The value of time
As an interesting exercise, today I took my watch off for the day (insert gasps of shock and horror!) This may not be such a big deal to some people, but I’ve been attached to watches for many years! Not only am I a fan of the variety of styles and types available, I also like to keep my finger on the pulse so to speak when it comes to what I’m doing in a day!
Granted I’m on holidays at the moment so my schedule is not as busy as it normally is, but on the flip side you would think this is the best time to run such an exercise… not so, I discovered!
We rely so much on time, it’s hard to get by in a day when you don’t have easy access to a clock. What time is the bus? When do we have to be there? What time should I call you back? When you rely on time as much as I do, it’s a real eye opener when you spend a day trying to ignore it!
I lasted approximately an hour in my state of “not-knowing-time bliss” before realising we were meeting with some family that morning, and I wasn’t sure how long I had until we had to leave! And so the theme went on for the rest of the day. We had to be back by a certain time, we wanted to know when the movies were on, and so on and so on.. I discovered I spent much of the day asking everyone else what the time was, making the exercise a little pointless!
Or was it? I did come to a few realisations – firstly, I rely on time a lot more than I thought! Secondly, I’d like to try this again on a day that I have completely free – I think it would be nice to have days where I don’t worry about time so much! Thirdly, I really missed my watch!
How much of your life revolves around the time of day? Everything moves so fast these days it’s good to stop and relax once in a while without worrying so much about what time it is. Food for thought, anyway…
(By the way, my watch is off again today – take two!)
I’m so freaking lazy! A route to success with massive potential A life of Passion Go on, motivate me! E-books vs Real Books: What’s the verdict?
December 11th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi Ross: That’s funny, today I wrote about SARK and how she recommends that you hide all the clocks in your house for a day. Lance remarked in the comments section that he had a great experience at a weekend retreat where no watches and clocks were allowed, and I added that when I spend the weekend at the beach I usually ignore time pieces all together. We really need to reevaluate our relationship to watches and clocks.
Marelisa’s last blog post..Fun, Whimsical Gift Ideas for Creative People
December 11th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
@Marelisa – Hi, thanks for the comment… I’m going to take this up a notch when I get back and have dedicated days (particularly in my holidays) where I put the clocks away, I’ve decided! Even though my first day didn’t go so well, I can see the value in it. I’m also pleased to hear that others have had success with this – I’m sure it’s do-able, I just have to learn to stop looking at my wrist! Thanks for visiting…
December 11th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Hey Ross,
I can’t do without my watch too. I am even wearing it even when I am at home. I believe we are getting too attach to time, which is a good or bad thing?
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Vincent’s last blog post..Learn How To Get The Most Sincere Smile In 16 Minutes and 23 Seconds
December 11th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Unfortunately, too much of my life revolves around a clock. When you have a day-job, you don’t have much room for flexibility. Its even more the case now that I am working on a business and have recently taken up a writing project. Even on the weekends, I don’t think I know what its like not to know what time it is. I guess this is part of “paying my dues”, right?
I don’t have a watch because I haven’t found the type I want yet, but I am always checking the Blackberry!
December 11th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Hi Ross – I’ve not worn a watch in over three years. It’s very liberating. When you need to know what time it is, there is a clock on your computer, your stove, in your car, on the wall, in the cellphone. Time can be measured not in minutes, but accomplishments and experiences this way. I’m generally on time for appointments, but even some of those can be made flexible. People appreciate flexibility in others, and now I can extend that, as well.
Betsy Wuebker’s last blog post..ENDANGERED SPECIES – THE COURTEOUS DRIVER
December 11th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Ross – Strange, I was thinking about this on the way to work today (when I was stuck in traffic and feeling fed up about going to work). I was thinking that I always know what time it is and I think this is because I’m worried about being late or always making the most of my time.
Maybe it’s ‘time’ to stop worrying about time!
Chris (from Lifestyle Project)’s last blog post..Is the Productivity Movement Dying?
December 12th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Ross, this resonates with some of the work I’ve been doing lately. I’ve found that feeling hurried causes a lot of the worry and stress in my life. Hurrying to my next appointment, hurrying to meet a deadline, hurrying to make my business successful before we run out of money. When I just slow down, I stop worrying, which makes me both happier and more efficient! It’s ironic. (:
I’m going to try your experiment and cover up all the clocks in our apartment for a day this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks for the post!
Pace’s last blog post..Disconnect from what you don’t want.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Good for you for trying, Ross! My watches have been in my drawer for about fifteen years.
I’m with Betsy; there’s ALWAYS something available that will tell you the time. You needn’t feel the restriction of wearing “time.” Once you become used to it, you’ll be absolutely amazed how unencumbered you feel! I can’t imagine ever wearing one again.
Oh, btw, if you have access to the sun (some places are just too cloudy), you can start to gauge the general time of day by where the sun is. It’s an easy reference point for general info: yard chores, look up, see it’s early afternoon…you’ve another couple of hours before you need to think about getting dinner started… nice!
Julie’s last blog post.."A Flower for the World"
December 12th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Interesting idea. I’m one of those people who hasn’t worn a watch in well over six years. I do have a cell phone which I can check the time on, but when I’m going about my day I try to focus on the here and now and enjoy myself. After all right now will never happen again, if I’m to busy worrying about being on time for 5 minutes from now well life will pass me by.
Neil’s last blog post..7 Tips On Selecting An Investment Professional
December 13th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Hi Ross. I’m one of those in the category ‘haven’t worn a watch in years’. Discarding my watch was one of the two most liberating things I did in the last years (the other was getting rid of my TV). It was scary at first, especially as large elements of my days are scheduled. But I found there are so many clocks and watches around so I’m never far from being able to tell the time – if I choose. Took me about 6 months of habitually looking at the back of my wrist where my watch used to sit to realise how much time controlled me. I recommend it to everyone! Ian
Ian Peatey’s last blog post..Doomed to be violently entertained
December 14th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hi Ross,
I’m late to the party here – you’ll have to forgive me, it’s because I don’t wear a watch!!
On a more serious note – I don’t wear a watch, and haven’t for many years. That doesn’t mean I still don’t rely on time – with work, kids activities, and meetings – time is very important. And yet, I really enjoy being without a watch, so that “when” I don’t need to value a specific time as much, I can feel more carefree. I really don’t think I can ever go back to wearing a watch. I see Marelisa mentioned about a retreat I was on – and there we no clocks whatsoever. Very strange at first, yet we all adjusted and time just kind of flowed as needed.
So, I’m all for taking the watch off, and just spending some time soaking up the moments of our lives, with less focus on what the time is at “this exact moment”… Good luck with your experiment Ross!
Lance’s last blog post..Kindness Comes In Small Gestures
December 14th, 2008 at 8:57 am
@Vincent – Yep, I’m so used to it also that I think it’s gonna take some time to wind down!
@Carla – I know where you’re coming from! I find it really hard to ditch the ‘time mentality’, it’s so ingrained… I think a key might be having ‘days off’ so to speak..
@Betsy – Wow, 3 years! I’m amazed… well done! I think I would miss my watch too much if I went longer than a few days!
@Chris – howdy! Yeah, I think that’s a lot like me… I was thinking about how much I rely on time when I wrote the article! Sometimes it’s a good thing to be organised, but other times I wish I could just relax a whole lot more!
December 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
@Pace – Hi there.. Will be interested to see how you went – as I mentioned, I struggled on my first attempt! Good luck.
@Julie – Wow, I’m amazed to hear about people who are able to get by for so long without wearing a watch! The sun thing works well for things like lunch etc, not so good for movie times unfortunately! Thanks for commenting..
@Neil – Hi, thanks for commenting. I like how you mention ‘right now will never happen again’. Reminds me of a quote along similar lines, something like ‘the most important time in your life is right now’ – good to remember to make the most of things.
@Ian – Another person who is able to make do without a watch! I’m getting good at looking at the back of my wrist also, not sure how long I can keep it up for! My problem is not only that I’m hooked on ‘time keeping’, I also love watches!
@Lance – welcome! It’s great to hear different people’s ideas and experiences with time, particularly because it makes up so much of our lives. I’m amazed you’ve managed for so long without a watch! Thanks for commenting..
December 15th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Hey Ross,
Looks like this was a timely subject for everyone. Okay, my very small attempt at humor, I won’t quit my day job. Which brings me to the actual comment.
I refuse to live by a clock on the weekends. I am required to clock watch all day every day during the work week. Time constraints stress me out so, no, not when I don’t have to.
Dee Langdon – BloggerNewbie’s last blog post..Do All Parent’s Want A “Do Over”?
December 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
This is a great discussion here on a great post. I’ll add to the stories of loving NOT wearing a watch. I haven’t worn on for years. Nor do I have a cell phone and so obviously I can’t check it for time.
It’s been liberating to NOT always have the time and it’s also trained me to track time and value time much more. I can sense how long something is without checking and that forces me to recognize when I’m wasting time much easier as well.
I wore a watch for a couple days a few weeks ago for a number of business meetings that I thought I might NEED it at and at the end of the second day, I was asked for the time, and I realized my watch was several hours off. Clearly I had not actually needed it!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
@Blogger – Hey there.. So weekends are out, hey? Sounds like an interesting idea… Makes me think about mobile phones etc – I wonder if people are more inclined to switch theirs off etc as well as getting rid of clocks on weekends?!
@Mike – Great to hear your experiences with this! Sounds like you’ve got the no-watch thing down pat…
December 17th, 2008 at 1:14 am
An interesting topic, Ross.
I don’t wear a watch too, like many of people here. It is not that I do not appreciate time, I just do not want to look at my watch too much. It is uncomfortable for me. Beside I can also see the time on my handphone.
Arswino’s last blog post..Bend, but Don’t Break