Is Your Love Of Routine Making Your Life Fly By?
Want To Know The Secret To Slowing Down Time?
As a business owner and all round busy adult, your days pass by so quickly, in a whirl of activity. So much so that the weeks and months just race past. Ever find yourself saying ‘it’s ‘October’ already? Where did the year just go?’
It didn’t seem that way during your childhood though right? Afternoons after school were full of play, but it still felt like a lifetime ‘til it was dinner. Summer holidays went forever!
It is the opposite to fast paced adult life.
So what if there was a way of getting that slower pace of your childhood back?
One way is to maximise the hours in each and every day. We have always encouraged the delegation of tasks and the use of technology. Embrace those tools that make our work lives, and lives in general, simpler and easier.
Another, very attractive idea would be to stop doing as much and kick back in a hammock on a beach somewhere. Sounds good to me… But would you believe that the real answer is scientifically based? And is actually all to do with our ‘perception’ of time.
Our sense of time, it seems, isn’t even. It’s dictated by how much information we need to process. More information = more (perceived) time. Which is why days go forever when we’re kids because we are constantly processing new information.
The theory by neuroscientist David Eagleman is that the more familiar the world becomes, the less information your brain takes in, and the faster time seems to pass.
So how do we do something about it? What are the tricks to make your days feel rich and long. The simple answer is to ‘feed your brain’:
Keep Learning:
Learn new skills, read a lot, engage with your fellow peers… you instantly have a wealth of new knowledge at your fingertips to help you slow down time.
Visit New Places:
New smells, sounds, people, colours send a mass of information that needs to be interpreted by the brain. Exposing your brain to new places regularly will give it lots of work to do, letting you enjoy longer-seeming days.
Meet New People:
We all know how much energy we put into interactions with other people. Unlike objects, people are complex and take more effort to ‘process’ and understand. Meeting new people, then, is a good workout for our brains.
Try New Activities:
Doing new stuff means that you have to pay attention – your brain is on high alert and your senses are heightened, because you’re taking on new sensations and feelings at a rapid rate.
Be spontaneous:
Suprises are like new activities, they make us pay attention and heighten our senses. Plus, who doesn’t love a good surprise!
It’s all about getting a little out of your comfort zone; being in new places, meeting new people, learning new skills. Plus, there are a lot more positives to come out of these activities too, not just extending your days and slowing down time…
Is your love of routine making your life fly by?
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
