Our minds certainly do play tricks on us. Consider for a moment: are you able to gauge how much time has passed while working on a task? Or do you find yourself getting a fright when you look at the clock? It makes sense that our perception of time needs to be examined as a factor that influences our time management! An incorrect perception of time can result in lateness, bad planning and ‘time simply slipping away’ without us even noticing it!
So what are the factors that can skew our perception of time?
Acclaimed BBC broadcaster and psychology writer Claudia Hammond explores this very topic in her book Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception. She says,“We construct the experience of time in our minds, so it follows that we are able to change the elements we find troubling — whether it’s trying to stop the years racing past, or speeding up time when we’re stuck in a queue, trying to live more in the present, or working out how long ago we last saw our old friends. Time can be a friend, but it can also be an enemy. The trick is to harness it, whether at home, at work, or even in social policy, and to work in line with our conception of time. Time perception matters because it is the experience of time that roots us in our mental reality. Time is not only at the heart of the way we organize life, but the way we experience it.”
Hammond uses the following examples of how our time perception can play tricks on us. Have you ever been in a car accident and felt time literally stand still? Or noticed as you grow older, the decades seem to simply fly by? According to Hammond, time seems to speed up when we are getting older.
When we are cold, we also experience time as going by faster. If you find this hard to believe, just think about how time drags on a hot afternoon. Consider how time doesn't go fast enough when you are bored or uninterested in whatever it is that you are doing. And then think for a moment about how time literally flies when you are completely absorbed and enjoying a specific activity!
The truth is time does not speed up or slow down. Our perceptions of time passing are simply warped.
If we can accept that we have this inherent flaw in our make-up, we can work to compensate accordingly. Use a timer to ensure that you do not exceed your allocated time limit when engaging in an activity that you expect will captivate your attention. Keep clocks in clear visibility – and no, a cellphone does not count! How many times do we look at our cellphone to tell the time only to be distracted by an incoming message or notification?
Although our perceptions of time can make time feel like it is liquid and forever changing, if we remember that this is simply a psychological phenomenon to be conscious of, we can be better time managers and ultimately suffer less stress.
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