I feel like there is more here however. If our perception of time is manipulable (e.g. flow states, psychedelics, confabulation), how do we use that knowledge to perceive having lived a more enjoyable life?
Is it mastery over self-delusion? Does undivided attention on the passage of time contribute to well-being? What resources would you recommend to learn more (e.g. science? Eastern philosophy? etc.)
I think this is also a construct of the simulating mind. It is simply a thought (or series of thoughts) that leads you to "perceive" that your past was enjoyable. This thought passes and once it has, there is no concept of your past. Of course this thought might come back again.
I would suggest rather than hoping you can live a life in which you regularly perceive your past as enjoyable, simply observe the fact that you are thinking this thought.
> Is it mastery over self-delusion?
I am not sure what you mean by this.
> Does undivided attention on the passage of time contribute to well-being?
In my experience, definitely yes.
> What resources would you recommend to learn more (e.g. science? Eastern philosophy? etc.)
This is a hard one to answer I think. (Good) Science I think won't lead you astray. Eastern philosophy has so much to offer I think, but there is also a lot of nonsense that you probably should be careful to avoid. I think you have to use your common sense when judging. Does it make sense to you? Does it correspond with your experience, or is someone simply asking you to believe something? (This of course is the scientific process.) BTW, these ideas are not confined to Eastern philosophy, similar ideas were philosophised in the West.
There is so much written about these ideas so I couldn't give you the canonical source of it all. One thing that I probably should mention is meditation. It seems to be the one common denominator. The way I see it, is it's the exercise that practically helps change the way you see, think and act.
If you want some concrete recommendations I am happy to suggest some, but I find it's often more helpful for people to discover what resonates with them.
It took time to adjust to this. It only really hit me how frequently I had looked at the time when I constantly caught myself looking at the empty spot on the wall where the clock had been. I realized I'd look at the clock to decide if I should eat, instead of listening to my body's needs as I should be. I'd look at the clock to decide if I should sleep, instead of how tired I felt. Etc. Living without clocks has made me more aware of my self.
One experiment I did was installing an app on my phone that vibrates it every 10 minutes or so. It was interesting observing how the passage of time changed depending on circumstance. When e.g. waiting for a bus, the phone took ages to vibrate. When out drinking with friends, it seemed to vibrate constantly.