How to Make Time Go Faster When Your Workday Seems to Be Crawling

We’ve all been in that position at work or school where time doesn’t seem to be moving forward at all. You can’t concentrate on the task at hand, you keep looking at the clock, and you’re longing for freedom. 

It’s totally normal, too. As Sarah Bishop, BSc PGCert DClinPsy, a clinical psychologist, says, “It is a common experience to sometimes wish for time to go faster, especially when we find ourselves in unpleasant or monotonous situations. This desire can stem from our very natural inclination to seek comfort or pleasure and avoid discomfort. It is important to recognize that these feelings are a normal part of the human condition.”

So, how can you make time go faster? It’s part of life that sometimes time will go slower particularly if you’re doing something you find boring – but there are ways to help make time go faster.

Stop Looking at the Clock

Dr. Bishop describes watching the clock as negatively affecting our well-being and increasing stress and anxiety. “This can make us restless and impatient, hindering our ability to fully engage in the present moment,” she says, and this can have a knock-on effect on our productivity and overall mood, too. 

“Developing the skill of sitting with discomfort or monotony in various situations is essential for personal growth and resilience,” she continues. “Wishing the time away does not contribute to the development of this skill. Instead, it is important to embrace and accept the discomfort, allowing ourselves to fully experience it without trying to escape or rush through it. By doing so, we can learn to navigate challenging situations with greater ease and build our capacity to handle discomfort in a healthy and constructive manner.”

Create a Predictable Routine

When we’re at work, we often juggle a lot of different things and multitask, but this can get stressful. If possible, it’s a good idea to create a regular, predictable routine instead. 

When we have regular routines, we go on autopilot and hardly notice them. So, with a regular routine, there’s more chance that you’ll get work done without realizing how much (or how little!) time is passing. It won’t necessarily make work more exciting, or make you enjoy yourself more at work, but it can make the time you spend there move a little faster.

Achieve Flow

This might sound easier said than done, and might depend on the tasks you have in front of you. But if you can, it’s a good idea to work on things that you enjoy and keep distractions to a minimum.

Eloise Skinner, author and psychotherapist explains, “Flow is most likely to happen when we feel immersed in, and engaged by, a task. Other things that help include removing distractions like social media or other notifications, making sure we won't be disturbed by colleagues, and setting ourselves a time limit or deadline, so we feel compelled to really dive in as soon as possible.”

Break Time Down Into Blocks

Sure, your work day might feel long, but you can break it down into smaller blocks to help it feel more manageable. And you can block time off in your schedule to work on particular tasks, uninterrupted. If you’ve got a lot to do, it can feel daunting and make time drag, so make a plan and work on just one thing at a time.

Remember to take breaks, too! If you can choose your own breaks, try to do so at times that suit you, but even if you can’t – if you’re in high school, for example – see if you can take a couple of minutes here and there. “It’s crucial to take breaks and practice self-care, as this can rejuvenate our energy levels and prevent burnout,” explains Dr. Bishop. 

Split Your Least Pleasant Tasks

If there are tasks you’re not looking forward to getting started on, either because they’re bigger or simply sound unexciting, try to split them up into smaller chunks.

Work on a task you enjoy for a while, and then spend some time on a task you aren’t looking forward to. Then, you can go back to a task you prefer. 

Engage in Engrossing Activities

For most people, work won’t be full of engrossing activities all the time. But, choosing engrossing activities where possible will distract you from watching the clock and fixating on the amount of time left in your work day. 

If you have a mix of tasks, both engrossing and monotonous, to get through, organize your day to make the engrossing activities a priority. If you know when you’re more creative and productive, you can focus on the most exciting, engrossing work then, and save the less demanding work for the times of day you’re less productive. 

For instance, if you’re most productive and creative in the morning, you could plan to work on the most exciting tasks then. This might make time go faster, and then it’s lunchtime before you know it. 

Practice Mindfulness and Present Moment Awareness

Mindfulness can be effective, and help you alter your perception of time. “By practicing mindfulness, we can cultivate an attitude of non-judgmental awareness and fully engage in the present moment,” says Dr. Bishop. “This can help us appreciate the richness of our experiences and reduce feelings of time pressure.”

You could try leaving your desk to go for a walk. Focus on the feeling of your body moving, whether it’s the breeze or the sun on your skin, the textures you feel on your feet or your hands, or the things you can see or smell. If you can’t really leave your desk, you could move your attention around your body, starting from the top of your head and how it feels right now, gradually moving down to your toes. Is there any tension? Where do you feel most relaxed?

Utilize Productivity Tools and Techniques

Think about why you care about your work – what’s the purpose? Skinner says, “Asking questions about the meaning and purpose of our work (even if we don't have a particularly grand vision - it might just be that we're helping our boss or client get a job done well) can give us a sense of engagement.”

Something else that can help is changing your work environment, particularly if you work from home! If you usually work from your home office, try working from another room for a while, or going to a coffee shop or library nearby. If you’re in the office, why not take a walk during lunch or sit outside during your break, for a change of scenery? 

Keep in Mind

Remember, what works for other people might not work or be feasible for you. There are a number of different ways to make time go faster, but you might find that some work better for you than others. It’s worth experimenting with a few, until you find a combination that’s effective.