Does Time Really Fly?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "Wasn't it just January?"
It seems like time is speeding up. And honestly, you're not imagining it.
As we get older, each year feels faster than the last — and there's some science behind that feeling.
When you're five years old, a single year makes up 20% of your entire life. That’s massive. A year feels endless, full of brand-new experiences, firsts, and milestones.
But when you're fifty, that same year represents only 2% of your life. Compared to everything you've already lived, it's just a tiny fraction. No wonder it seems to slip away so quickly.
This isn’t just an interesting trivia fact.
It’s a powerful reminder for how we think about time — and how intentional we must be with it.
Why Time Feels Like It's Speeding Up
Scientists and psychologists suggest a few reasons:
-
Relative Experience: As we age, fewer things feel truly "new." Novelty stretches time in our perception. Routine compresses it.
-
Memory Compression: When we look back, our brain condenses routine periods into smaller "files," making months and years seem like they flew by.
-
Increased Responsibilities: More obligations mean less freedom to experience time slowly and intentionally.
Put simply: time hasn’t changed — we have.
What This Means for You and Your Business
In business and in life, the feeling that "there’s never enough time" isn't just stress talking — it's reality if we’re not intentional.
If we aren’t careful, we’ll blink and find ourselves in the same place, wondering where the months (and opportunities) went.
Here’s the good news:
You can’t slow down time, but you can slow down how you experience it.
Some ideas:
-
Create more novelty: Learn something new. Launch a new initiative. Visit new places. New experiences stretch time.
-
Be fully present: The more you engage your attention — not just rush through tasks — the richer and slower time feels.
-
Reflect often: Journaling, quarterly reviews, even simple quiet time force you to notice your life, rather than let it blur past you.
-
Set personal milestones, not just business goals: These create meaning markers that make a year feel full and memorable.
Final Thought
Time isn't going to stop flying.
But you can grab the controls.
If a year now feels shorter than it did when you were five, all that means is you have to be even more intentional, even more present, and even more committed to making it count.
Because in the end, it’s not how much time we get — it’s what we do with it that matters.
Ryan Giles
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
