How to Subjectively Slow Down Time and Live a More Memorable Life

This podcast episode explores the common human experience of time seemingly accelerating with age, offering a profound distinction between "present time" and "remembered time." While the actual passage of time remains constant, our retrospective perception of it is highly variable and directly linked to the quantity and richness of our memories. The core argument is that a life that feels like it's slowing down is not about manipulating the clock, but about actively enriching our memory banks, as more memories from a past experience cause that experience to feel expanded in time.

The host explains that the brain, being inherently lazy and energy-conserving, favors routines and habits, which require less cognitive effort and thus encode fewer detailed memories. This mechanism clarifies why childhood, replete with novel "firsts," feels expansive in retrospect, while adult life, often dominated by monotonous routines, tends to compress into a blur. This phenomenon is termed "novelty saturation theory," suggesting that as we age, the decrease in new experiences leads to fewer detailed memories, making time feel like it's passing faster because our days become forgettable.

To counteract this temporal compression, the episode provides actionable advice centered on cultivating novelty and intensity in daily life. Practical recommendations include consciously breaking free from habitual patterns, saying "yes" to unfamiliar activities (e.g., salsa dancing, open mic nights), varying daily routines (e.g., taking a different route, visiting a new cafe), and actively planning new experiences. These deliberate "memory investments" force the brain to pay attention and encode detailed episodic memories, which will later expand the subjective duration of life when recalled.

Ultimately, the podcast advocates for intentional living, urging listeners to become active participants in their lives rather than passive observers. It presents a stark choice: a "beautiful varied art gallery" of memories versus a "gray monotonous hallway." The episode also acknowledges the tension between the necessity of routine for progress and the vital need for variation to create a rich, memorable life, emphasizing that a conscious balance is key. The overarching message is that a life filled with memorable experiences is a life well-remembered, subjectively extending one's perceived lifespan and combating the feeling that life is slipping away too quickly.

The answer to slowing down time, is simpler than you think.

There is a difference between present time and remembered time. Your experience of time differs in the moment versus when you recall it.

The more memories you have from a past experience, the more that that experience gets expanded in time.

Your brain is lazy. It wants to do as little work as possible and conserve as much energy as it can.

Your subjective experience of time is based on your memories. And the best way to ensure that your brain remembers what you're doing is with two things: novelty and intensity.

The TLDDR is that routines compress time. Habitual behaviors are processed with less cortical effort, meaning less attention and fewer stored episodic memories.

This is novelty saturation theory. The idea that as we age, we experience fewer new things, so our brain stops encoding as many detailed memories, which makes time feel like it's passing faster.

Monotony is the enemy of a well-remembered life. So, in order to slow time down, you have to give your brain a reason to pay attention.