About this quote

Our feeling of time changes with what we pay attention to. Pleasant moments fly by while discomfort makes even a few seconds feel endless. Look at where your mind is during any moment: are you drifting toward things that energize you or fixating on what hurts? If you want more time that feels meaningful, steer your attention toward small, engaging actions and pull away from what just causes pain.

When to use it

• At the office during a drawn-out budget meeting, you sigh and say to a coworker, "Einstein was right — this hour is crawling compared with that quick client pitch."
• Pulling an all-nighter for finals, you tell your friend, "I thought studying would fly, but right now every minute is dragging — that's relativity for you."
• In the dentist chair while getting a filling, you try to joke, "I can feel every second — this really makes relativity obvious."
• After a first date that goes great, you call a friend and laugh, "We talked for an hour and it felt like a minute — classic relativity."