I lost both my parents to cancer by 18. Thought I would die young too.
Then uncovered a hack…
At 28 I quit my corporate engineering job and traveled the world. A new place every 2-3 days.
I lived a lifetime in that 6 month trip.
Upon return a colleague said “hey, I thought you left 2 months ago”, yet it had felt like 2 years.
12x time compression!
I went on to quit my job, started businesses and lived nomadically optimising my life, not for happiness or money, but for newness.
Please share your hacks.
I’m a retired brain surgeon and I wanna tell you why you feel like life is passing by. I just need one minute to explain this to you so hang in there.
Repetitive daily routines stop the brain from recording clear detailed memories. When every day looks the same, your brain does not track time the same as a clock does. It tracks change. If nothing new happens then days, months, and years start to blur together.
This is know as Time compression. When life lacks variety, your brain compresses past days together, making it feel like time is sped up.
To stop feeling like life is passing you by, add new experiences to your life. Break routine habits, like changing your daily home routine, taking a different route to work, or trying a new hobby.
Schedule small trips or plan new adventures so your days do not blend together.
Practice mindfulness by staying fully focused on what you are doing right now and not trying to race off to the next task.
Keep a journal and write down happy memories or memorable parts of the day before you go to sleep.
Take deep, calm breaths when you feel anxious or rushed to return your focus to the moment.
You can and you will retrain your brain to not feel like life is passing you by by following these few simple measures.