Time is Slipping: How Screens Are Speeding Up Our Lives

Have you ever looked up from your screen and realised hours had passed - but it felt like ten minutes? Or reached the end of the week and thought, “Where did the time go?” You’re not imagining it.

We are actually losing our sense of time – and unfortunately we’re in for a double whammy of it speeding up too.

Recent reports suggest that the average person will now spend 34–35 years of their life looking at screens. That’s nearly half a lifetime[1]. But the impact goes deeper than the raw numbers. Technology is not only taking our time, it’s changing how we experience it.

Our Brain’s Relationship with Time

Our perception of time is far from fixed. In fact, it’s heavily influenced by the novelty of what we’re experiencing. When we do something new - a trip, a new hobby, even taking a different walking route - our brain takes in more “frames,” like a camera snapping photos. This richness in memory stretches time, making moments feel longer and fuller.

In childhood, everything is new - which is why summers felt endless (my personal favourite). But as we age, we tend to settle into routines, reducing the novelty our brains crave. Add in screen use, which often provides repetitive, passive stimulation, and we reduce the variety of our experience even further. Plus, screens our reducing our motivation to go out and do things in the first place – further compounding the problem.

Technology and the Obsession with Time

Paradoxically, while time slips through our fingers, we also become hyper-aware of it -constantly checking the corner of a screen, switching between our emails and other apps, or swiping through content that changes every few seconds. Our devices are always reminding us of time… while simultaneously robbing us of it.

This breeds what psychologists call “temporal myopia” - the tendency to focus only on what’s right in front of us, at the expense of the past and future. We become obsessed with the next notification, next video, next dopamine hit.

How Tech Warps Our Relationship with the Past, Present, and Future

 A healthy perception of time draws on three key elements:

1.     A positive connection to the past

2.     Gratitude and awareness in the present

3.     A sense of purpose or direction toward the future

Technology, unfortunately, undermines all three. It encourages us to scroll instead of reflecting, leaving less room for memory or nostalgia. It means we distract ourselves from the present with mindless interaction, and we trade long-term goals for the short-term dopamine loop of refresh, repeat and consume.

This makes time feel not just faster – but also shallower.

So, How Do We Slow Down Time?

 The good news? You can reclaim your sense of time. You can make your days feel longer, fuller, more meaningful. But it means stepping away from the digital default and back into real life (our whole mission!):

Do something new. Novelty stretches time. Go somewhere different, take a new route, learn a new skill.

Be truly present. Try one screen-free hour. Walk without headphones. Cook without distractions. Talk without scrolling.

Reflect more often. Journaling, gratitude lists, or even quiet time helps your brain embed memory and meaning.

Set long-term goals. Think big. When you live with intention, time slows down in the best way.

A Final Thought

Time is the most precious thing we have, but it’s slipping by, one scroll at a time. This isn’t just about screen-time guilt though, it’s about reclaiming the richness of life. We don’t need to throw away our devices – but we do need to remember and be daily cognisant of the fact that if we live life on ‘autopilot’, it’ll go by exceedingly quickly. None of us want that.

The clock is ticking – but you can change how fast it goes by for you. Don’t allow tech to steal it.

References

BBC Future: "How Much Time Do We Spend Looking at Screens?"

Zimbardo & Boyd, The Time Paradox

Psychology Today: “Why Time Feels Faster As We Age”

National Institutes of Health: “The Effects of Screen Time on the Brain”