About this quote

Adams points out how routine can feel more real than reality when hunger and habit take over. Miss a break and your whole day tilts toward the next meal. Ask yourself when you last let a schedule run you instead of the other way around. Try blocking one small, fixed pause and notice how your attention and mood change.

When to use it

• At a three-hour budget meeting I sighed and said, 'Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so,' then we all agreed to order sandwiches and come back sharper.
• Pulling an all-nighter before finals, I told my study group, 'Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so,' and we took a pizza break so we could actually focus.
• On a family road trip when the kids started melting down, I joked, 'Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so,' and we stopped for a picnic that fixed everything.
• Before a crucial match I skipped lunch and my coach reminded me, 'Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so,' then handed out energy bars and called it a timeout.