Make Time Go Faster

Most of the time, we get so caught up in our lives it feels like there isn't enough time to go around. Other times however, we'll get the opposite problem. There are certainly times it'll feel like time couldn't be passing any slower, whether you're stuck at home without plans or simply have a number of hours you don't know how to burn. Boredom can make time slow to a snail's pace as a result. Whether you want to think of ways to unwind or be productive with your time, the opportunities to make time pass by faster are endless. Make yourself busy, and you'll find the hours melt away like nothing.

Steps

Having Fun

1. Check your phone. Usually the habits people dismiss as time-wasters will be your best friend if you're trying to make time pass by quickly. People sometimes spend hours browsing through their phones. Send your friends a few text messages asking how they're doing. Change the settings or ringtone on your phone. Browse your social media accounts and read the latest news. Dive into your phone and see what you can dig up.
   • Call someone up if you feel like talking! Spending time on the phone isn't a fun activity in of itself, but it's a useful way of staying connected to other people, and you'll usually find enough interesting things to do to keep you occupied indefinitely.
2. Surf the internet. The internet is notorious to eating up people's time. If you have a few hours you want to see disappear quickly, going on the internet and browsing can be incredibly rewarding if done correctly. Depending on your personality and the mood you're in, there are many different activities that can be recommended to pass the time online:
   • Wikipedia is very easy to lose countless hours in. Try finding an article you're interested in, then give it a read. Once you're done with that, click one of the related articles that looks appealing and give that a read too. Before long you'll be too invested in learning about a variety of different things that you won't even be looking at the time. If you're the studious sort, taking active notes can help the knowledge sink in more permanently.
   • Social media like Facebook and Twitter is seen as the number one potential timewaster of the 21st century. It's easy to get obsessed with getting 'likes' and 'retweets' that some people give up a large proportion of their time interacting online. Although it's usually something you should keep in moderation, you may find browsing Facebook is a great way to pass time if you don't have anything pressing to do.
   • Streaming media sites like YouTube and Bandcamp are available if you're wanting to check out new videos or music. YouTube in particular comes with a vibrant community and content for virtually any topic you can think of. Try searching up something you're interested in, or explore something fresh altogether.
3. Watch a film or television show. Watching a movie allows you to get lost in another world, if only for a little while. For the sake of making time go by faster however, television shows should be a go-to pastime. Look out for a show that people like to 'binge watch'. The best TV shows to pass time with tend to be serialized programs that tell a single story. This way, you don't use the episodic format as a way of remembering the time as much.
   • Long-form dramas like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad tend to reward those who watch multiple episodes in a row.
   • Making sure you have somewhere quiet and comfy to watch your show is important as well. If everything around you is loud and hectic, you'll have a harder time really losing yourself in the show.
   • Streaming video services like Hulu and Netflix are great for this, as they have many films and shows already available for you to check out.
4. Play a video game. Video games are potentially an even better way to make the time pass by than films or shows, due to the fact that you are taking an active role in the experience of the media. Whether you need to kill a little or a lot of time, sitting down and engaging yourself with a video game can be a remarkably enjoyable and rewarding experience.
   • For the sake of passing time, high-intensity games like racing games and first-person shooters are recommended, although people tend to report the most time spent on role-playing and open-world games.
5. Go outside. Let's be serious; many of the things we'll usually think of when it comes to burning time are indoor and electronics-based. The truth is that you can find a ton of engaging stuff to do outside as well. Going outside doesn't necessarily mean you need to be doing athletic activities either, unless that's your thing. There are a number of great places you might start your outdoor adventure:
   • Explore your home city. Go outside, take a bus somewhere and explore part of town you've never been. You never know what kind of stuff you may come across.
   • Go for a walk. There are few things so simple and rewarding as going for a walk. Regardless of the weather, taking a stroll and listening to some of your favourite music can feel great. The vitamin D you'll be getting from the sunlight will also brighten your mood automatically, in case you're feeling blue.
   • Pick up a sport. Sports like soccer, hockey or tennis make for a great workout, and can be great fun if you've got people to play with. Call up a friend and ask if they'd like to play a game with you. For future reference, you may want to join a local team. It's a good way to make new friends, and the exercise will leave you with better health and a brighter mood.

Being Productive

1. Try freewriting. Freewriting is a great thing to do if you're bored and are looking for a way to bide your time. Essentially, freewriting is a stream-of-consciousness exercise where you will set aside a certain amount of time to write whatever you want. With freewriting, you don't have to worry about editing or even proper grammar or punctuation. You should just write out whatever's on your mind. Though you may find it tough to get started, it's quite likely you'll find the writing inspiration come pouring forth once you latch onto a certain idea.
   • If you reach your given amount of time and feel impelled to keep going, do so by all means! Some of the best creative projects begin from freeform practice exercises such as this, and finding inspiration in your own work may get you so immersed you lose track of time entirely.
2. Do some work. If you have the option available to you, losing yourself in your job can be a lucrative way to make the hours tick by faster. Many people will notice that busy days of work pass by faster, and relaxed days feel like molasses in comparison. So long as you keep yourself busy in something you're at least mildly interested in, you shouldn't find it difficult to get time to pass by.
   • Catching up on work should also help to alleviate stress. It is possible you're wanting to kill time as a way to cope with stress and anxiety, so attacking the root of a problem will make you feel much better.
3. Clean your home. Tidying is often something that gets pushed to the backs of our to-do lists when the going gets tough. When we're bored however, it can take some willpower to get around to doing it. However, once you get started with cleaning, you'll find it's easy to keep going. New things to do will constantly reveal themselves to you the longer you look. Mop up your floors. Rearrange your bookcase. Make your bed. Depending on how messy your place is, you should feel much better once your home is clean.
   • Rearranging furniture can be a fun and refreshing way to spruce up the feel of your home. Try switching the placement of couches; judge how a certain switch appeals to you. If you've got a creative side to you, interior design can kill time very efficiently.
   • There are things you can do to make cleaning more enjoyable. Turn on the TV and half-watch something while you're cleaning, or turn on some music.
4. Get some sleep. It should go without saying that the easiest way to make time accelerate is to go to sleep. We're usually asleep for hours at a time but it seldom ever feels that long. Sleep is something you're going to have to get at some point in the day, so if you don't have a formal sleep schedule to follow, you might consider getting a few winks as a way to pass the time. Depending on how tired or stressed you are, this could be easy or near-impossible to accomplish. Try to gauge how you're feeling, and whether or not taking a nap is right for you or not.
   • In most cases, if you're simply trying to make time pass by faster a nap will be more appropriate than a full-blown 8 hour stretch.
   • Meditating or reading before sleep are great ways to get relax yourself into a sleep-capable mindset.

Perceiving Time Differently

1. Consider how your perception of time has sped up before. If you look into your memory hard enough, you'll find many times the time seemed to melt away. Have there been any times you checked the clock and were shocked by how late it was? What activities were you up to when this happened? Most times, it'll be because you were so occupied by something that you didn't consider to check the time. Dive into the activities that have made you forget time in the past.
2. Allow yourself to relax. Studies have proven that the perception of time will actually slow down if you are feeling stressed out or exercising self-control. Letting yourself let the stress out and acting naturally will let time flow more smoothly.
3. Stay busy. Above all else, keeping yourself busy is the best way to make time pass by faster. No matter what you're doing, immerse yourself in it completely. Don't let yourself get distracted! If you are doing multiple things at once, your mind will be able to break down the experience into much smaller, distinct memories.
4. Keep your eyes off the clock. Whatever you do, don't look at the clock or check the time. Looking at the clock will keep you from perceiving time at a different rate. As tempting as it can be to see how much time you've burned so far, it won't help you make time pass any faster.

Tips

• You will naturally perceive time faster the older you get. If you find yourself interested in speeding up time, you'll get progressively better at it until you're very old!

Warnings

• Making time go faster shouldn't be an end unto itself. Every day comes with a great deal of potential worth, and no day should be wasted idly. If you're feeling bored and unmotivated, there may be underlying issues causing you to feel that way.

Related Articles

• Make a Boring Day Fun
• Be Good at Pillow Fighting
• Beat Boredom on the Weekend
• Not Be Bored in Your School Life

Sources and Citations

See also

• Avoid Being Bored When You Have Nothing to Do
• Overcome Boredom
• Do Something when You're Bored
• Cure Your Boredom Online
• Kill Time
• Pass Time at Home
• Entertain Yourself Without a Computer
• Have Fun Without Electronics
• Have Fun at a Mall
• Cope with Being Bored

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