have your entire day sucked up in front of a screen.
• Take regular breaks during your work day. For example, if you work through lunch, your day is going to feel like it flew by.

2. Create More New Experiences

Do you remember your first day of school? What about the first time you road a bike? Or your first kiss?

Childhood is filled with new experiences and memorable events.

New experiences can break you out of a rut and help you to be present since your brain is actively engaged. They can also stretch your comfort zone, causing you to grow.

Matt Cutts talks about the benefit of creating new experiences with 30 day challenges in this short TED talk. Why not try one?

3. Savour Your Moments

Put a glass of an expensive wine in front of a connoisseur and they will roll it around in their mouth, exploring and savouring the flavour.

Savouring puts your full attention on what you are doing and allows you to appreciate the even the smallest details.

Our wine connoisseur can teach us something very valuable about savouring – most of the experience is perception.

This journalist talks about how a room full of wine experts all mistook the same wine for two different wines when it was served at slightly different temperatures.

In a study done by California Institute of Technology, researchers found that participants enjoyment of a wine was impacted by how much they thought the wine cost.

Start savouring by doing one thing at a time and giving it your full attention. Slow down and enjoy the moment, it will make it feel longer.

4. Make Everyday a Special Occasion

One of my favourite places is the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. It’s a private club for magicians that requires you to dress up to attend. Visiting the Magic Castle is a memorable event. Dressing up makes it feel like special occasion.

There are hundreds of ways every day that you could take an active role in making it feel like a special occasion:

• Use the fancy china for a lunch by yourself.
• Hang twinkle lights for a family BBQ.
• Surprise your spouse with a note of appreciation.
• Get dressed up to take yourself to the movies.
• Enjoy a bubble bath instead of a shower.
• Treat yourself to a few compliments.
• Have an impromptu dance party in the kitchen.
• Do something nice for someone else.
• Use the toothpaste with sparkles in it.

Don’t save the things you really want to enjoy for some day. Look for ways you can take the tasks you perform every day and turn them into something special. Then savour the experience.

5. Practice Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has had a profound impact on my life. For the last 2 years I’ve shared daily gratitude posts and my attention was on all the good in my life. My mind simply didn’t have enough energy to think about negativity.

I have to admit, it was kind of magical. The simple act of thinking about what I had to be grateful for had a huge effect on my life. I spent so much more time thinking about ‘good stuff’ and so much less time filled with worry, doubt or even grief.

Taking a few moments to be grateful for what we have has been scientifically shown to have a big impact on quality of life. According to research done at the University of California, Berkeley, people of all ages benefit physically, emotionally and socially from being actively grateful.

By focusing on the good in your life, there’s no space for the negative to fill up your mind. You can choose to fill yourself up with good stuff.

For the best results, document what you are grateful for either in a journal or with pictures. It will help you to remember and relive your experiences, giving you more perspective of all the good things that fill your time.

It's the Little Things That Make the Difference

Each of these tips I’ve shared really comes down to make small changes. It’s not necessary to spend money, or make these things items on your to do list.

By slowing down, enjoying what you have and creating special moments, your perspective of time will change.

Personally I’ve found Power Words to be an effective way to make micro changes in my life that have had huge results. A Power Word acts as a personal theme for a period of time. It’s really pretty simple. You just choose a word or phrase about something you want more and apply it to your daily life using various tools.

This free guide The Little Book Of Power Words, gives you all the tricks and tools you need to pick a Power Word that will create magic in your life.

About Dan

Dan Trommater helps teams improve engagement, better solve problems and boost performance with unique keynotes and workshops. By using world-class magic, humour, stories and interactive exercises he delivers a powerful message about learning to see things from other people’s perspective to improve communication and influence. This provides business and life changing opportunities for those who adopt it. Connect with Dan on Linkedin and visit him at www.dantrommater.com.