How To Speed Up Time: Easy-To-Follow Tips To Try Today

There's nothing more frustrating than sitting around waiting for time to pass. Whether you're in the office, sitting in traffic, or stuck at the DMV, the feeling of being forced to wait is one of the worst feelings in the world.

We might inevitably watch the clock and count every passing second. But as you know from experience, that doesn't work very well. Instead of making time go faster, it makes it feel like it's dragging on even longer!

So what can you do instead? How do you make time go faster? Why does it feel slow in the first place? Let's take a look at some tips for speeding up time, so that you can fast-forward to the weekend:

Why Does Time Go Slower Or Faster?

You’re watching it go by

‍“A watched kettle never boils” is something we’ve all experienced. If you want time to go quickly, you need to take your mind off it and stop counting the seconds. There’s science behind this—when we look at something, our minds automatically predict what we’re going to see, as a way for us to avoid confusion and be more efficient. This, however, means that when we look at a clock expecting to see time ticking/changing, and instead catch it standing still, our mind is surprised and we perceive time as moving slower.

You’re not watching it go by

‍“Time flies when you’re having fun”. We only have a very limited amount of attention to give. If our attention is anywhere except the clock, we’re unable to perceive time accurately. When your mind is occupied and busy, time seems to speed up. As opposed to this, when you’re bored, time seems to drag. A mind which is not occupied is a mind which perceives time to be slower.

You’re waiting for something exciting

‍Time always seems to go by especially slowly when we’re waiting for something in the future, such as your date after work, or your vacation at the end of the week. Unfortunately the opposite seems to apply when we’re waiting for something we’re dreading, such as a dentist appointment or the end of the weekend.

You've got some negative feelings

‍Unpleasant experiences such as the dentist or your boss’s boring presentation always drag. In more extreme cases, things such as pain can make time drag on too. Ever sat through a meeting with a toothache? These negative feelings can be especially present when you’re at work, if, for example, you’re stressed out. Finding ways to reduce overall stress can in turn give you less reason to feel negative and anxious about time passing. 

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