How to slow down time

Plus: Upgrading your to-do list

Happy Groundhog Day! Today we find out if spring is around the corner or if we have another six weeks of winter. But I wouldn’t rely too much on Punxsutawney Phil—that groundhog only has a 39% accuracy rate. Fun fact: The most accurate weather-predicting groundhog lives in Yellowknife, California, and is right 50% of the time. 🔍

Let’s Give Your To-Do List an Upgrade

You’re in need of a dopamine fix. What do you do?

You could slip on cozy clothes or buy yourself a tasty little treat (because yes, an almond croissant makes everything better 🥐). But few things are as satisfying as crossing something off your to-do list—it’s an instant productivity boost.

If you’re like me, you have your to-do list in Excel (tbh, I do everything in Excel). But did you know you could add checkboxes to your to-do list? ☑️

That’s right! It takes just two minutes to insert checkboxes into Excel. That’s no time in exchange for some flair that’ll help you keep track of your goals, schedules, assignments, and more.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Right click on your ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon…” 

Step 2: Find the “Developer” box, activate it, and navigate to “OK” to add it to your tab. If you don’t see the tab on your ribbon, try exiting the file and re-opening it!

Step 3: Click the “Developer” tab, go to “Insert” and then select the checkbox icon.

Step 4: Click and drag the box across your desired cell. Then delete the text and copy it down!

And voila! Now you’re ready to tackle your to-do list and feel ✨ extra ✨ accomplished. Here’s this tip in video form if you’d like to check off “peep Kat’s dance moves” from your to-do list. 💃🏼

How to Slow Down Time 

I know this sounds bananas. You’re probably thinking, “Kat, what do you mean slow down time?!”

While I don’t have a formula to bend the space-time continuum, I do have a trick up my sleeve that’s helped slow down my perception of time. 

The key? Break your routine as often as possible. 

It’s normal to ❤️ our routine. It’s comfortable! But…there’s a “but,” explained by neuroscientist David Eagleman:  

“The more familiar the world becomes, the less information your brain writes down, and the more quickly time seems to pass.” 

When we settle into routines, our brains go on autopilot since there’s not a lot of new stuff to process.

Inversely, when our day-to-day is packed with novelty, it can feel as though time crawls to a stop—which explains why our childhood felt so long.

While your girl is all about having good routines (I meditate every morning!), occasionally breaking from them to try new things brings big benefits. 

New experiences help you slow down time because they force you to become present. For example, something as simple as going to a new grocery store zaps your brain out of autopilot as it learns to navigate the unfamiliar place. 

Plus, stepping away from your routine is a great way to reprogram your mind. It’s easier to change when you’re not surrounded by old cues and behaviors.

Miss Excel quite literally came from disruption. Once I stopped the cycle of weekly traveling for my old 9–5, I found myself in a new environment and mindset—leading to the idea of Miss Excel. 

Although it doesn’t seem to be a big deal, sometimes a little disruption is all you need to battle that “life is flying by” feeling. I’d love to know—do you feel the same, or do you have the opposite problem?

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Here’s the one thing most people don’t realize, according to an eye doctor: 

“The eye doesn’t see. The brain sees. The eye just transmits. So what we see isn’t only determined by what comes through the eyes. What we see is affected by our memories, our feelings, and by what we’ve seen before.” 

A reminder that our brains are so powerful. 

Stay Exceling, 

Kat