One thing I discovered early in my "retirement" was that unless I varied my daily schedule the days would soon start blending into each other. The more of your life that you allow to become routine, the less attention you pay to it and the faster it seems to pass by. So it's critical to keep looking for and experiencing new things.
I can believe that. It's not just ageing that seems to speed up the passage of time but the nature of the activities of each individual.
Whilst reading this thread and the linked article I was reminded of a comment from that remarkable English lady who spent 12 years living in a cave in the Himalayas as a Buddhist nun. (Diane Perry, now known as Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo.)
In 1976 Tenzin Palmo, at the age of 33, commenced living in a cave in the Himalayas, measuring 10 feet wide and six feet deep, and remained there for 12 years.
In accordance with protocol, she never lay down, sleeping in a traditional wooden meditation box in a meditative posture for just three hours a night. The last three years were spent in complete isolation. She survived temperatures of below −30° Fahrenheit (−35°C) and snow for six to eight months of the year.
A book titled 'Cave in the Snow' was written, describing her experiences. From this book, or possibly from an interview with Tenzin Palmo, I recall the following comment which suggests that a lack of varying activities can speed up the passage of time enormously, even if one is quite young.
“The whole thing appeared very dream-like. It seemed almost impossible that I actually spent all that time in seclusion. It seemed more like three months. Of course, when one has been in solitude for such a long time, one’s mind becomes extremely clear. And that clarity reflects in the ability to be able to see the underlying confusion of the people around one. Then, of course, great compassion arises toward others as well as toward one’s own confusion.”I'm getting fairly advanced in years myself, but I haven't felt that time is speeding up. The last time I visited Nepal, trekking and taking photos, was a bit over 5 years ago. It doesn't feel like a shorter period than that. In fact, before doing a calculation involving the actual months and years, I would not have been surprised if it had been 6 or 7 years ago, probably because since that time I've been engaged in lots of different activities and travels.