I have to imagine that most people have entered a flow state of their own, and they likely know what that activity is. It could be playing an instrument, running, programming, or even gardening. Whatever it is, there’s a certain magic to this state — it’s as if time gives you a hall pass, allowing you to step out of its rigid, ticking structure and experience something different entirely.
How do we cultivate more of these moments? The secret lies in how and how much we pay attention. When we’re fully present, whether in an extraordinary moment of creativity or a task as ordinary as brushing your teeth, we make time meaningful and expand it. One way to lengthen your days, to fill them with more than just monotonous echoes of the day before, is to consciously seek moments of immersion by snapping yourself out of the mindset of always having to be on the clock, running from one task or errand to the next.
Think back to the last time you felt a deep connection with an activity, one that consumed hours without you even noticing. The first things that come to mind for me are sitting down to write a few essays or create a new art piece; These illicit moments when I look up at the clock and it reads 1:30am and I think to myself “wait a minute, that can’t be right; I’ve been doing this for the past five hours?” Can you make a habit of these transcendental moments in time? Can you introduce a deliberate change into your daily routine to keep life vivid and rich? When we push ourselves to do something outside the ordinary—not out of obligation, but out of curiosity—we’re inviting and allowing time to linger, as if we’ve befriended time. In times like these, time is not the enemy. We are no longer fighting against the clock and the passage of time becomes merely a byproduct of our creative expression. We look at the many hours that have passed not in sorrow as they cannot ever be retrieved, but in joy as it was most pleasantly spent.
Often, we forget that time is less about the seconds ticking away and more about the experiences filling those seconds. Routine is comforting, though realize that routine is capable of blurring the edges of our days such that time becomes a still lake as opposed to a flowing river. Breaking the routine—trying a new hobby, meeting someone new, or even eating something you've never tasted before—can be the spark that makes your precious time memorable. When your brain processes something unfamiliar, it tends to encode those moments more deeply, making time feel richer and more expansive.
You cannot wrestle with time and win. Not even the most wealthy of men are capable of buying time. As time is indeed a finite resource for us all, the only thing we can do is be more deliberate with and conscious of how we spend it. It is about cultivating presence, taking back the moments that slip through our fingers when we're distracted or caught up in the chaos of daily life.
There is an art to experiencing life in slow motion, and it is one we can practice daily. The key lies in giving our fullest attention to both the new and the familiar—to be so present that time disappears entirely. So go ahead, explore, create, and sometimes, simply take a moment to breathe deeply. Sink into the next chair that you sit in and let your shoulders relax from their tense state. You may just find that time is capable of slowing down and revealing its depth and wonder.