Have you ever left work on a Friday for Monday morning to roll around in what feels like the blink of an eye?

Or do you watch your baby nieces and nephews turn into teenagers and young adults right before your very eyes?

And, of course, there’s always the chit chat in the supermarket ‘I can’t believe how fast this year is going, before we know it, it will be Christmas!’.

For most of us, there are signs all around that life is moving at the speed of light.

But have you considered that time moves at the same speed that it always has, it’s just that WE are moving faster? Time is actually staying the same, but the speed at which we’re rushing through life is making the hours feel like seconds, and the months feel like weeks.

If you feel like life is quite literally passing by in the blink of an eye, try these simple tips to slow it down.

• Practice gratitude

When life isn’t great, it’s easy to try and fast forward to the good times. The trick of making the most of every day lies in finding things to be grateful for regardless of the circumstances. Stop and acknowledge everything you’re thankful for will help you slow down and enjoy more of the day’s moments.

• Mindfulness

Mindfulness is any process that helps raise awareness of your thoughts and environment on a minute-by-minute basis. Rather than rushing through life, mindfulness encourages you to stop, feel the feelings, savour the food, appreciate your physical space and acknowledge every moment. By adopting mindful practices such as mediation, you start to live from moment to moment instead of day to day.

• Stop multitasking

With 24/7 access to the world quite literally at our fingertips, many of us are in the habit of multitasking and not paying full attention to the task at hand. If you find yourself replying to work emails while playing with the kids, or catching up on social media during dinner, you’re not giving yourself fully to any of your tasks. Not only can flitting between tasks be counterproductive, but it can also lead to overwhelm as you never give full focus to anything.

Commit to being present with one task at a time. Whether that’s family time, socialising, work or meditation, the more you focus, the more you achieve.

• Switch off the phone

We can’t say this enough. Put down the phone and concentrate on the physical world that surrounds you. In today’s times, we’re bombarded with world events, friends and family, and any other area we choose. Our systems are so overloaded with information that little is getting processed. Create boundaries around mobile phone use to help you focus on what’s in front of you.

• Stop wearing busy-ness as a badge of honour

For some, there’s a part of their identity rooted in being busy. If you’re not juggling a million balls, it can be seen as a sign of failure, particularly in the workplace where your level of busyness is attached to how hard you’re working.

Stop!

Once you turn being busy around and understand that some times you can have too much to do, you’ll naturally start to offload unnecessary tasks helping you slow down in the process.

• Establish an intentional morning routine

Spending time in an intentional morning routine will help you simplify your day and create consistency in a busy schedule. We like to meditate, exercise, have a nourishing breakfast and spend quality time with the family before connecting to the internet, but your ideal routine can consist of anything that suits you. Perhaps you like to journal, make a to-do list for the day or morning yoga.

To stop being so busy and make the most of every moment, it’s up to you to create and maintain boundaries. Whether these are work, social or family, living a life on your terms is what will ultimately help you slow down so that life slows down and you can make the most of every moment.