Why early years seem longer

How long an hour, a week, or a year feels is something that changes all the time.

For example, an hour spent coping with tragic news can be perceived as very slow, while an hour of frantic cleaning before guests arrive seems to pass very quickly.

• As we become adults, we tend to take on more time commitments. As our work and domestic lives stabilize, the years increasingly resemble each other. This creates the sense that less “living” happens each year.
• Children usually have no time commitments; they're told what to do. They also form higher-quality memories (sharper and more lasting), making early years seem so full.

• As adults, we spend much of the time on autopilot, with most of our attention on past, future, or hypothetical moments.
• As children we’re immersed in present moment, which creates long, vivid days, with many more touchpoints for memory and appreciation.

If you shift your focus on the present moment (working, driving, cleaning, whatever it is), you will start to feel time as more abundant.

Mindfulness is a great tool to deepen and balance your days. But you don't necessarily need it. Just make sure to invest more attention in present-moment experience.

• Do more physical activities, ones that you can’t do absent-mindedly: arts and crafts, sports, gardening, dancing etc.
• Spend more time with people you enjoy talking to.