One thing I've added to my day's end journaling is a mention of what was special about that day. It doesn't have to be something huge - maybe I tried a recipe for the first time (cooking is new to me), overcame a challenge, saw something interesting or noteworthy, or experienced a milestone. But I look for something in every day that was special.
Here's the theory: when our days are largely the same, our brains collapse them in memory as, effectively, duplicates. That's why when we think back over the past few months, it seems like time has passed so quickly - if our days are largely following the same pattern, they are collapsed down into more like a single typical day, and looking back, they just feel like a fast blur. Our brains love efficiency, and this is a way they can make storage easier. Our brains are so smart and lazy; they're wonderful.
That's why time really sticks out when you think back on vacations or special events - those days aren't collapsed in memory because they're novel and different.
Now, there's nothing particularly wrong with this, and there's nothing wrong with patterns. I loooooove patterns and habits. But, if you're looking to slow down your experience of time and savor your memories a little more, one way to do that is to record something special about the day. This helps the day to stand out a little more in your memory and reduces the sensation that your time is a blur in the rearview mirror.
Here are a few examples from my journal:
- Today was special because I went to the eye doctor with my daughters. It's not a big deal, but I know I don't have many of these times left when I'm helping them out and it was a sweet little time.
- Today was special because I did my 4th ever intake! I really love that everything about counseling is still new and filled with firsts.
- Today was special because we went to our first ever Utah Hockey Club game! So fun. And I made gyro meat for the first time - nice work.
