On the clock
When did time start running my life?
It’s time to go.
Four words, so simple. And utter mom spin to a 6-year-old child who’s smart enough to call shenanigans on this word her parents use to move her from place to place. What is time, anyway, Mom, she might as well say. My child—and yours, and every child you know—operates on event time. Meaning, she’s governed by social events, not by the time of day. And not by someone else’s arbitrary schedule.
My daughter sprang to mind when I read Pien Huang’s story “In Praise of Being Late: The Upside of Spurning the Clock” on NPR’s website earlier this month. I saw someone else in that story, too. Me. The clock person. My daughter’s antithesis.
Former journalist, former cook, current solopreneur, owner of an Apple Watch, fan of alarm clocks, user of an interval timer with many saved timers built in for running and strength training. Calendar dependent. Someone who just started calling doctors and dentists in the United States to make appointments for July and August, for when we return from a year living overseas. Hey, these folks book up!
Huang’s story reminded me that perhaps my daughter and I should build some skills meeting somewhere in the middle. Moderating to live sometimes by event time and sometimes by clock time. There’s a time and a place for both, at home and in the workplace.
“If you're a clock[-timer], you're basically surrendering the control of your life to an external mechanism,” says Tamar Avnet, chair of the marketing department at Yeshiva University in New York City. That runs counter to a commonly held belief that people who are punctual consider themselves masters of time.
On the other hand, people who live by event timing might be viewed as rude, inconsiderate, or uncaring when they fail to show up on time, respond to emails or other communications in a timely manner, or don’t seem to meet benchmarks on projects.
The key, Huang’s sources say, is give and take and appreciation for different styles and what they bring to personal and professional relationships. Thank goodness we’re not all running on the clock and that we’ve got colleagues, friends and children reminding us that ideas, inspiration, and beauty often disregard the hands of time. And vice versa. Together, we can get it done. Even if one of us is walking to school as slowly as possible and the other keeps sneaking glances at her Apple Watch.