Have you ever ever seen that childhood summers felt like they lasted ceaselessly, however now summers zoom by within the blink of a watch?
There is a motive for that! As we become older, our brains cease making as many new pathways, and that makes our days really feel like they mix collectively. The excellent news? You’ll be able to change that with a easy concept known as the Novelty Rule!
The Novelty Rule relies on neuroscience and is a good way to decelerate time, making your life really feel richer and extra significant. In an episode of the Liz Moody Podcast, Liz explains how she created the novelty rule utilizing analysis by Dr. David Eagleman from Stanford College. By including new and novel experiences to your life, you possibly can change your mind’s notion of time, so it doesn’t really feel like days and months are simply flying by.
What Is the Novelty Rule?
The novelty rule is all about including small, new experiences to your life. Once you strive one thing completely different, your mind creates new pathways, making reminiscences stand out extra. It’s like including colourful patches to a quilt. Abruptly, your days really feel extra distinctive and thrilling!
The purpose is simple: strive one small, new factor every week and one larger new expertise every month. It doesn’t need to be massive or costly — simply completely different!
Weekly Tiny Adjustments
Small adjustments could make a giant distinction in how you are feeling about your days. Listed here are some concepts:
- Put on One thing New: Put on a colour you normally don’t put on or strive a brand new accent.
- Change Your Route: When you stroll or drive to work, take a unique path.
- Use Fancy Wine Glasses: Consuming water with dinner? Pour it right into a wine glass and add some lemon slices. A easy change like this provides a enjoyable twist to your routine and makes an abnormal second really feel particular.
- Change Up Your Routine: When you normally watch TV on Wednesday nights, why not strive one thing completely different, like dancing or going out with a buddy?
- Strive a New Recipe: Prepare dinner a meal you’ve by no means made earlier than or strive a brand new ingredient.
- Hearken to a New Style of Music: When you normally take heed to pop, change it up with classical, jazz, or world music.
- Learn a Completely different Sort of Guide: When you love fiction, strive a nonfiction guide or vice versa. You might even learn a brief article on a subject you recognize nothing about!
- Speak to Somebody New: Strike up a dialog with a colleague you don’t normally chat with or a neighbor you haven’t met.
- Train in a New Method: When you usually go for a jog, strive a yoga class, swimming, and even dancing.
- Change Your Espresso Routine: Go to a brand new café, or strive a unique sort of espresso or tea than your typical order.
- Change Your Atmosphere: Rearrange a room in your house, add a plant to your workspace, or work in a brand new spot like a library or park.
- Strive a New Know-how Software: Experiment with a brand new app, device, or gadget you’ve been interested by, whether or not for work or play.
Every of those tiny adjustments helps your mind create new reminiscences. Plus, they make your week really feel longer and extra attention-grabbing!
Month-to-month Novelty Adventures
As soon as a month, strive doing one thing a little bit larger. This might be a weekend journey, studying a brand new talent, and even assembly up with mates you don’t see fairly often.
Listed here are some concepts for month-to-month adventures:
- Reconnect with Mates: Make plans with somebody you haven’t seen shortly.
- Take a Class: Join a one-day workshop or class on one thing you’ve by no means completed earlier than, like images, pottery, and even salsa dancing.
- Go to a New Place: Discover a close-by museum, nature path, or perhaps a new restaurant in your city.
- Host a Themed Night time: Invite mates or household over for a themed dinner, like a global delicacies night time, the place everybody brings a dish from a unique nation.
- Go on a Day Journey: Go to a neighboring metropolis, a state park, or a unusual roadside attraction.
- Volunteer: Spend a day serving to out at a charity or group occasion. It’s a good way to fulfill new folks and be ok with giving again.
- Attend a Native Occasion: Take a look at an area pageant, farmers market, or group live performance. There’s at all times one thing occurring that you simply’ve by no means skilled!
- Strive a Problem: Join a bodily problem like a 5K run, a motorbike race, and even an escape room journey with mates.
- Discover a New Interest: Strive your hand at gardening, knitting, or studying a musical instrument. Even simply beginning with a newbie lesson or video can spark pleasure.
These month-to-month adventures show you how to get away of your routine and make life really feel richer and extra significant.
Ideas for HR and Wellness Managers
As an HR or wellness supervisor, you possibly can play a key function in serving to workers apply the novelty rule to enhance their well-being. Listed here are just a few methods to encourage novelty within the office:
Manage Challenges: Create a enjoyable weekly problem the place workers strive one thing new, corresponding to taking a unique path to work or studying a brand new talent. You might reward participation with small prizes like reward playing cards or shoutouts in firm newsletters.
Promote Studying Days: Dedicate at some point every month for workers to discover one thing new. Whether or not it’s attending a webinar, attempting a brand new software program device, or taking a artistic workshop, studying one thing contemporary can spark creativity and innovation.
Provide Versatile Exercise Time: Encourage workers to take a break from their common routine. Provide a “Wellness Wednesday” the place they will step out for a stroll in a brand new space, strive a lunchtime yoga class, or attend a enjoyable firm occasion that will get them out of their on a regular basis duties.
Create a Novelty Wall: Arrange an area the place workers can share their new experiences, whether or not it’s a fast post-it on a board or a digital platform the place they will publish images and tales of their novel adventures. This might encourage others to strive one thing new!
Plan Workforce Occasions: As soon as a month, arrange a team-building occasion that’s out of the abnormal — like having a pickleball event, having a picnic in an area park, or doing a cooking class collectively. These occasions construct camaraderie and provides workers one thing enjoyable and completely different to look ahead to.
Why It Works
Once you add novelty to your life, your mind wakes up! You’ll begin noticing extra round you, and time received’t really feel prefer it’s slipping away so quick. It’s a easy solution to make your life extra colourful and enjoyable, with out having to do something too wild or costly.
Including novelty doesn’t need to be difficult. The bottom line is to search out small methods to step outdoors your common routine and make house for brand spanking new experiences. Over time, these moments will add up, making your life really feel extra joyful and significant!
Make It Occur!
Begin small. Choose one tiny new factor to do this week. Subsequent, plan a enjoyable journey for the month. As you make this a part of your routine, you’ll discover that your days really feel longer, extra thrilling, and full of latest reminiscences!
By including the novelty rule to your life, you’re giving your self the reward of time — and who wouldn’t need that?
