We’ve all been there–speed-writing to finish that final paragraph of a project soon-to-be overdue, only to stop in the eye of the hurricane and suddenly become acutely aware of the clock, a metronome ticking away until the end. Time, though widely accepted as indefinite, never seems to be enough for the finite human life. It forces us to conform to the tempo of minutes and hours, and we become so consumed by yesterday, today and tomorrow until that’s all that matters. But could we somehow escape the binding cycle and accomplish more? Could we slow down, or even stop, time?

To solve this paradox, we must first explore the definition of time. Widely accepted as constant and linear, the perception of time varies slightly from the field of study to the form of usage. Its very nature is a matter of relativity. In physics, the measure of time is relative to a given natural occurrence and revolves around change. We are constantly experiencing this change in the dimensions of space or time. The planes of space and the plane of time are in the field of space-time. This means that momentum in either space or time would be leveraged with a lesser value being possible for the other, or a somewhat equal value for both. 

In fact, as you read this, presumably in a static position, you are moving at the speed of light through time, as is everything not moving through space. Time flies, right? Conversely, in order to slow down time, you would have to move at an immense velocity, such as the speed of light, in space. Although achieving such a speed is physically impossible, this concept, known as time dilation, can be conceptualized by having one person sitting on the side of the road while another is in a moving vehicle. The two people would experience time differently at a miniscule and immeasurable level, with the individual in a vehicle experiencing a “slower” passage of time. On a larger scale of motion, as seen in Einstein's 1905 light clock or the infamous Twins Paradox, the level of time dilation would be more profound. Theoretically, if the physically impossible speed of light was reached, time as it is known would stop altogether. 

While manipulating time has yet to become reality, its possible implications intrigue and raise many questions on the nature of humanity and the future of the world. Would slowing down time impact its measurement? Could it mitigate the value of life? Or, could time manipulation possibly save humanity from sudden demise? From this perspective, instead of finding ways of traveling to the future, we could use these very concepts to save our current reality. 

But if such a phenomenon could be applied in a more practical area, could it help vanquish the demonic heap of study material looming before you? Would working at a prodigious pace result in precious seconds gained? While research on this has yet to be conducted, the likely answer would be no, as speed running homework is more of an internal or psychological progression rather than physical movement through space. 

However, maybe adjusting your perception of time is all that matters. Time, after all, is relative. We often associate time with  the rhythmic pulsing of the clock, when internal clocks are also key in moderating time perception. Observing how time is spent and perceived when performing multiple actions can help sync internal perception with real time, which may just be the perfect excuse to ditch that alarm in favor of intuition. Or, at the very least, by practicing time management, you can gain more time when it’s needed the most.

As of now, stopping time is a concept that still resides solely in science fiction. However , rather than looking to increase available time, we can strive to make the most of the limited time we have. 

Information retrieved from LibreTexts Physics, MIT Technology Review, Fermilab Review, and The Physics of the Universe.

Sources:

https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/College_Physics/College_Physics_1e_(OpenStax)/02%3A_Kinematics/2.03%3A_Time_Velocity_and_Speed

https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/07/65014/how-does-time-dilation-affect-aging-during-high-speed-space-travel/

https://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/archive/archive_2014/today14-05-16_NutshellReadMore.html

https://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_relativity_special.html