Today is the first day of Ramadan, and I’ve noticed something striking—time feels extended. Of course, in a practical sense, fasting removes the time spent on meals, but the effect is much greater than that. It feels as if the hours themselves stretch.
This morning, I cleaned the first floor, and my husband managed to clean the second floor and the backyard. I prepared breakfast for the kids, baked a cake, made lunch, cleaned up, read 100 pages of my EQ book, and wrote this post. He raked leaves, did laundry, and we read books with our son. Then we made bracelets together—and somehow, it was still only 4 PM.
This experience made me reflect: Is time really elastic?
I’ve felt this before in different ways. When faced with a deadline, I often procrastinate, only to feel the intense pressure of time shrinking. Sometimes, I pull off a last-minute miracle. Other times, I ask for an extension. But what if I could create an internal extension of time—within its natural boundaries?
In Turkish, we call this bereket—a kind of abundance. How can we cultivate more of it in our days? How can we use time more intentionally?
A Simple Approach to Time Management
With my kids, I suggest a structured schedule, especially on holidays. Before using technology, they map out their day to include a mix of learning, creativity, and play. A balanced day feels richer.
I apply the same approach to myself. Summers, when I had a teaching job, used to feel endless if unstructured. But without direction, they can also feel unfulfilled. Filling time with purpose—learning, goals, social interactions—turns it into something meaningful.
An 83-year-old friend of mine, Melanie Cottam, embodies this philosophy. She maintains a vibrant, structured life with water aerobics, meetings, courses, and planned social activities. She doesn’t just pass time—she fills it with purpose.
Measuring a Day Well Spent
Maybe the true “accounting” of a good day isn’t how much we did but how well we spent our time:
✔️ Did I learn something new?
✔️ Did I make someone happy?
✔️ Did I treat my body and soul with care?
✔️ Did I avoid wasting my time?
The Brain’s Role in Time Perception
My current reading, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, explores how we can build stronger neural connections between our emotional and reasoning brains. The more self-awareness we develop, the more intentional we become about how we live each day.
And yet, despite everything I reflect on today, I know I still have so much to figure out.
Will I feel the same expansion of time tomorrow? Or is this a moment of mindfulness, a slowing down, a sinking into time itself?
I’m curious—have you ever felt time stretch or contract? How do you make the most of your day?
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