Time Flying Does Not Mean Better Time
David Buck
| Time Management Expert | Revenue Catalyst | Driving Success through Strategic Planning & Execution | Author of "The Time-Optimized Life" |
Time flies when you are having fun.
I have said this many times in my life. In many cases, it has been true. As I have noted in my book, The Time-Optimized Life, our consumption of time is objective, and our feelings of time are subjective.
“We measure time in so many ways. There are objective methods tied to specific segments like seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, and decades. We also provide arbitrary measures to our time. When some event or experience is enjoyable, we can proclaim the time went by quickly. Conversely, time can move slowly when it is an activity we do not like. Our perspective of time can be skewed, depending on the circumstances.”
The origin of the “time flies when you are having fun” phrase is said to come out of a Chinese proverb. It made its way into an English idiom sometime in the 19th century.
Over time, I have come to look at this saying a little differently. While time can fly when we are happy, it can also impact us during other emotional timeframes which can cause us to ask, “Where did the time go?”
Our emotional and physical states can dramatically alter our perception of time, focusing on scenarios of sadness, anger, loneliness, and poor health. These experiences tend to make time feel more viscous, slow, and oppressive. It can also make us wonder what happened to all that time?
In Times of Sadness
When experiencing sadness, time can feel extraordinarily elongated and heavy. Moments seem to stretch endlessly, with each minute feeling like an hour. The emotional weight creates a sense of stagnation, where memories replay repeatedly, and the present moment feels trapped in a slow, painful loop.
In times like these, it is important to plan with activities that push you to refocus your efforts in areas that provide positive emotional support. Your calendar should reflect periods of social interaction with friends and family.
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David Buck is the author of the book?The Time-Optimized Life, owner of Kairos (Time) Management Solutions, LLC. Learn how to apply the concepts of proactively planning and using your time. Take the?Time Management Analysis (TMA), the?Retirement Time Analysis (RTA), or all the other?free resources?offered to help bring more quality time into your life.
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