Is time moving faster? That’s what Terrence McKenna thought.
He asked the question, “What lasts longer: a million years with nothing happening or 10 seconds packed with 50,000 moments?”
He postulated that in the universe’s early days, so little was going on that time itself felt slow. Back then, the cosmos was almost empty – few particles, few forces, few events – and now, there seem to be countless events and moments happening at an exponential rate. More and more events are piling up in our days. Which makes one feel as if time is speeding up.
McKenna saw this acceleration on a universal scale, but we feel it every day in our own lives. The average morning now contains more stimuli than a whole week used to. We’re living in a digital downpour.
Everything we see is designed to pull at our attention. One sensational headline after another – storm warnings, market crashes, political scandals – but that’s just the beginning. Every screen you look at flips to a new commercial, a pop-up ad, a push notification begging you to shop, a sponsored post in your feed, a “limited-time offer” email, or an autoplay trailer for the next hot show. Each one is a mini-event in an avalanche of distractions.
With so many things happening at once, our days feel overloaded. Time seems to slip through our fingers.
Is there anything we can do about it? We could run away to a cabin in the woods and hide from all the screens. Short of doing that, there is no escape.
We are trapped in an ever-accelerating timeline – more events, and more noise happening faster and faster each day. If you let it, it can take you from your destiny.
We stand at a crossroads. One path leads us deeper into distraction, a life dictated by alerts, ads and headlines we didn’t choose. Another tempts you toward total escape – setting off for a remote cabin to become a hermit in the woods.
There is a third way, the most powerful of all: to become the navigator of your own timeline. You don’t need to run from the storm. You just need to grab the wheel and live with intention.
It’s easy to become like a leaf blown around in the wind and tossed this way and that by every notification, every breaking story, every flash of someone else’s success. When we make those outside events our priority, we’re not living our own dream but chasing pieces of someone else’s. It’s not wrong to stay informed or enjoy a viral moment, but when our attention is always pulled toward the next big thing, our own purpose gets lost in the whirlwind.
Living intentionally means waking each morning with a clear sense of where you want to go. It starts by naming your biggest dream – writing that book, launching that project, getting that promotion, mastering that skill. Keep that vision at the front of your mind as you move through your day. When a notification tugs at you, ask yourself: “Is this helping me get closer to my goal?” If not, let it go and steer back to your course.
Chart your journey in small, steady steps. Block out time on your calendar for your highest priority – 20 minutes of writing, 15 minutes of practice, half an hour of research. Whatever it is that you choose. Protect these pockets of purpose like sacred appointments.
As you return to them day after day, you’ll see your timeline bend in your favor. The hours you invest become deep rivers of progress rather than shallow puddles of distraction.
Along the way, celebrate each mile marker. Did you apply for that job? Did you send that first email? Each success, no matter how small, proves you’re charting the right course. Adjust as needed – if a path grows rocky, try a new route – but never lose sight of your horizon.
Even if the pace of life keeps accelerating, your path doesn’t have to. Time, like clay, is shaped by the hands that hold it. Don’t let it be molded by algorithms, ads and someone else’s agenda. Choose your moment. Chart your course. And let each small, steady step become the story of who you’re becoming and advancing toward the life you’ve always imagined.
• Toby Moore is a Shaw Local News Network columnist, star of the Emmy-nominated film “A Separate Peace,” and CEO of CubeStream Inc. He can be reached at feedback@shawmedia.com.