WE MAYBE HAVE BEEN RELYING TOO MUCH ON DIGITAL
I have always been thinking that time was just the pip sound after every pomodoro, was just the moments I wait for the oven, was just the classes I have to take, was just the deadlines I have to catch up, was just the alarm every morning. All of these “was just”, because time in the end was just a few numbers showing up on my phone screen after a single tap.
It gets worse in this time when I have much less appointments with other people, but spending all day inside, all on my own. It feels like I have all day long for just myself, but I am still way behind deadlines. Time management is not equal “I have the whole day” plus “I don’t have time for a call with my mom” or “I don’t have time for this reading assignment”.
Somehow, I have the whole day, but I still don’t have enough time to do so many other things I would like to. I assume many of us struggle with the same problem.
I did not even realize that I have not had the time-feeling for quite a while already, until I got myself a clock on my desk lately, an analog one, with 3 handles going around a middle point.
Anh-Hoang
I FORGOT HOW TIME PASSES BY, UNTIL IT WAS NOT ANYMORE A DIGITAL DIGIT, BUT THE ROUNDS RUNNING IN FRONT OF MY EYES.
Anh-Hoang
Having an analog clock next to my laptop
… I was surprised how fast time actually goes by, how many minutes can be wasted, as of “just one more video” on YouTube. I was surprised how much more I can actually be productive with pomodoro.
I was surprised that in the end, being productive was just not taking time for granted and really treasure the time you have for good sakes. Being productive was also to remind yourself of the real reasons why you have come all along to get to this point, in this country, where punctuality was used to describe everyone around you and was considered to be a national character. It was even shaped in the language itself: in English and many other languages, asking about time would be just for the time as a number; while in German, asking about time was “How late it is”.
Time is like muscle, the more you can squeeze, the more it can grow. Try not to say “I dont have time for something” passively, try to get yourself a mindset of wanting to spend time on doing something actively.
So today, get yourself a clock, an analog one, and put the real time you have on the rounds of the handles, actively!
How does the author describe their experience of time passing differently with the analog clock compared to digital devices? Regard Telkom University
Hey Hoang Anh, I had to write a comment to your post for my english homework but nevertheless I thought I will share it with you: I really enjoyed reading your blog post "Get yourself a clock“. I am from Germany and you saying that punctuality is a word to describe everyone here got me laughing because this prejudice definitely does not apply to many Germans I know. I agree with your experiences and your thought about time "time being just a number for deadlines“ but furthermore being home all day during a global pandemic kind of changed my view of time. You wrote "Somehow, I have the whole day, but still don‘t have enough time to do so many other things I would like to.“ and this describes exactly how I feel. Instead of using the free time and doing my homework right away, I stay on my phone thinking I‘ve enough time to do them later or I start doing them and take a short break for a few minutes which turns out as an at least one hour break. Of course there are also productive days when I do everything I have to and going to sleep on these days feels so much better. But why don‘t I treasure the time every day and be productive? Due to the fact that I have already an analog clock I can‘t share your experience about being more productive than with a digital watch. But maybe I will buy myself a smaller one to put it next to my laptop, just like you did. I liked your blog post and I will think about it the next time I have to manage my free time. Furthermore I am looking forward reading more of you because your blogs are helpful to me. :)
Hi Finja, thank you very much for your sincere words and it surprised me a lot, that your english homework is to write a comment to my blog! I love the way you interpret my text and share your experiences on them. I'd love to connect more with you on Instagram and you can find me at @halloanh_ or @blackink.pages Last but not least, just call me Anh and sure, I will continue writing! <3 Yours,