Time flows differently when we put all of our concentration on a single task. It could be a book we’re writing, a meal we’re cooking, or when we’re building something. It’s as if only the goal before us exist, and time can place no limits on it.
We only become aware of time when we think about the time we have left. Time doesn’t tap us on the shoulder and tell us to check on the clock. Rather, it is the habit of schedules and deadlines that reminds us that time exists.
Of course, night and day make us aware of time. When it’s dark out, we know that we’ve come to certain hours of the day, and the same is true with daylight. And in between night and day, the world follows schedules that effect how we go to work, when we leave work, when the street lights come on, how long stores are open for, etc.
When we lose track of time, schedules cease to exist (at least in our mind). We might be in the zone, or we might be focused on trying to get something done before we eat or go to sleep. Losing track of time can be a benefit when we need long hours of concentration–hours of non-distraction. But it can be detrimental on a busy day, a day where we have many things to do.
And then there are those days where we lose track of time because we’re simply not cognizant enough to keep track of it. This can happen when we’re tired or burned out. Maybe there is a time limit to time. Perhaps there are times when we need not know of it.
Fallton Havenstonne 