What Time?

Unwinding the Clock: What if There’s Always Enough Time?

For much of human history, time wasn’t something you checked on your wrist or tracked on your smartphone—it was something you felt. A rhythm guided by the seasons, the sun’s movement across the sky, or the tide’s return. Ancient civilizations measured time in cycles, not seconds. The Mayans, for instance, mapped out cosmic calendars spanning thousands of years. The Egyptians charted time by stars and shadow, and many Indigenous cultures still regard time as circular, not linear.

Contrast that with the 20th-century mindset: “Hurry up or you’ll be late.” “There’s never enough time.” “Time is money.” These phrases were mantras of a society bound by the tick of the industrial clock. But I’ve noticed a shift.

It’s subtle. Whispered. Felt more than heard. That frantic sense of chasing time seems to be dissolving. Have we finally begun to heal our collective relationship with the illusion of time scarcity?

My Personal Time Reframe

Lately, I’ve been feeling it too—that old, familiar sense that time is speeding up. The weeks have been rolling into each other like a fast-forwarded montage. It was casting a subtle gloom over my days, like I was watching my life blur past me.

So, I decided to try something radical. Instead of tracking the weeks, I started counting the weekends.

I know, it sounds like the same thing—but it isn’t.

Weekends feel different. They're bookends, little sacred spaces of rest and reset. By shifting my focus, I’ve noticed I’m more present during the weekdays too. I'm no longer anxiously counting down until Friday—I’m simply living until then, aware but not panicked.

Why did this shift work?

• Symbolic anchoring: Weekends are naturally associated with ease and presence. Focusing on them resets my emotional tone.

• Less measurement, more mindfulness: Measuring time by weeks had me watching the clock. Weekends allowed me to feel the flow instead.

• Creating contrast: Weekends stand out, while weeks blur. Paying attention only to the highlights can help you feel time’s richness, not its speed.

  
  

Is Time Actually Speeding Up?

Some scientists and spiritual thinkers suggest that our perception of time is changing. The Schumann Resonance (the Earth’s electromagnetic frequency) has reportedly increased, and some interpret this as evidence that time itself is accelerating.

But from a psychological standpoint, the answer might be simpler: as we age, our reference points multiply. A year to a five-year-old is 20% of their life. To a 50-year-old? Just 2%. As we grow, each passing moment shrinks in proportion, and our days feel faster.

Stepping Outside the Time Continuum

Is it possible to live outside of time—and still function?

I believe yes. Enlightened beings, mystics, monks, and everyday mindful souls do this all the time. Not because they abandon time, but because they use it differently. They don’t live in time, they live with it.

Here’s how you can begin to do the same:

1. Drop Into the Moment

Meditation, breathwork, or even simply gazing at a flower for two minutes can pull you out of the linear time loop. These practices remind you that the only real time is now.

2. Adopt Natural Timekeepers

Use nature as your clock. Watch the sun, the moon, or the tide. Let your body—not your calendar—tell you when to rest or act.

3. Name Your Time Stories

Write down all the “time rules” you unconsciously live by. (“I never have enough time,” “I have to rush,” “Time is running out.”) Then, challenge them. Ask: Is this true? Where did I learn this?

4. Play With Language

Instead of saying “I don’t have time,” try: “That’s not a priority for me right now.” It brings awareness to what you choose rather than what you lack.

5. Create Timeless Zones

Designate parts of your day as “timeless.” No clocks. No schedules. Just flow. Even 15 minutes of this can reset your entire nervous system.

Quiz: What’s Your Relationship With Time?

Take this quick quiz to find out how worried about time you really are:

1. How often do you check the time during the day?

A) Constantly

B) A few times

C) Rarely

D) Only when I have to

2. When someone says, “You’re late,” what do you feel first?

A) Panic or guilt

B) Embarrassment

C) Amusement

D) Nothing—it doesn’t bother me

3. When you think about your schedule, do you feel:

A) Overwhelmed

B) Pressured but in control

C) Flexible

D) Free

4. Which of these phrases do you resonate with most?

A) “There’s never enough time”

B) “I make time for what matters”

C) “Time isn’t real”

D) “Time is just a tool—I use it when I need it”

Results:

• Mostly A’s: You may be tightly wound around the concept of time. Consider exploring mindfulness or slow living to soften your relationship with the clock.

• Mostly B’s: You respect time, but it might be running the show. Try rephrasing how you speak about time.

• Mostly C’s: You’ve started to slip free of time’s grip. Keep going—this is fertile ground.

• Mostly D’s: You’re living in Kairos (sacred time). Welcome to freedom.

  
  

Kairos is the ancient Greek word for "sacred time"—a moment outside of chronological ticking clocks (known as chronos), where something meaningful, timeless, or divinely orchestrated occurs. It’s the pause between breaths, the spark of intuition, the flow state where time seems to dissolve. In Kairos, we aren't rushing or measuring—we're fully present, aligned with a higher rhythm that can't be scheduled. It’s the time of deep connection, insight, creativity, and grace. Living in Kairos means trusting that the most important things in life happen not when the clock strikes, but when the soul is ready.

In Closing: Time Isn’t Running Out—It’s Running With You

Time doesn’t own us.

It isn’t a ticking bomb or a finish line.

It’s a rhythm, a dance, a stream we can float in, if we choose.

And perhaps the most enlightened relationship we can have with time is this:

We honor it.

We don’t fear it.

We use it—but we do not let it use us.

So the next time someone says, “Where has the time gone?” maybe we can smile and say, “It’s right here—with me, in this moment.”