How to Make Time Go Faster: Top Proven Tips to Boost Productivity

Ever find yourself watching the clock, counting down the minutes, only to feel as if time is crawling by? Whether you’re at work, studying, or even trying to tackle a mountain of chores, that feeling can be all too familiar. When you’re not engaged or when tasks feel daunting, time seems to stretch endlessly.

But what if you could change that? What if you could not only make time go by faster but actually boost your productivity in the process?

In this post, we’ll dive into actionable, proven strategies that can help you stay focused, work more effectively, and avoid those frustrating, slow-moving days.

Understanding Time Perception

Things change, but time is constant. Although time flies, people get old, and everything around changes, it’s somehow a fixed value that can’t be altered. We have 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, and that’s a fact.

However, time can be perceived in two ways: as flowing too slowly or too fast.

Why Does Time Seem to Go Fast or Slow?

The way we perceive time depends on several factors:

Time perception is influenced by our mental state such as boredom, anxiety, and attention. Boredom can make time seem to stretch out, while anxiety can make waiting feel extra long.
Focusing on the wait itself can intensify the feeling of slowness. Especially if, for example, you wait for long workdays to end and for time off to start.
Time can seem to fly by due to psychological and situational factors.
Time is passing slowly when you work on an unpleasant task.
When you have lots of positive emotions, time passes faster.
A friendly work environment makes it easier to spend time at work.
Sometimes, sensory deprivation can also make you feel like time flies, e.g., when you sit in a dark office in winter months, or wear earplugs.

Our perception of time is subjective and can be influenced by various factors. Interestingly, studies show that “Unexpectedly pleasurable events boost dopamine release, which should cause your internal clock to run faster. Your subjective sense of time in that case grows faster than time itself, so that short intervals seem longer than they are.”

In other words, whether time passes quickly or slows depends on the person and many individual factors.

Is It Possible to Speed up the Time?

The slow passing of time at work can be a real drudge. Especially, when you’re tired or can’t focus, or—simply want to get out of work.

When working hours seem like an endless time drag, there are several things you can do to keep that mental challenge engaging and prevent burnout.

Here’s how to make time go faster with several proven and tested techniques:

1) Boosting Productivity

One of the ways to rush the hours is to boost your productivity. Be careful, though, as it doesn’t mean doing more work hours or spending time only on work-related activities. Excessive focus can be harmful to your well-being, according to research.

Create a Predictable Routine

The best way to stay productive and make time pass faster is to stick to a daily routine:

A predictable routine can help you stay focused and avoid distractions.
Having a day-to-day routine helps to eliminate distractions as you focus only on things that need to be done. That encourages self-discipline, higher satisfaction, better results, and helps to kill time.
If you find it problematic to keep engaged in the deep work, use time blocking to divide your day into focused time blocks.

Remember to have your own routine that fits your work style and personal preferences.

2) Managing Tasks Effectively

Having too much on your plate can cause many negative feelings. These, in turn, may make you feel like time goes slow. You can do two things with your task list to make yourself feel like time is passing faster.

Organize Your Tasks into a To-Do List

First of all, write down all your projects and tasks. Then, organize your work into a structured to-do list:

Create a to-do list and prioritize your tasks to stay organized and focused.
Break down large tasks into smaller chunks.
Use a planner or app to stay organized and on track.
Make time go faster by tackling your least pleasant tasks first.

Also, it’s a good idea to use time tracking software. It can help you plan more efficiently, improve productivity, and gain valuable insights into how your time is spent so you can better organize tasks and projects.

Get to know where your time goes with TimeCamp!

Track time in projects and tasks, create reports, and bill your clients in just one tool.

Should You Tackle Least Pleasant Tasks First?

The “eat the frog” technique is a very popular method to boost your productivity and stay focused. Although it’s a common method, it may not always be suitable.

In general, tackling your most dreaded task first takes the burden off your shoulders and keeps you motivated to keep working. However, when it comes to larger projects or some specific tasks, it’s better to take small steps.

Here’s why:

Making the first step puts you in the motion and lets you stay focused.
Completing even a small task releases dopamine, according to research, and puts you in the good mood.
When you’re in a good mood, you’re less prone to looking at the clock and have higher motivation to stay absorbed in work.

Sometimes the least pleasant task should be tackled first. But it’s not a must. And it’s a good idea to find the right balance.

3) Track Your Time

It may seem that tracking time will only make you look at the clock. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Tracking time is one of the most effective ways of speeding up time.

Use Time Management Tools

With TimeCamp, you can better organize and plan your work hours to make time fly. It’s an automatic time tracking software free forever, suitable for all types of businesses.

Onboarding

While time tracking can’t literally speed up the clock, it can certainly alter your perception of time in beneficial ways. Here’s what TimeCamp can do for you:

Automatic time tracker: you don’t have to waste time manually filling timesheets and reports. It lets you easily get in the flow of work.
Goal setting: setting specific goals for different time blocks can make the day more dynamic.
Avoiding procrastination: with productivity reports, you can see how long you actually spend on activities.
Task management: organize and prioritize tasks, breaking your day into manageable chunks that make time seem to fly by.
Invoicing and budgeting: simplify billing and budgeting processes, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.
Detailed reports: analyze where your time goes with comprehensive reports, helping you stay on track and avoid time sinks.
Idle time detection: identify and minimize idle time, ensuring you’re always making the most of your work hours.
Mobile app: track time on the go with the mobile app, ensuring you capture every minute, wherever you are. Also available on other devices.

Of course, it won’t physically alter the passage of time, making the most out of each moment and staying engaged in productive activities can definitely give you the sensation that time is flying by.

4) Achieving Flow

When you achieve flow, you’ll be completely immersed in your work. That will make you lose track of time.

Get into a Flow State

You can easily make time go faster by achieving a complete mental involvement, where you’re fully engaged in a task. Here’s how to get into the zone of concentration:

Achieve a flow state by finding the perfect balance of interest and challenge.
Focus on a single task and remove distractions to get into a flow state. You can make time fly by being completely focused on the task.
Use the Pomodoro technique to work in focused intervals with breaks in between.
Choose background music—a certain kind of music will put you in the flow mode (classical music, instrumental music, lo-fi beats, or nature sounds).

5) Managing Break Time

Science is clear on breaks. According to the article on HBR, “Taking periodic work breaks throughout the day can boost well-being and performance, but far too few of us take them regularly.”

Use Break Time Wisely

So how to properly manage breaks? Here’s what you can do:

Take breaks to relax and recharge to avoid burnout.
Use your break time to do something enjoyable or comforting.
Push time forward by taking regular breaks to recharge.
Avoid engaging in unproductive and unhealthy time-wasters such as social media scrolling.
Take breaks from the computer screen to give your eyes and head some rest.

Strategic breaks can make your workday feel more balanced and less drawn-out. They are a key component in maintaining productivity and a positive attitude throughout the day. So, embrace those coffee breaks—they’re doing more than just keeping you caffeinated!

6) Staying Motivated and Focused

Motivation helps to stay focused and when you’re focused, time goes faster.

Stay Engaged and Motivated

While sometimes it may be difficult to keep engagement and motivation at work, especially when performing burdensome tasks that you find boring or when you have a bad day, you can try to find some joy:

Stay engaged and motivated by doing tasks you enjoy or find challenging.
Make time go faster by focusing on the present moment.
Use time management techniques to stay engaged and focused.
Avoid waiting desperately for time to pass by staying engaged in activities at all cost.
During breaks, do things you genuinely enjoy, try a new hobby or read a chapter of your favorite book.

Additionally, engaging in collaborative efforts with your team will make the clock tick much faster. Also, when working remotely and need some connection with real people, go to a co-working space for a brief conversation or a coffee shop to socialize.

Sometimes a little contact with other people during daunting working hours can make a lot of difference.

7) Reward Yourself

To evoke positive emotions, incorporate something good into your daily routine.

Do Yourself Some Good

Work is important. And it may not be a contest in which you win an award, but rewarding yourself for achieved goals or results will not only make you happier but will also speed time fast forward.

Here are some ideas for work-rewards:

Engaging in fun activities that make time moving slower, for example, setting micro-goals, taking short personal development breaks, and refreshing your workspace to inspire creativity, reflect on your progress with a quick journal or gratitude practice, or mindfulness breaks.
Gamification, team-building activities, across-departmental “Lunch and Learn” sessions to build understanding, and set aside time for group volunteer projects or brainstorming sessions.
Wrapping up the week by sharing wins creates a positive, collaborative atmosphere and helps everyone feel appreciated and connected.
Doing something relaxing or entertaining during your breaks, even playing video games, can help.

And don’t forget to reward your employees for their work: bonuses, courses, certifications, or mentorship programs, gift cards, extra paid time off, or team lunches.

Additional Tips

Another important thing to accelerating the clock is to be intentional about yourself, your work, and your life. That means knowing where you want to go, why, and what can help you on your way to success.

Grow Your Skills and Knowledge

To enrich your life and make time fly by, in your free time, learn new skills or enhance existing ones. Stay engaged in activities that bring joy and fulfillment, and practice time blocking to allocate periods for learning and personal growth.

Other Tips

Some additional tips that can help change perceive time include the following:

Tracking your time can help you understand your work patterns and apply effective time management techniques. Remember to choose the right time tracking app.
When boredom strikes, implement mental challenges. Challenge your mind with new learning opportunities and mentally stimulating tasks.
Get rid of clocks. Minimizing exposure to clocks can reduce the awareness of time passing slowly.
Rest as much as you can to prevent burnout.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, sitting idly and feeling bored can also be good.

Experiment with your favorite techniques to get the most out of your workday.

To Wrap It Up: Master the Art of Making Time Go Faster

So how to make time go faster? Mastering that art requires engaging your mind and body in meaningful activities.

Use the right strategies and a good time tracking software (such as TimeCamp) to make time go faster and boost productivity. Remember, it’s not about watching the clock but about creating moments that are worth every second.

By implementing these strategies, you can transform time from a slow trickle to an exhilarating whirlwind of experiences.

Start tracking your time with TimeCamp today to master your time like a pro!

Sources:

Absolute and Relational Space and Motion: Classical Theories: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spacetime-theories-classical/

Why does time seem to fly when we’re having fun?: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6042233/

Your Brain Can Only Take So Much Focus: https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-brain-can-only-take-so-much-focus

Why You Should Never Start With Your Most Difficult Task: https://fullfocusplanner.com/most-difficult-task/

Your Desire to Get Things Done Can Undermine Your Effectiveness on HBR: https://hbr.org/2016/03/your-desire-to-get-things-done-can-undermine-your-effectiveness

How to Take Better Breaks at Work, According to Research on HBR: https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-take-better-breaks-at-work-according-to-research

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Kate Borucka Kate is a professional freelance copywriter and translator with a niche focus on time tracking software, time management, and SaaS solutions. With a degree in English studies, she has a knack for turning complex technical topics into clear, engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. When she’s not immersed in the latest software trends or navigating linguistic differences between English and Polish, she’s busy trying to master the art of squeezing more hours out of the day—juggling work, life, and embarking on new adventures with her endlessly curious daughter, discovering the world together (and loving every minute of it), always finding ways to weave the insights from their adventures into her creative work.

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