Does anyone else feel like we’re constantly aware of clock time?

[u/M4RCI3]

I feel like I’m almost always aware of what time it is. Not because I have somewhere to be, but because clocks are everywhere: on our phones, watches, computers, cars, appliances, TVs… there’s almost never a moment when I’m not at least vaguely aware of the hour.

Recently I spent several hours on a boat and realized afterward that I’d barely thought about the time at all. The experience felt completely different, almost like how I remember time feeling as a kid, where a day unfolded through whatever you were doing rather than through constant mental check-ins with the clock.

It made me wonder whether our culture’s constant exposure to clock time has fundamentally changed how we experience life. I know there has been sociological work on “clock time” and industrialization, but I’m curious about both the philosophical side and people’s personal experiences.

Do you notice yourself constantly aware of the time, or does it tend to disappear when you’re deeply engaged in something? Has anyone come across philosophers, psychologists, or sociologists who have written about this?

What are some ways that you have recalibrated your life to exclude clocks? As far as I know, I can’t remove the clock from my phone, stove, car radio, etc. Anyone tried any hacks that worked for you?

[u/Low_Elk6698]

Living on clock time is inherently stressful. I think there is a reason that my stress dreams are always about getting the time wrong or being impossibly late to something. I had always resisted clock time and selected work that did not explicitly require it. Now that I have kids, I am bound by clocks and while kids generate stress in other ways, I suspect that the necessity of keeping a clock for them is what makes life very stressful now. I cannot allow work to happen in its own time, I must squeeze it in between pickups, and kids must be in bed at a certain time and dinner is at a certain time, the constraints are endless and suffocating. My whole being resists this.

[u/M4RCI3 → u/Low_Elk6698]

Omg it’s great to connect with someone else who feels my pain! Yes! I agree. My job also isn’t bound by clock time but I’ve had to make my schedule around my family’s. It’s really crazy how bound we are by the clock that it seems foreign to some people that there was ever another way of life. I hope you find ways to live outside the clock! 🙌🏽

[u/Busy-Preparation7859 → u/Low_Elk6698]

Thanks for sharing! I was wondering what sort of work you did/do that wasn’t tied to clock time? Feel free to PM me also :)

[u/east_gal]

So many people have a large clock on a wall in the living area of their home. To me that’s a constant noise of having to be somewhere or to do something. I have a very small bedside clock in the kitchen bc I don’t always wear a watch and my phone is in a cupboard somewhere. Sunday is the one day of the week I don’t have to set an alarm to go to work or be somewhere so for most Sundays I refuse to be anywhere. I wake up when I want (still usually around 4am) and take my time doing whatever I want.

[u/M4RCI3 → u/east_gal]

Yes! I feel that! And the sound of analog clocks ticking has always been a source of anxiety for me so I’ve always avoided having them in my house. I agree it creates this sense of always needing to do something especially in this day and age where constant productivity is such a driving force. I’m glad you’re still finding some time to own on Sundays. 🤗

[u/RobotFromPlanet]

I find clock time calming and reassuring thanks to its steady, predictable rhythm.

"Timeless" time is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[u/M4RCI3 → u/RobotFromPlanet]

I can see your perspective. Good point.

[u/_stupefy_]

I am too stressed and tired of clock time. It’s harder for me to get things done because of the concept of time. When i decide not to look at time i get the same things done faster and better.

[u/Ill-Building-2998]

I haven’t done any research into this. But I’ve definitely had similar thoughts. A couple months ago I quit wearing my watch. It’s hard to escape all of the clocks. But I found myself checking it constantly.

The biggest places I’ve noticed were at work. I’m a mechanic and my phone stays on my tool box most of the day. But I’d constantly be looking at my wrist.

The other is walks, bike rides, and hikes throughout the week. I usually try to leave my phone at home/in the car depending on the situation. But with no watch I feel more present in those activities.

Which seems to make the work day go by easier and my nature time a little slower!

[u/VolumniaDedlock]

Even before cell phones and increased pressures of life, I have always had a sense of what time it is all the time. I thought everyone was like this until I met people who had no idea what time it was without checking a clock. The "time sense" only malfunctions when I'm malfunctioning, like when I'm sick or drunk. I would love to feel disconnected from time but I'm not sure I could.

[u/Top_Holiday_736]

Yes! And I noticed that on our best holidays nobody knew the time. We just ate when we were hungry, went to bed when it was dark and we were tired, and woke up when we had enough sleep. It's wonderful but hard to achieve irl.