Issue #61 How To Thrive in 2025: The Key to Living a Longer, Fuller and Richer Life.

The Illusion of Time

Last week, we talked about redefining success as entrepreneurs—shifting from the constant need to stay busy toward embracing the idea of slowing down. This shift not only helps us feel more connected in our work and relationships but can also enhance our productivity. If you missed it, you can catch up by clicking HERE.

This week, we take it further, exploring how neuroscience reveals that intentionally creating “dense memories” can make time feel longer. This simple practice leads to greater satisfaction and allows us to experience a richer, more meaningful life.

‍The Wonder of Endless Summers

Do you remember as a child how summers seemed to stretch on forever? Days were filled with wonder and adventure, with each moment feeling exciting and new.

I fondly recall exploring the wilderness around my parents’ acreage. If I wasn’t fishing in the nearby pond, I was riding motorbikes or launching model rockets (as pictured above with my buddy Lance). Every day brought something new, and time seemed to move at a leisurely pace.

Now, as an adult, time feels like it’s speeding up. Days blend together, weeks vanish in a blur, and months fly by before I realize they’ve begun. What changed?

The Science of Time Perception

The feeling that time speeds up as we age isn’t just a mental trick—it’s backed by science. Neuroscience shows that as children, everything is new. Our brains constantly process new sensory information, creating rich “dense memories” that make time feel slower and fuller.‍

As adults, we fall into routines—driving the same routes, eating the same meals, and repeating the same tasks. Our brains process less novelty, forming “thin memories.” This lack of newness makes time feel like it’s slipping away faster.‍

How to Slow Time Down

If you want to reclaim that sense of endless summers and live a fuller life, the key is to act like a child again—with curiosity, wonder, and a willingness to explore. By intentionally creating new experiences, you can generate dense memories that stretch your perception of time.

1. Seek Novelty

To slow time, embrace new experiences. These challenge your brain, creating dense memories that make time feel richer and more meaningful.

Try a new hobby, like painting, cooking, or dancing.
Visit a place you’ve never been, even if it’s a nearby park or trail.
Rearrange your living space or take a different route to work.
Learn something new, like a language or a musical instrument.

2. Challenge Your Routines

Routines provide comfort and predictability, but they can also make time feel like it’s flying by. When you repeat the same actions daily, your brain switches to autopilot, and the days blur together.

To break free:

Change small habits, like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or sitting in a different chair at dinner.
Plan weekends with variety—try a picnic, explore a local museum, or go hiking.
Shift your daily schedule—exercise at a different time or switch up your work environment.

3. Embrace Rest and Reflection

Staying busy all the time leaves no room for curiosity or self-discovery. As Socrates stated:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ‍

True learning and growth come from reflecting on your experiences and unpacking their lessons.

To incorporate reflection into your life:

Schedule regular downtime to relax, recharge, and think.
Journal about your experiences, focusing on what you’ve learned.
Unplug during vacations to fully immerse yourself in new environments.

The Secret to a Fuller Life

Living a full and rich life isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing things that matter. ‍

We can make more money but we can never make more time. Time isn’t just a resource; it’s the absolutely most valuable resource we have. ‍

While many of us focus on the ROI (Return on Investment) of our finances, how often do we consider the ROE—Return on Experiences—for how we invest our time?

By intentionally stepping outside our comfort zones, exploring new opportunities, and prioritizing what truly matters, we not only will live fuller and richer lives but also benefit from creating dense memories that slow the passage of time.

Think about this: When you look back on your life, what moments stand out? ‍

It’s often the times when you tried something new, faced a challenge, or made a meaningful connection with others. These moments were likely not part of your daily routine—they’re disruptions that create lasting memories.

Choosing a life of adventure, embracing risks, and overcoming challenges is how we grow and unlock our fullest potential. When we live this way, we not only discover more of what we’re capable of but we also extend our sense of time and fulfillment.

At its heart, this is how we uncover true wealth beyond money—through new skills gained, possibilities revealed, and cherished memories that last a lifetime.

So, as you start off a new year what will you do today to make your time feel richer?

Will you try something new?

Change up your routine?

Or simply take a moment to savor the beauty around you?

It is not about counting the hours but rather in making the hours count. Time may be fleeting, but we can intentionally choose to invest each hour in a way to get the most from it.

Don’t let time slip away—embrace the exploration, wonder and adventure that you can find in every moment and with that live a slower more fulfilling life.

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LONGER FORMAT:

Last week, we talked about redefining success as entrepreneurs—shifting from the constant pressure to always be productive to embracing the idea of slowing down. This approach not only helps us feel more connected in our work and relationships but will actually enhance our productivity. If you missed it, you can catch up by clicking HERE.

This week, we’re taking that idea further, exploring the idea that we can slow life down by understanding some new insights from neuroscience. Research now shows that by intentionally creating “dense memories” we can make time feel longer, leading to a greater sense of satisfaction and experience more meaning in our lives.

Do you remember as a kid how summers stretched out endlessly, and seemed like they would never end? Days were filled with wonder and adventures; every moment felt exciting and new.

I fondly remember those summers which seemed so magical—exploring the wilderness around my parents’ acreage. If I was not fishing in the nearby pond, I was riding motorbikes, building and then launching model rockets (as pictured above). Every day felt like an adventure and time seemed to move at a leisurely pace.

However as I’ve grown older, time seems like it’s speeding up. Each day blends into the next, weeks vanish in a blur, and months seem to pass before I even realize they’ve begun. Time, once a patient companion, now races ahead, leaving me scrambling to keep up.‍

This phenomenon isn’t just in a mental perception—there’s actually science that can help explain it. As we gain a better understanding of the neurochemistry that creates the illusion of time acceleration, there is some good news! We can take back control by being intentional. There are a series of steps that if we follow, we can make our perception of time go slower. As a result, we can reclaim a life that feels fuller once again.‍

The Mystery of Time: Why It Feels Faster as We Age‍

Time is a strange and fickle concept to grasp. Sometimes, it crawls along at a snail’s pace, like when we are sitting through a boring lecture or enduring a long wait in traffic. Other times, it zips by in an instant; when we’re immersed in working on exciting projects or celebrating life with friends and family.

As kids, when we are first exploring the world around us, everything is new. Our brains are constantly processing information, and this makes time feel slower.

As I think back, each summer adventure was a “first”—first time climbing a tree, first time flying a kite, first time catching frogs or the first time building a snow fort. All these first experiences were creating something known as ‘dense memories.’ This occurs as a result of the engagement of our full mental and emotional capacity to process all the sensory inputs, creating new learnings along the way. As a result, the making of dense memories, made time feel rich and expansive.

But as adults, our lives fall into routines. We drive the same routes, eat the same meals, and repeat the same tasks. Our brains process less new information, and the result is a feeling of time speeding up.

From a physiological level it makes sense. Our brain is trying to conserve energy and with that it prefers familiar routines. This however results in creating “thin memories” when there’s nothing novel therefore little to remember and time seemingly speeds up.

The Science Behind Dense Memories

Research from Scientific Reports shows that how we perceive time is tied to the amount of new information our brains absorb.

As children, everything is about discovery and our senses are hyperactive. However as adults, who form habits and routines there are fewer things that surprise us, and as a result we stop creating those dense, rich memories.

A study published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews found another factor: dopamine. This “feel-good” brain chemical is released when we encounter new experiences. But as we age, dopamine production decreases, and with fewer new experiences, it makes time feel like it’s slipping away.

So, what can we do?

The key is to be intentional about creating more dense memories by disrupting our typical routines and seeking out ways to build more novelty into our lives.

How to Slow Time Down‍

I have long wished I could return back to the days of my youth, to relish in wonder and discovery and feel that time was infinite. It turns out that if we want to slow things down, then this is exactly what we should strive to do.

The secret: start acting like a kid again!

If you want to make life feel longer and fuller, you need to approach it with child-like curiosity and wonder. What is needed is a renewed desire for adventure and exploration and with that discovering newness through unique experiences.

As Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman says, doing things differently—even small changes—“forces your brain off its hamster wheel,” making time feel slower and more meaningful

1. Seek Out Novel Experiences

Most of us avoid trying new things because of fear—fear of failing, not being good enough, or worrying about what others might think. These limiting beliefs hold us back, keeping us stuck in routines that not only limit our potential but have the unwanted consequence of making time feel like it’s speeding up.

But we are designed to explore the new and unknown! New experiences challenge all of our sensory inputs and as a result helps us to create dense memories. These rich memories are what slow our perception of time.

With that in mind we should:

Try a new hobby, like cooking, painting, or dancing.
Visit a place you’ve never been before, even if it’s just a nearby trail yet to be explored.
Take a different route to work or rearrange your living space.
Learn a new skill, game or language.

2. Challenge Your Routines

People thrive when life is simple, clear, and predictable. Predictability comes from routines—those consistent habits where certain inputs lead to expected outcomes, creating a comforting sense of certainty.

However, while routines provide stability, they also work against us when it comes to creating dense memories. When we repeat the same actions every day, our brains switch to autopilot. Over time, this makes our days blur together, and time feels like it’s flying by unnoticed.

So here is how you can adapt your routines in order to create more variability:

Change small habits, like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or eating lunch outside instead of at your desk.
Plan your weekends differently—try a picnic, a hike, or a new restaurant.
Change up your favorite sitting spot, try sleeping on the other side of the bed.

3. Embrace Rest and Reflection

As we discussed in last week's newsletter, one of the biggest mistakes we make is staying busy all the time. Constant activity leaves no space to explore our curiosities or uncover new possibilities.

Furthermore true learning doesn’t come from what happens to us—it comes from taking the time to reflect, unpack the lessons, and grow from them. Socrates aptly stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” His challenging words remind us of the importance of intentionally pausing, reflecting, and examining our life experiences.

To make reflection a regular part of your life:

Prioritize into your schedule, downtime to relax, reflect, and recharge.
Spend time journaling or asking challenging questions of yourself.
Go on vacations where you completely unplug from work (bonus points for leaving electronics at home or in a safe at the hotel)

Living a Full and Rich Life

To live a fuller life, we must challenge ourselves to step away from the ordinary and resist what ultimately becomes mundane. By seeking novelty, breaking routines, and prioritizing rest, we not only reveal our potential but have the added benefit of slowing the passage of time.

We can always make more money but we can never make more time. Time isn’t just a resource; it’s the ultimate most valuable resource we have. While many of us regularly evaluate the ROI (Return on Investment) of our money, how often do we consider the ROE—Return on Experiences—for how we invest our time?

It’s not just about being productive with our time; it’s about being intentional with how we invest our lives, focusing on ways to live fuller and richer.

The secret to a longer, more fulfilling life lies in moving beyond fear, stepping out of our comfort zones, and exploring our true possibilities and potential. Along the way, we create new experiences that form dense memories, which not only enrich our lives but also make time feel slower and more meaningful.

Think about this: When you look back at your life, what moments stand out? ‍

For most of you it will be a time when you did something new and notable. You were taking on a big challenge, making a meaningful memory with someone you love, using your creative gifts to build value or giving of your time and resources to those in need. They all have one thing in common: They were activities that were a disruption from your typical routine. ‍

One of my favorite quotes that I reflect on often is from Mark Twain:

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”‍

To avoid a life of regret, Mark Twain challenges us to Explore, Dream, and Discover. It’s a call to stay curious and child-like, never losing our sense of wonder about the world around us.