Comment by rhdunn

My theory behind this is that when you encounter something new/novel it is distinct enough to remember -- where you were when you learned of 9/11; the days around the start of covid/lockdowns; being in a car accident; getting married; etc..

However, when you experience the same thing repetitively -- having breakfast; getting ready for school/work/etc. -- it doesn't make sense for your brain to remember each of these events as distinct events but to mush them together into a single or combined memory. This may be due to how the brain indexes/references memories and that memories with the same references get combined together.

This is also partly why time appears to go faster when you get older -- the same day-to-day events blend together but the key milestones (holidays, etc.) stick out.