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: hundred busy people track their time for a day a
Speaker 1: few years ago from my book Off the Clock. I
Speaker 1: asked them questions about how they felt about their time.
Speaker 1: I found that the people with the most abundant perspective
Speaker 1: on 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 salsa dancing lessons. Somebody else went to a
Speaker 1: big band concert on a Monday night. Now this might
Speaker 1: seem like a bit of a paradox that going to
Speaker 1: a big band concert might make you feel like you
Speaker 1: have more time. After all, Buying tickets creates something of
Speaker 1: an obligation. You have to go do something rather than
Speaker 1: just crash on the couch. So this should make you
Speaker 1: feel like you have less time, right, But time isn't
Speaker 1: that simple. Time moves at different paces depending on how
Speaker 1: we interact with it. Our perception of any given length
Speaker 1: of time is shaped by how many memories we have
Speaker 1: of that length of time. This is why the first
Speaker 1: day of a vacation somewhere exotics seems very long. Your
Speaker 1: brain has no idea what it needs to remember, so
Speaker 1: it's remembering all of it. More memories means more time.
Speaker 1: An evening spent on the couch is an particularly memorable,
Speaker 1: so we don't remember it. That time disappears as if
Speaker 1: it doesn't exist. Too many days like this, and whole
Speaker 1: years can disappear into memory sinkholes. Time ceases to be
Speaker 1: a 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 a defining event and 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 think think about this.
Speaker 1: What many adventure could you plan into today so that
Speaker 1: today stands out in memory. Your adventure doesn't have to
Speaker 1: be expensive or time consuming. You might grab lunch with
Speaker 1: a new group of people from work. You might take
Speaker 1: a walk through a nearby park to perk yourself up.
Speaker 1: In the afternoon. You might stop at an intriguing store
Speaker 1: you see as you walk back to your apartment. You
Speaker 1: might catch a week night movie or take your kids
Speaker 1: to a playground after dinner. Rather than going through the
Speaker 1: usual march of bath and bed. But plan in some
Speaker 1: little adventure, and as you're having your adventure, pause to
Speaker 1: note that it's happening. Really, take everything in. This will
Speaker 1: make your memories deeper, and really, in the end, memories
Speaker 1: are all we have. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then
Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Podcast. At iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch.