--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think if I pick the right thing to…" description: "\"I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing, then time moves differently, because I really can get fully immersed in things and feel very ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg" --- # I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing… ![“I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing, then time moves differently, because I really can get fully immersed in things and feel very alive and challenged, but in a good way. I feel a sense of progress.” quote by Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg) > “I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing, then time moves differently, because I really can get fully immersed in things and feel very alive and challenged, but in a good way. I feel a sense of progress.” [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing the right activity can alter perception of time, creating deep immersion, vitality, and a feeling of progress. **In simple terms:** The right task makes time feel different and rewarding. Key Takeaway Seek activities that fully engage you. Themes focus flow personal growth Mood engaged alive motivated Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career development - creative projects - learning new skills Key Concepts psychology time perception motivation Questions to Reflect On - What tasks make you lose track of time? - How can you find more of these moments? A Different Perspective Progress may be subjective and not always measurable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Betrayal. Lust. Secrecy. Devotion. I think we do these things to feel more alive. When the truth is that alive is alive -- you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/betrayal-lust-secrecy-devotion-i-think-we-do-these-things-to-feel/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [For me, possibility, progress, growth, those things are very.. they feel very good. It doesn't usually come with negativity. I don't really mind sucking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/for-me-possibility-progress-growth-those-things-are-very-they-feel/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Having a beard is a good way to make your face more susceptible to velcro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/having-a-beard-is-a-good-way-to-make-your-face-more-susceptible-to/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“Is this the very most important thing I should be doing with my time and resources right now?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mckeown/is-this-the-very-most-important-thing-i-should-be-doing-with-my-time/) [Greg McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mckeown/) > [“like everything that was worth doing, that would take time and practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/like-everything-that-was-worth-doing-that-would-take-time-and-practice/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [It's huge in the U.K., if someone's doing well, to put them down. That's what we do all the time. It's kind of like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/it-s-huge-in-the-u-k-if-someone-s-doing-well-to-put-them-down-that-s/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [Doing time is like climbing a mountain wearing roller skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/doing-time-is-like-climbing-a-mountain-wearing-roller-skates/) [John Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dean/) > [The more time you spend talking about what you have been doing, the less time you have to do what you have been talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-more-time-you-spend-talking-about-what-you-have-been-doing-the/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [They don't pay no mind. If you're under 18, you won't be doing any time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/offspring/they-don-t-pay-no-mind-if-you-re-under-18-you-won-t-be-doing-any-time/) Offspring > [The trouble with doing nothing is that you can never take any time off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoagy-carmichael/the-trouble-with-doing-nothing-is-that-you-can-never-take-any-time-off/) [Hoagy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoagy-carmichael/) > [“Virtue has come to consist of doing something in less time than someone else”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/virtue-has-come-to-consist-of-doing-something-in-less-time-than/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The more time you spend thinking, the less time you spend doing. The less time you spend doing, the more you watch others do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-mcclearn/the-more-time-you-spend-thinking-the-less-time-you-spend-doing-the/) Beatrice McClearn > [“We’re never doing this again. The next time I leave, you’re coming with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-stein/we-re-never-doing-this-again-the-next-time-i-leave-you-re-coming-with/) [Charlotte Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-stein/) > [I think in the Western world we have gotten overly identified with doing, and we've kind of forgotten about the art of being. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/i-think-in-the-western-world-we-have-gotten-overly-identified-with/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [If you're building a house, or doing anything, time is what you've got. Well, there's effort, but you need time. The more time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/if-you-re-building-a-house-or-doing-anything-time-is-what-you-ve-got/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) ## More by Demetri Martin > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [When someone describes themself as a taxpayer, they're about to be an asshole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/when-someone-describes-themself-as-a-taxpayer-they-re-about-to-be-an/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I think they named the orange before the carrot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-they-named-the-orange-before-the-carrot/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I like to go to concerts because I love to see my favorite band through the phone of the asshole who's standing in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-like-to-go-to-concerts-because-i-love-to-see-my-favorite-band/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [How fast does a zebra have to run before it looks gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/how-fast-does-a-zebra-have-to-run-before-it-looks-gray/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Skiing is my favorite sport, because, that's the only sport that is actually better to watch the worst the person is at it. "That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/skiing-is-my-favorite-sport-because-that-s-the-only-sport-that-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I know about Woodstock probably as much as your average person who is over 30, where I'd know Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-know-about-woodstock-probably-as-much-as-your-average-person-who-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Never be less interesting than your refrigerator magnets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/never-be-less-interesting-than-your-refrigerator-magnets/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-bought-a-cactus-a-week-later-it-died-and-i-got-depressed-because-i/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [A Wednesday with no rain is a dry hump day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/a-wednesday-with-no-rain-is-a-dry-hump-day/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [THING TO TRY: If you are asked to describe a suspect to a police sketch artist, describe in precise detail, the features of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/thing-to-try-if-you-are-asked-to-describe-a-suspect-to-a-police/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [If you happen to catch on fire during the show, do not panic or wave your arms around or scream or we wil give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/if-you-happen-to-catch-on-fire-during-the-show-do-not-panic-or-wave/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [They say that structure is freedom, and in a sense it is. When you're dealing with multiple constraints, you have to figure out what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/they-say-that-structure-is-freedom-and-in-a-sense-it-is-when-you-re/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I think my favorite sound is the sound of someone not playing the bongos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-my-favorite-sound-is-the-sound-of-someone-not-playing-the/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) [Explore all 508 Demetri Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing, then time moves differently, because I really can get fully immersed in things and feel very alive and challenged, but in a good way. I feel a sense of progress.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Demetri Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spend-my-time-doing-then-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spend-my-time-doing-then-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/demetri-martin-511_alive_i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spe_161105.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think if I pick the right thing to spend my time doing, then time moves differently, because I really can…” — Demetri Martin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Demetri Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think if I pick the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spend-my-time-doing-then-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-if-i-pick-the-right-thing-to-spend-my-time-doing-then-time/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```