When we are two years old, a year is half of our life. At ten, it becomes one tenth. By the time, we are 40, a year makes up a mere 40th of our time alive. From this, it’s reasonable to conclude that as we get older, time speeds up. Whether it actually speeds up or our perspective makes it seem so, I don’t think is that important. Considering we can’t buy more of it, I think most of us want to control time better.

Unless we are suffering, or perhaps, bored, we rarely want time to move quicker. I know when I am having fun surfing or playing with my kids or whatever, I want to slow it down.

So how can we control time?

Let’s go back…to childhood.

As a child, we are often asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”.  This is a hard question for most children, usually most teenagers and even young adults. It’s a hard question for me now.

By the time, we are into adulthood, we have either given up the things of childhood or are keenly aware that society expects us to ‘mature’ and ‘act like an adult’. 

It is very common for children to resign themselves to the idea that being a successful adult means plugging in the adult formula that has been heavily promoted for generations and perhaps, centuries. 

The best answer I ever heard to the troublesome question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, was “I want to be happy”.  This amazing answer was given by a  bright and inspirational 13-year old boy as described in his impressive Ted Talk. 

It is the most direct response to our deepest goals. 

While some of you philosophical types might say meaning is more important than happiness, I will argue that living the examined life will lead to greater fulfillment.  We can debate the difference between happiness and fulfillment but I believe it’s mostly a difference in semantics.  To me, deep happiness is really the same as fulfillment, no laughter and ear to ear smiles required but they can certainly be present in both. 

Even if you disagree with me on this point, I think you’d agree that we would all like more happiness in our lives. This leads me to the amazing mind of a child. 

Children left to their own constructs and without the unfortunate hardships that some have to endure, can find great joy and wonder in the simplest of things.  This ‘skill’ or ability comes from the power of children to be present in the moment and leverage their unspoiled imagination. 

This is something we can certainly learn from.  If more adults maintained a sense of awe in the world and a belief that life itself is magical and worthy of deep joy, the world would surely be a better place.

If we tap into the magic that a child believe exists, we find ‘miracles’ start to happen in our lives.  Perhaps nothing like the parting of seas or healing the blind will occur but we will get unexpected rewards in life.

So, how is this done? Here’re a few principles that have helped me leverage the expansive mind of a child as an adult and control time.

1.  Control Time by Being Present:

Being fully present in the moment as much as possible is a great strategy. I try to take opportunities to put aside my smartphone (as detailed in 10 Effects of Being Unplugged, Bored and Dirty), escape from my thoughts of regret and my anxiety for the challenges ahead. 

Instead, I embrace what is before me by allowing all my senses to take in as much as possible while suspending judgment and resisting getting too analytical.  Easier said than done, I know, but practice and redirection to these principles have yielded success.

2.  Control Time by Getting Outside:

Spending more time in nature without a clear goal or agenda is an effective contrast to the hustle and bustle of modern city living. Children are by far the best at this, especially when they are not inundated with forms of technology as babysitters. 

Some of my fondest memories of being a kid happened in an outdoor setting.  Even though I grew up in the city, I recall climbing trees, running in the grass, playing make-believe games in the woods and swimming in natural bodies of water. These are some of the most powerful reminders of the magic of childhood. 

Time spent in nature synchronizes our internal clock to the natural rhthyms of the Earth Click To Tweet

3.  Control Time by Being Creative:

Spending more time creating and learning can make our hours feel full in a way that doesn’t make us question where the day went. Kids spend far more time making art, building and figuring out new things than most adults do. 

Regardless of our profession, we can pick up a hobby that allows us to create, for example, playing an instrument, painting, pottery, writing fiction or woodwork.  Not only will this be very rewarding and therapeutic for our spirit, it also involves us in a learning process that keeps the mind young, supple and healthy. 

Doing new things is a hallmark of childhood and striving to keep that up as much as possible is great for staying young. 

When societal pressure doesn’t take hold of our instincts, exploration is at the core of what it is to be human. 

4.  Control Time through Play:

Playing for the sake of play has powerful anti-aging effects.  Children often do things for no clear reason other then they feel like it or it seems worth exploring.  Play is a very powerful force in all mammal life and beyond.  It is a pure way to socialize and falls nicely into the previously mentioned principles – presence, nature, creation, and learning. 

Think about when we are learning a new  instrument. We ‘practice’ it.  However, once we are proficient, we ‘play’ it.

5.  Control Time by Being Active:

Moving as much as possible gives us more for our time. Kids aren’t naturally lazy.  They often run for no reason. They would just as well take a roundabout route if it seems more interesting than be deliberately efficient and follow the straight line.  While this might seem silly, it results in better health of mind, body and spirit. 

If we maintained the boundless energy of youth just by sustaining this approach, we would live longer and better. 

There nothing too complex about this but it is a profound shift for most adults.  Give it a try. 

It might be challenging at first and even seem like a waste of time but let me ask you, in general, who seems to live more fully, a child or an adult? 

I don’t think at the end of your life you’ll say, “I wish I didn’t spend so much time in the moment, in nature, creating, learning, playing or moving my body”. 

By adding some childhood wisdom to our life, we get more out of each day. We might even truly slow time down and realize we are not as old as we think we are.