Monday 13 June 2011

Clockless, week one

Last week I carried on as normal with clocks and other time keeping devices, but kept an eye on how much I used them, and how I felt knowledge of the time was affecting me. 

I noticed that I do check the time a lot (although I was aware of that already - one of the reasons for doing this experiments) and I would be interested to know if that is a common affliction amongst the self employed? 

I also noticed that if I have an engagement later in the day - an afternoon meeting or a trip to the pub in the evening for example - I am very aware of the countdown of time until that point.  I tend to work backwards for afternoon and evening things; if I have to be in X at 6 and it takes me an hour to get there and half an hour to change out of my work clothes and gobble some toast then I have to stop work at half 4 and so on.  and I become very aware of the time, quite worried by it ticking past until the point when I must stop what I am doing. 

I worry a lot about time passing.

I am concerned by missing points in time when I should be doing something - a phone conversation scheduled for 1o'clock means I constantly check if I am late.

I over use my egg timer!  I set the timer when I am in the shower so as not not stay in there for ages by accident, I sometimes set it when I am on the internet, having lunch and so on.

I worry about not getting enough done for the amount of time spent doing it.

I like to know what time I am turning the light off at night and what time it is when I wake up (invariably before the alarm goes off)

I think I am obsessed!

Obviously there were points last week when knowing the time was very useful - getting the train, meeting a friend etc, and it would be very hard to live permanently without time-keeps but we shall see how it goes this week.

Last night before bed I scrambled the clock on my phone (it seems I cannot hide the clock on my phone so I set it for a random time)  Iphones have a kind of fruit machine thing for setting time and timers so I spun the hour and minute wheels and left it at whatever time it ended up on.
I hid the clock on my computer, took down the clocks around my flat and put them away and am stoicly ignoring my beloved egg timer!
I did have a small panic last night when I checked to see what time it was and had forgotten that I had scrambled the clock but woke up this morning quite happily and naturally and am now getting on with my day, without clocks.

1 comment:

  1. I consciously stopped wearing a watch years ago. My boyfriend is a clock collector, but most of his have the batteries taken out (per my request) so looking at them to read the time can be very disconcerting.

    Although most things we use include a clock (our phones, computers, cars etc...) and there is someone that can tell me what time it is... I find it comforting to not live under the beck and call of a clock. Once or twice a week I have to set an alarm, but that's it!

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