Did you know it’s possible to slow down time? Crazy right? I’m not talking about rewinding time or going back into the past, of course. Over the course of my life, however, I’ve noticed some things that helped me slow down time. We live in a fast-paced world, but this does not mean you can’t live by different rules.
Meditation
It’s no secret that meditation has been used by successful individuals all over the world—and for a long time. When I first started meditating, my head was bouncing with ideas coming from all over the place. It wasn’t until a couple of months into my journey that I really started to notice a difference. I began to think clearly, and I felt more energized.
When I start work after meditating, I feel as though the world moves slower. It’s almost as if I’ve gained more time in my day, but this actually boils down to not having as many thoughts.
I’ve been meditating for a year and a half now—ten minutes when I wake up and five minutes before bed. I highly recommend the app, Calm.
Breathing
One of the things that I gained from meditating every day is a sharper focus on my breathing. Too many of us go through day-after-day not concentrating on the one thing that can calm us, our breathing.
When your boss or client comes up to you and asks you to do more work even though you’re in over your head, what happens to your breathing? It speeds up, and your thoughts start swirling. Time starts to move faster.
When you focus on a deeper breath and slower exhalations, you’ll notice yourself in a calmer state. When you’re in the calmer state, you can think more clearly and focus. Being focused brings us to our next way to slow down time.
Being Present
With the internet in our pocket or friends and family constantly talking to us, how much work are you actually getting done? You may be working, but not actually working. At work, are you spending most of your time on tasks that aren’t getting the job done? When it comes time to go home and you haven’t accomplished nearly anything you’ve wanted to, time speeds up.
One thing that I do to be more present in the moment is to de-clutter my desk. This allows me to think clearer. I put my phone on airplane mode and put it away in my desk for another time. I close all the browsers I’m on that aren’t going to help me get my job done.
When you take away all the distractions, you have nothing to focus on but your work. When before it seemed like you had no time to do anything, you now have more time than you know what to do with.
Focus On One Task
After having just read the book, The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, I decided to implement the common notion of the book, which is to focus on one thing. Who would’ve guessed?
Instead of having a to-do list, it’s time you tried a success list.
When you start time-blocking your success list, you can no longer become distracted. You guard your time blocks as if your life depends on it.
I used to be one of those people who had a to-do list and would do whichever item whenever I wanted. Let me tell you, I didn’t advance very far with my businesses.
By putting all your time and energy into one thing—the task at hand and blocking out of the all unnecessary items— it’s only a matter of time before you start to see some amazing results in your life.
Listen To Music
The last item on the list is a personal favorite of mine. I have noticed that when I work with my headphones in and my music playing I get more done, plain and simple.
When I’m not alert to all the distractions around me, that’s when I accomplish my best work. If you take one thing out of this last and implement it, I promise you’ll notice it for the better.
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