Speaker 1: Good morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to plan a mini adventure into your day.
Speaker 1: A few years ago, I came across a great quote
Speaker 1: from Alan Burdick in his book Why Time Flies. He
Speaker 1: wrote that very often when we remark how did time
Speaker 1: fly by so quickly, what's actually meant is some version
Speaker 1: of I don't remember where the time went. Memories and
Speaker 1: time are closely related. When time isn't memorable, we don't
Speaker 1: remember it. When time is memorable, we do remember it,
Speaker 1: and that can make us feel like we have more time.
Speaker 1: I saw this relationship in action when I had nine
Speaker 1: busy people track their time for a day a few
Speaker 1: years ago from my book Off the Clock. I asked
Speaker 1: them questions about how they felt about their time. I
Speaker 1: found that the people with the most abundant perspective on
Speaker 1: time were highly likely to have done something very memorable.
Speaker 1: On the March Monday, I had them track. One woman
Speaker 1: went to sels the dancing lessons. Somebody else went to
Speaker 1: a big band concert on a Monday night. Now this
Speaker 1: might seem like a bit of a paradox that going
Speaker 1: to a big band concert might make you feel like
Speaker 1: you have more time. After all, buying tickets creates something
Speaker 1: of an obligation. You have to go do something rather
Speaker 1: than just crash on the couch. So this should make
Speaker 1: you feel like you have less time, right, But time
Speaker 1: isn't that simple. Time moves at different paces depending on
Speaker 1: how we interact with it. Our perception of any given
Speaker 1: length of time is shaped by how many memories we
Speaker 1: have of that length of time. This is why the
Speaker 1: first day of a vacation somewhere exotic seems very long.
Speaker 1: Your brain has no idea what it needs to remember,
Speaker 1: so it's remembering all of it. More memories means more time.
Speaker 1: An evening spent on the couch isn't particularly memorable, so
Speaker 1: we don't remember it. That time disappears as if it
Speaker 1: doesn't exist. Too many days like this, and whole years
Speaker 1: can disappear into memory sinkholes. Times ceases to be a
Speaker 1: rich tapestry and feels more like a slick linoleum floor. Obviously,
Speaker 1: it's not feasible to go to big band concerts every night,
Speaker 1: but it is possible to do something to make each
Speaker 1: day memorable, so we're more likely to remember it. In
Speaker 1: the Jewish tradition, before the passover meal, the youngest person
Speaker 1: at the table asks why is tonight different from all
Speaker 1: other nights? For passover, the answer is clear, it's a
Speaker 1: holiday and you're celebrating at defining event in extended family history.
Speaker 1: But you can ask this question of any day. Why
Speaker 1: is today different from all other days? Indeed, let's ask
Speaker 1: this for today. How is today going to be different
Speaker 1: from other days? Take some time to about this. What
Speaker 1: many adventure could you plan into today so that today
Speaker 1: stands out in memory. Your adventure doesn't have to be
Speaker 1: expensive or time consuming. You might grab lunch with a
Speaker 1: new group of people from work. You might take a
Speaker 1: walk through a nearby park to perk yourself up. In
Speaker 1: the afternoon. You might stop at an intriguing store you
Speaker 1: see as you walk back to your apartment. You might
Speaker 1: catch a weeknight movie or take your kids to a
Speaker 1: playground after dinner. Rather than going through the usual march
Speaker 1: of bath and bed. But plan in some little adventure,
Speaker 1: and as you're having your adventure, pause to note that
Speaker 1: it's happening. Really, take everything in. This will make your
Speaker 1: memories deeper, and really, in the end, memories are all
Speaker 1: we have. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for
Speaker 1: listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcast at iHeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch.