What Is Today?: An Unconventional Guide to Time, the Psychology of Present Moment, and How Reclaim Your Day

Every day, we ask the same simple question: What is today?We check the date, glance at the clock, scan the calendar, and rush into the next task. But beneath that ordinary question lies one of the strangest, richest, and most overlooked mysteries of human life: what does it actually mean to live inside a day?In What is Today?, Neil Emmitt takes readers on a witty, fascinating, and deeply human journey through the hidden architecture of the present moment. Blending history, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and practical self-improvement, this unconventional guide explores how humanity invented the systems that now shape our lives - from sundials and calendars to railway time, factory bells, digital notifications, and the modern obsession with productivity.Why does childhood feel so long, while adulthood seems to accelerate? Why does boredom stretch time, while joy makes hours disappear? How did ancient emperors, religious reformers, industrialists, and app designers all help shape the way we experience "today"? And why do so many of us feel permanently hurried, even when technology was supposed to save us time?Inside, you'll discover: - How the day became divided into hours, weeks, months, and deadlines- Why your brain stretches and compresses time depending on emotion, memory, and attention- How "hurry sickness" and the attention economy fragment modern life- Why rituals, anniversaries, flow states, and fresh starts matter more than we realise- Practical ways to reclaim your focus, protect your energy, and design a more meaningful day- Timeless lessons from Stoicism, Zen, existentialism, and modern psychologyBoth intellectually stimulating and personally useful, What is Today? is not simply a book about time. It is a book about attention, choice, mortality, meaning, and the quiet power of the present.A magnificent life is not built all at once. It is built one day at a time.Today is not just a square on a calendar.Today is where your life actually happens.