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Another reference about the psychological flow of time is "Flow" by
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (don't ask me to pronounce the name). On page 49
he describes the eight components of enjoyment. One of those is "the
sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and
minutes can stretch out to seem like hours."

Our perception of time as being distinctly divided into past, present,
and future is an artificial construct. All three are blended. How I
perceive the present is influenced by my view of the past and my
expectations for the future. My recall of the past is shaped by my view
of the present and future. My future expectations are shaped by my past
and present experiences. To be more effective, it helps for me to be
aware of how I view my past, present, and future and how the three
influence each other.

Mitchell Alegre

Mitchell Alegre wrote:

<<Our perception of time as being distinctly divided into past, present, and
future is an artificial construct. All three are blended. How I perceive the
present is influenced by my view of the past and my expectations for the
future. My recall of the past is shaped by my view of the present and future.
My future expectations are shaped by my past and present experiences. To be
more effective, it helps for me to be aware of how I view my past, present,
and future and how the three influence each other.>>

I agree. The following excerpts by Tarthang Tulku suggests how our ordinary
experience of past, present, and future might be related to, or derived from,
a more unitary time that shows up during peak performance:

KTS, p. 9: . . . past and present and future seem like three independent
domains or'fields'. Perhaps, however, what appears disconnected on the surface
is linked underneath, like the caps of waves on the ocean. If so, a unifying
'body of time' would account for the appearance of the three times.

DTS, pp. 162-3: Alive with different qualities, the Body of Time transitions
the appearance of what appears. Without confirming division, it allows for the
conceptual separation into past and present and future. It enacts the
experience that confirms these distinctions, quantifying and measuring. . . .

As 'compartments' of time, past, present, and future cannot be engaged
separately, even though we imagine that this is what we do. Their rhythms form
a unity that echoes the universal unique—a rhythm infinitely divisible through
the operation of concepts and experience, yet never departing from unity into
manifestation.

If we think of the unity of time as being like a sphere, the temporality we
establish is like slicing through the sphere. The first layer that the slice
reveals will invariably be the past, but the slicing will always be threefold,
giving the present and future as well.

*Knowledge of Time and Space*, 1990, and *Dynamics of Time and Space*, 1994.
Both books are by Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, CA

Best wishes,
Steve Randall, Ph.D. - Results in No Time - email: stevrandal@aol.com
Time Management Supersite: http://members.aol.com/rslts
Site includes complete time management courses & resource directory
land: 1124 Ballena Blvd., Suite 5, Alameda CA 94501
phone & fax: 510-749-9931

About Kim Boal's posting: I agree that sensitivity to the different
conceptions and ways of perceiving time is useful, and not just for
management, but for anyone interested in dealing with their own time stress
and optimizing their productivity.

I would not characterize my ‘position’ on time as “Einsteinian or polychronic
in nature.” Here’s some of my view: I distinguish physical time, the
‘events’ occurring in the world, from psychological time, part of the way we
experience the events. Although we talk primarily (and implicitly) in Western
cultures about physical time, it seems what is really important to us is
psychological time, since it includes negative experiences of time pressure,
anxiety about not having enough (physical or clock) time, overwhelm, and the
positive timelessness of peak performance of all kinds. My research shows
that the experience of time flowing is the aggregate result of having
suppressed numerous past negative experiences, and at any (clock) time, the
intensity of the experience of time flow is directly proportional to the
separation between ourselves and what we’re attending to. If this is true,
increasing our involvement in whatever we’re doing will decrease the sense of
time flowing and increase the timeless quality of experience. The importance
of this for well-being? Absorption in what is at hand will minimize time
stress/flow. The importance for productivity? Peak productivity results from
increasing our involvement in whatever we’re doing, including decreasing felt
time flow and the felt separation between past, present, and future.
Conventional time management lumps psychological time and physical time
together under the one word “time,” and makes it really difficult to
significantly improve performance levels by making statements like “We all
have the same 24 hours a day,” and “Time management is about controlling the
way we use our time.” Both these are simply statements about physical time,
and they ignore the possibility of changing psychological time.

Best wishes,
Steve Randall, Ph.D. - Results in No Time - email: stevrandal@aol.com
Time Management Supersite: http://members.aol.com/rslts
Site includes complete time management courses & resource directory

land: 1124 Ballena Blvd., Suite 5, Alameda CA 94501
phone & fax: 510-749-9931

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