Why Time Feels Like It’s Speeding Up (And How to Slow It Down)

In this solo episode, Darin dives into one of the most universal modern experiences: the feeling that time is accelerating. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and lived experience, he breaks down why time doesn’t actually speed up, but our experience of it radically changes. From the impact of digital distraction and divided attention to the way novelty, memory, aging, and even COVID reshaped our internal sense of time, this episode offers both clarity and agency. Darin shows how reclaiming attention, breaking monotony, and creating richer experiences can give us the feeling of having our time back.   Breakdown What you’ll Learn 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife and the exploration of time00:00:32 – Sponsor: TheraSage and frequency-based healing00:02:16 – Why time feels like it’s speeding up00:03:07 – Measured time vs experienced time00:03:39 – Subjective time and how the brain constructs duration00:04:38 – Boredom, flow, and why time feels slow or fast00:05:20 – Memory density and time compression00:05:42 – Clock models vs attention and memory models00:06:13 – Novelty, travel, and rich experiences00:06:34 – Routine, repetition, and unremarkable days00:07:21 – Divided attention and disappearing moments00:07:56 – The digital shift and fragmented attention post-200000:08:30 – Micro-stimulation and wasted time00:09:12 – Why scrolling doesn’t equal flow00:09:46 – Social acceleration and modern life00:10:25 – COVID as a global experiment in time perception00:10:55 – Loss of temporal landmarks during lockdown00:11:57 – Sponsor: Caldera Lab and clean skincare00:13:39 – Research on monotony and time compression00:14:40 – Aging, fewer neural events, and faster time00:15:30 – Childhood vs adulthood time perception00:16:22 – Is time real or constructed?00:16:57 – Physics, relativity, and subjective experience00:17:56 – How to slow down your experience of time00:18:12 – Novelty, adventure, and memory creation00:19:00 – Sustained attention vs multitasking00:19:37 – Breaking monotony in daily life00:20:06 – Reducing digital distraction00:20:25 – Enjoying life as a scientific practice00:20:49 – Time as memory, not seconds00:21:08 – Gaining agency over your experience of life00:21:29 – Creating a richer year through experience00:22:10 – Curiosity, adventure, and Darin’s fascination with time00:23:27 – Closing thoughts and call to action LINKS Find more from Darin: Instagram: @darinolien Podcast: SuperLife Podcast Website: superlife.com Book: Fatal Conveniences Join the SuperLife Patreon for extended episodes, private Q&As, and Darin’s personal health protocols: https://patreon.com/darinolien   Down to Earth: darinolien.com/down-to-earth/ Join the SuperLife Community Get Darin’s deeper wellness breakdowns — beyond social media restrictions: Weekly voice notes Ingredient deep dives Wellness challenges Energy + consciousness tools Community accountability Extended episodes Join for $7.49/month https://patreon.com/darinolien SPONSORS Therasage: Go to www.therasage.com and use code DARIN at checkout for 15% off Caldera Lab: Experience the clinically proven benefits of Caldera Lab’s clean skincare regimen and enjoy 20% off your order by visiting calderalab.com/darin and using code DARIN at checkout.   I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Darin Olien Show! If you want to support or follow the podcast, here’s how:   Subscribe, rate or listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher  Follow my Instagram to keep updated on the podcast, weekly deep dives and other projects that I’m supporting (and the occasional Chaga appreciation post) Sign up for my Weekly Email to keep up with what I’m tuned into. For feedback or suggestions, email my team at [email protected]  Find the list of brands & products that get the big tick of approval from me here. Comment below to join the discussion!