Have you ever gotten so engrossed in something you’re doing that you completely lose track of time?  Maybe that activity is fishing or knitting, reading, cooking, exercising, or creating art. If you’re familiar with that sensation, you’ll know that when you’re that engaged, minutes turn into hours without your even being aware of time passing.

Author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called it “Flow,” or a “satisfying optimal experience.” “Satisfying” feels like an understatement. “All encompassing” is more accurate, and it usually involves doing an activity about which you are passionate.

Compare that experience to a time when you are doing something far less satisfying…sitting in a dentist chair, standing at a bus stop in the rain, or looking for your car keys when you’re in a hurry. Those minutes drag by.

For me, when I’m reading, or when I’m editing video work, I find that sense of flow. People who want my attention have to actively break into my awareness, because the world outside my focus ceases to exist. It’s a wonderful, but odd sensation when you “wake up,” and discover three hours have passed in what feels like 15 minutes.

I bring this up because I think most of us spend a lot of time on activities that are far less than satisfying…on activities that just “get the job done,” such as lawn mowing, doing dishes, cooking (note that one person’s passion is another’s chore), or taking out the trash. While we need to do these activities, we also need balance in our lives between chore and the joy of engaging in a passion.

If you haven’t yet found that happy place, make time to explore activities that make time evaporate. If you know what that activity is for you, and you dedicate too little time to it, remember that all time is not equal and life passes too quickly. You deserve to stake a claim,  choosing wisely to create a healthier balance of joy.