I first heard this idea from an episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast. When it comes to longevity and living longer, we can either,

1. Take good care of our health: exercise, sauna, ice bath, take longevity supplements etc.

or

2. Slow down time by breaking routine.

I’ve been practicing the second option. Here’s how:

Annual winter migration back to Singapore.

I now schedule at least a month-long trip to Singapore around June.

Spending quality time with family has become a higher priority as I get older. The older we get, the less time we have left with our parents. Even if we still have a long lifespan. Tim Urban calls it “The Tail End.”

After 10+ years in Tassie, I notice I experience a bit of seasonal depression in winter.

So I want to skip the Tassie winter and the short, cold days. And only return after the solstice (the longest night of the year). This way it only gets better as days get longer 😛

(I also get to be in Singapore for durian season. The king of fruits is the best fruit.)

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate winters. They can be beautiful.

I get to go out at night earlier for astro-photography and appreciate standing in the sun in the crisp cold air.

But for now, I’m enjoying trading the cold for the heat, and the lower winter energy for higher tropical city energy.

The idea is that change breaks routine because it catches our attention.

When we’re in routine, time seems to fly by.

When we break routine, time seems to slow down.

We can break routine by adding new experiences like:

• Accepting challenges
• Learning new skills
• Asking questions
• Taking a trip
• Changing up our environment

But… I’m aware that I break routine by adopting another routine.

My new routine while I’m here is:

Wake up.
Morning BJJ class sometimes.
Work at Starbucks.
Take a 40 min walk home
Have lunch.
Afternoon work session.
Night BJJ class.

I love routine and non-routine. Maybe it’s about routine in the micro, non-routine in the macro.

Gary Vee says “micro speed, macro patience”.

It means work hard everyday, rapid feedback loop. But don’t expect results immediately.

Routine leads to speed.

But I’m not sure how non-routine and slowing down time, links to patience and success. There’s something there though.

Anyway the key point here is schedule new experiences in your calendar and live longer. Because you deserve it!