Research shows our thoughts are not equally divided between past, present, and future. Most of the time, we are in the present moment (about 65–70%), while 15–20% of our thoughts project into the future and 10–20% focus on the past. Yet when our minds wander—which they do nearly half the time—we lean strongly into the future, planning or imagining what’s ahead. *
If we think of time as a continuum, the best place to rest is the present moment. But how do we make this work in daily life?
Let’s start with the past. How often do you catch yourself ruminating about old regrets? Many of us go round and round, replaying what was. But the past cannot be changed. The value of the past lies in what it can teach us. Our history offers lessons, a platform to build on. The key question is: what useful patterns or mistakes can we learn from? If we don’t harvest those lessons, we’re likely to repeat or miss them in the future.
Now consider the future. When you think about tomorrow, do you feel anxiety and worry—or promise and excitement? The way you frame the future has a powerful effect on how it unfolds. From the past, we can take wisdom and use it to plan and imagine constructively. Language shapes this process. If you label what’s ahead as “problems” and “challenges,” you meet them as such. But if you reframe them as “opportunities” and “possibilities,” your mindset changes. Ask yourself: are your dreams set high enough to pull you forward, yet still within reach?
And then there is the present—the only place where life actually happens. But is your NOW is clouded by yesterday’s regrets or tomorrow’s fears? Research suggests a large share (80%) of our thoughts are negative and repetitive (95%), leaving us stuck in cycles instead of free in the moment. No wonder we don’t always feel at our best.
So where is the better “NOW” place? It’s found in presence—those times when thought quiets, time dissolves, and you slip into flow. When was the last time you felt so absorbed that you lost track of time? Flow happens when we engage in tasks that challenge us just enough, calling on our best skills. Here we are fully doing and fully being at the same time.
Being present means letting go of past and future, even briefly, and giving undivided attention to what is here. Flow does not have to be left to chance. You can deliberately create these moments—and in them, life feels richest.
*: Beaty, R. E., Seli, P., & Schacter, D. L. (2019). Thinking about the past and future in daily life: An experience sampling study of individual differences in mental time travel. Psychological Research, 83(4), 805–816