Time flies like an arrow

I remember first noticing it after a few years of working full time after college.  Kids spend a lot of time bored, adults spend a lot of time managing the less fun aspects of life.  I felt time passed very slowly when I was focused on anticipation as opposed to what I had to get done right now, this week, this month or this year.  Time flies by if you aren't waiting for something.  

Once we start making our own decisions in life, we start filling all those waiting hours with getting all the drudge done before we go on vacation or whatever, and do a lot less of sitting around and waiting for the much anticipated weekend.  The flip side of course is that for many, this focus on the drudge in life sucks a lot of the joy out of it.  Time doesn't drag so much, but by middle age we tend to regret having spent so much of it on things we otherwise would not have bothered to do.

Come to think of it, I think I noticed this earlier than post college - as a child I didn't like Sunday afternoons at all.  I had spent all week looking forward to being free from school on the weekend, and on Sunday I realized the weekend was almost over so quickly and I was facing another week of school.  This was less of an organized thought then than now of course.

As a retired litigation/trial attorney, my perception of time is quite the opposite.  40 years of constant deadlines - papers/responses/etm had to be created and filed on time, in any of 3 states and/or a dozen Federal courts - I was always "under the gun" to get things done with uncompromised quality and accuracy,   The clocks always had wings; all too often, were jet-powered.

Now?  It's all too easy to see time as dragging and boredom muting the hours' brighter colors.

I think part of it is unrealistic expectations. As I attack my to-do list, I expect to complete something in a day and three days later it's still not finished. I'm absolutely certain I'm not slowing down in my old age, the days just go by faster. 

Well, the earth's rotation is accelerating so the days are shorter. Thus time is speeding up and time passes more quickly.

I switched jobs almost 11 months ago.  While the new job has moments of stress, overall, when I'm done for the day/week, I'm done.  There will be work to do when I get there the next day or week, but no "projects," and nothing hanging over my head.  I was just talking with a co-worker about this the other day.  In my previous job, with tasks and projects that my boss there would prioritize, and often involved various stressors, often on Sunday afternoons, I would occasionally get little moments of panic when I realized my weekend was basically over, and Monday was coming.  I don't have that now.  I left a little early on Friday, so I don't have my Monday assignments yet, and I'll have to make up my schedule for the day when I get in to work first thing tomorrow, but that's a minor task, and it's not really "hanging over my head."  Normally, I get my assignments about an hour before I leave for the day, so I can have my schedule done before I leave.  Work involves a bit of driving (which can be a bit of drudgery), some "on-call" time in the office (boring unless there are a bunch of calls), and some paper/computer work that's not at all difficult.  Inspections and code research are the bulk of the work, and I find them enjoyable.  Busy days go by in a flash, and then I'm riding the bike home and having a beer or two.

With significantly better income than even 10 years ago, now my wife and I are always planning a trip of some sort, whether a motorcycle day trip, weekend getaway, or a weeklong vacation so that we always have something to look forward to.

Now if I could just get a little more enthused about the honey-do list...

Jason