How to Stop Chasing Time and Make It Work for You

Inside Nat's Notebook - Real Reflections for Real Change

Here is the thing, time isn’t your enemy, it’s your dance partner IF you learn the right steps. Ever feel like you’re playing a game of hide and seek with time…but you’re always the one searching, while time’s off sipping a cocktail somewhere?

You wake up already behind, multitasking your way through the morning, hoping that if you just go a little faster, you’ll finally catch up.

But let me share a powerful truth:

Time isn’t something to chase. It’s something to partner with.

When you stop the frantic scramble and start syncing with your nervous system, time stops running the show You run it instead.

Let’s explore: 

→ Why time feels like it’s always slipping through your fingers 

→ What it’s actually doing to your body and brain 

→ And how to switch gears, reclaim your power, and make time work for you, not against you.

The Chase That Steals Time (and Your Sanity)

Alright, here comes the geeky bit you never knew you needed and I love it!

That constant time panic? It’s not in your head, it’s in your nervous system. Your body is in survival mode. There I said it. You're just trying to get through your day, but you’re doing it in the wrong gear, my love.

When you’re racing the clock, your nervous system flips into a sympathetic state aka: fight, flight, or freeze.

It’s your primal wiring doing what it thinks is helpful.

Your brain? Flooded with cortisol Your heart? Beating faster Your breath? Shallow and sharp Your sense of time? Completely warped

What does that look like in real life?

🤯  You cram your calendar with back-to-back meetings

🤯  You multitask like a pro… and yet, forget what you were doing two seconds ago

🤯  You squeeze productivity out of every second and still feel behind

Sound familiar?  It’s like paddling upstream in a flood… and still getting nowhere.

Chasing time doesn’t make you faster. It just exhausts you and burns you out.

When your body’s in survival mode, your thinking brain takes a back seat and your clarity, focus, and flow go right out the window.

The Flow State: Where Time Slows Down (and You Speed Up)

Let’s not get all doom and gloom, because there’s a flip side, there always is! And it’s a good one.

You do know those days when time just… expands? You’re in the zone, focused, grounded, getting sh*t done and the whole day feels good?

That’s flow state. And no, it’s not just for elite athletes or monks in the mountains.

It’s a real, physiological shift in your nervous system.

Here’s what’s happening in flow aka my favourite geek-out moment:

🧡  Your brain shifts out of survival mode

🧡  Your prefrontal cortex (your strategic, calm, badass CEO brain) lights up

🧡  Your breath slows, your body softens, your energy balances.

And the magic? You become more productive, not less. Deadlines shrink. Decisions get smoother. You move with precision, not panic. Time bends when your nervous system feels safe.

It’s not magic. It’s the science of ease and it’s far more effective than trying to out-schedule your exhaustion.

Why You’re Really Chasing Time

Let’s be honest with each other. Time panic isn’t just about your calendar. It’s about fear.

Fear of falling behind.Fear of not doing enough.Fear of not being enough There, I said it.

Underneath hustle culture are constant whispers:

🤯  If you stop moving, you’ll fall behind

🤯  Your worth is tied to how full your schedule is

🤯  Stillness is indulgent (maybe even shameful)

Truth Bomb: Stillness isn’t a luxury it’s a strategy.

When your nervous system learns to trust the pause, the rush softens. Time slows. And suddenly, there’s space to breathe and get things done.

How to Rewire Your Relationship with Time

You don’t need another planner. Or a “top 10 time hacks” list. What you need is a nervous system reset and a few Personal Power Practices to help you get there:

🧡  Prioritise Stillness Find tiny pockets in your day just for you. These aren’t indulgent, they’re neurological resets.

🧡  Try Uni-Tasking Yep. It’s a thing. Multitasking fries your focus. One thing at a time = more flow, more results, less stress.

🧡  Feel Your Feet. Literally. Embodied movement, shoulder rolls, a slow walk they bring you back to now. “Now” is where time starts to stretch.

🧡  Find Joy in the Process Shift from “When will this be over?” to “I’ve got this, one step at a time.” When it feels good, time becomes generous. And you become unstoppable.

Do You Remember Flow?

Think back to a time when everything just clicked:

Maybe you gave a presentation and nailed it.  Or you cooked, walked, created and were completely lost in the moment. Perhaps it was that Sunday morning that felt alive, slow, and delicious.

That’s you in flow. Not because you had nothing to do. But because your nervous system was in sync.

You weren’t chasing time. You were partnering with it.

#RebelMoment

“When you chase time, it runs. When you invite it, it dances.” You don’t need more hours. You need more presence. When your nervous system is regulated, time becomes your co-creator. Meaning deadlines become doable. While your days become calmer you stop feeling like life is one big-time attack.

This isn’t fluffy productivity advice. This is strategy. This is science. This is your body’s way of saying: “Let me lead and watch what happens.”

No more chasing time. It’s time to lead it.

You’ve got this and I’ve got you!

Stay Blessed!

Nat x 🧡

Your Burnout Bestie

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Exhausted but still brilliant? You bet you are!

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