How much time do you spend thinking about the past, the present, and the future?

Do you spend an equal amount of time on each one?

If you’re like most people then you probably spend more time thinking about the past or the future. Which if you really think about it, and are open to admitting it, then you’ll agree that neither one of them exists.

The time that passed has already disappeared like a wisp of smoke into the ether, and the future is just an idea in your head that may or may not materialize.

Straddling the present to spend time in fictional time zones is an interesting practice, and according to research to date, humans are the only animals capable of doing so.

So why do you spend so much time thinking about time that either no longer or might never exist?

Some say that living in the past or future is a sense of escapism, essentially not wanting to deal with what is in the present. I’m not sure that I completely agree with this, but can see how for some this might be true.

Taking some time to think about how you think about time is very likely a worthwhile investment. Deciding which time zone you want to be in at any moment can also be a fun experiment.  You can actually practice thinking about moving from the past to the present and then on the future. Since you’re already probably really good at thinking about the past and the future, participating in this practice will actually strengthen your ability to ground yourself in the present.

Look, ultimately which time zone you spend time thinking about is up to you, and I’m not suggesting you even attempt to spend an equal amount of time in each one. What I am saying is that as enjoyable as thinking about the past and future might be; don’t skip over and miss the beauty that the present has to offer.

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