You’re sitting in a coffee shop, and you overhear someone say they hit the gym "from time to time." What does that actually mean to you? For some, it’s a twice-a-week habit. For others, it’s a "once every three months when I feel guilty" sort of thing. Honestly, it's one of those phrases we use to hide the truth about our consistency. It is the ultimate linguistic safety net.
We use it to sound active without committing to a schedule. It’s a bridge between "never" and "always." But if you look closer at how we perceive frequency, this little idiom reveals a lot about our psychology and how we manage our social image.
The phrase from time to time isn't just about intervals. It’s about the human desire to remain flexible. We live in a world obsessed with "streaks" and "daily habits," yet most of our lives actually happen in these irregular bursts.
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The Weird History of How We Track Time
Languages are living things. They breathe. The phrase "from time to time" didn't just pop out of a dictionary. It evolved from older English structures where we tried to describe events that weren't rhythmic. If something happens every day, we have a word for that: daily. If it happens once a year? Annually. But what do you call the stuff that happens when the mood strikes or the stars align?
English speakers in the 14th and 15th centuries struggled with this. They used terms like "between-whiles." Kind of catchy, right? Eventually, we settled on the repetition of the word "time" to signify a movement from one point to another, without defining how long the gap is between those points.
It’s purposefully vague. According to linguists at the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase is synonymous with "occasionally" or "once in a while." But "occasionally" feels a bit formal, like something a doctor tells you about a side effect. From time to time feels personal. It feels like a choice.
Why Your Brain Loves Being Irregular
We are told that consistency is the key to success. James Clear’s Atomic Habits basically became a bible for the modern era by preaching the power of the 1% improvement. But here’s the thing: our brains aren't naturally wired for 100% perfect repetition. We get bored.
Neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself—actually thrives on novelty. When we do things from time to time, we are often introducing a "pattern interrupt." Think about your favorite hobby. If you did it for eight hours every single day, you’d eventually grow to loathe it. But if you pick it up every few weeks? The dopamine hit is stronger. It stays fresh.
Psychologically, this is known as a variable ratio reinforcement schedule. It’s the same mechanism that makes gambling or checking social media so addictive. Because the reward (the joy of the activity) doesn't happen on a fixed schedule, your brain stays more engaged when it does happen.
The Guilt Gap
There is a dark side, though. We often use this phrase as a euphemism for "I'm failing at this."
- "Do you floss?" From time to time. (Translation: Only the morning of a dentist appointment.)
- "Do you call your mother?" From time to time. (Translation: I’m a bad son/daughter.)
- "Are you sticking to your diet?" From time to time. (Translation: I had a salad once in 2024.)
The phrase acts as a buffer against social judgment. It allows us to claim an identity—"I am a person who flosses"—without having to provide the data to back it up.
The Economic Value of the Occasional
In the business world, companies actually bank on the "from time to time" customer. This is the "occasional user" segment.
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Subscription models are the enemy of this phrase. Netflix and Spotify want you there every day. But think about a high-end restaurant or a boutique clothing store. They don't need you there every Tuesday. They need you to remember them from time to time and drop a significant amount of money when you do.
Marketing experts like Byron Sharp, author of How Brands Grow, argue that "light buyers" (the people who buy a brand only occasionally) are actually more important for a brand's growth than the small group of heavy loyals. Why? Because there are simply more of them. If you can get millions of people to buy your product from time to time, you win.
When "From Time to Time" Becomes a Legal Problem
You wouldn't think a casual phrase could land you in court, but it does. In contract law, "from time to time" is a "term of art." It’s used to give one party the power to change rules or prices without specifying when.
For example, a bank might state in your terms and conditions that they can "amend the interest rate from time to time." This sounds harmless. It isn't. It’s a legal loophole that allows for total unpredictability. Courts have had to step in and define what "reasonable" intervals are. If a company changes its terms every six hours, that’s not "from time to time"—that’s harassment.
If you see this phrase in a contract you’re about to sign, be careful. It means you are giving up the right to a fixed schedule. You are essentially saying, "I trust you to be fair," which is a dangerous thing to say to a corporation.
Making the Phrase Work for You
So how do we reclaim this? How do we stop using it as an excuse for failure and start using it as a tool for a better life?
The trick is intentionality. Instead of letting things happen from time to time by accident, schedule your "irregularities." This sounds like a contradiction. It’s not. It’s called "planned spontaneity."
Practical Steps for a Better "From Time to Time" Life
First, audit your "I should" list. We all have things we feel we should do daily but can't manage. Pick one. Maybe it's reading poetry or going for a long hike. Stop trying to make it a "daily habit." Decide that you will do it from time to time with zero guilt. This removes the "all or nothing" mentality that causes most people to quit entirely.
Second, use the phrase to reconnect. Send a "no-pressure" text to an old friend. "Hey, I think of you from time to time and hope you're doing well." It’s low-stakes. It doesn't demand a three-hour catch-up call. It just acknowledges a connection.
Third, watch for the phrase in your self-talk. If you find yourself saying you exercise from time to time, look at the actual data. Use a calendar. If "from time to time" actually means "once every six months," you aren't doing that thing. You’re just remembering that you used to do it.
Fourth, embrace the "Low-Frequency High-Value" (LFHV) model. Some things are better when they are rare. A steak dinner every night is a health hazard; a steak dinner from time to time is a celebration. Apply this to your spending and your treats.
The Philosophical Angle
Existentially, our entire lives are just a collection of things we did from time to time until we stopped doing them. We are not static beings. We are a series of events.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said you can't step into the same river twice. Because the river has changed, and you have changed. Every time you return to a habit or a person from time to time, you are a different version of yourself meeting a different version of that thing.
That’s the beauty of it. It’s not about the grind. It’s about the return.
Actionable Takeaways
- Check your contracts: Look for the phrase in your service agreements. If it’s there, know that you’ve signed away your right to a fixed schedule.
- Stop the "Daily" Obsession: Choose one activity you've been failing to do daily and re-classify it as a "from time to time" activity. Give yourself permission to be irregular.
- Audit your honesty: The next time you tell someone you do something "occasionally," ask yourself if that's true or if you're just protecting your ego.
- Use it for networking: Reach out to "weak ties" in your professional network by letting them know you follow their work from time to time. It's a powerful, low-pressure way to stay relevant.
Life doesn't have to be a perfect 24-hour cycle of optimized performance. Sometimes, the most important things are the ones we only do when the moment feels right.