Many of us have faced this situation many times in our lives: in the morning, the day seems long, a lot of things are planned, the plan looks quite structured and feasible. But then time seems to disappear. It suddenly becomes less than you had planned in the morning. But after all, you were calculating strictly by the clock, how could you get such simple math wrong? It's as if someone has absorbed some of the time. And these phenomena have a name: chronophages. So how do they absorb or steal our time? What do they look like and can they be countered? In terms of theories of cognitive psychology and theories of human behavior, these questions can be answered more or less clearly. Let's deal with everything in order.

On the one hand, of course, everything depends on our attention and behavior throughout the day, how exactly we perform tasks. The theory of selective attention suggests that our perception of time can be significantly influenced by what we focus our attention on. Tasks that require intense focus can cause us to lose track of time. This happens because the brain simply lacks the resources to be both focused on the task at hand and to estimate time at the same time. This effect is exacerbated if a person is working on multiple tasks at once. Keeping track of time while multitasking is extremely difficult. Because of this, our perception of time is often distorted by complex work or a large number of simultaneous tasks.

On the other hand, time perception is strongly influenced by hormones and brain chemistry. In particular, the two most important neurotransmitters involved are dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine plays a role in reward and motivation and is linked to time perception. Dopaminergic activity can alter time perception, often speeding it up during tasks with high reward or high motivation. Serotonin, on the other hand, is involved in mood regulation, its levels can affect time perception, and imbalances can lead to disorders that affect time perception (e.g., depression often leads to feelings of time dragging). Thus, our perception of our time while doing some task depends on the value of that task to us, our interest in motivation and outcome. The more interesting or pleasant the task is, the more important it is, the faster time flies. And the periods of such work are perceived in a completely different way than they looked on your schedule and plan from the morning.

Besides the perception of time in the moment itself, there is another important aspect: do we make mistakes when estimating and planning time? In this regard, there are two main processes in our psyche: retrospective and prospective perception of time.  Retrospective evaluation is an assessment of how much time has passed since an event. A number of memory processes can lead to distortions, making some periods of time seem longer or shorter than they actually were. This shows that sometimes our memories of a productive day cannot be relied upon to plan the next day, because in fact we often misremember how long a particular process took. On the other hand, in prospective evaluation, when one realizes that one needs to keep track of time (e.g., when one is waiting for something), time may seem to drag. Cognitive theories suggest that this is because we are actively watching the clock, increasing our awareness of the passing time and directing more of our attention and the brain's computational resources to it.

Finally, activities such as excessive use of social media, video games, and internet browsing can act as chronophages, consuming significant amounts of time often without the user realizing it. Cognitive psychologists study these behaviors to understand how attention and interaction with digital media alter perceptions of time. The design of many digital platforms aims to create immersive experiences that encourage prolonged use. Because of this, when the mind wanders, people often lose track of time without noticing how much time is spent on similar activities and entertainment. The amount of time spent is difficult to estimate both at the time of such activities and when remembering a particular day.

Thus, our own psyche prevents us from assessing time objectively. And in order to somehow navigate in this, we can note the following ways. First, it is necessary to divide large tasks into many small ones, the time spent on which can be at least objectively measured. Secondly, it is important to strictly dose the time devoted to social networks, video games and other such activities. Thirdly, it is necessary to monitor the distribution of your attention. When working, regular breaks are important, even in conditions of multitasking attention should not wander or switch too quickly. Well, and finally, fourthly, to each case should be approached with a moderately positive attitude. Work should not be a bore, but at the same time and too fixated on the result or process is not worth it. Over-motivation is no less harmful than lack of it and can lead to incorrect time estimation, distribution of forces or burnout.