How Digital Devices Quietly Take Control of Our Time

How long has it been since you picked up your phone and, without intending to, saw the time staring back at you? How often do alarms and notifications tell you it’s time to join a meeting, leave for an appointment or even take the chicken out of the oven? Whether we notice it or not, we are surrounded by constant reminders of time on our phones, laptops, tablets and even our watches.

This hasn't always been the case. A century ago, very few people knew the exact time at any given moment. Personal watches were rare, and most relied on public signals, such as the church bell, the town clock or even the position of the sun, to orient their day. Time was something you experienced more loosely, often anchored in events rather than precise minutes.

My research on scheduling styles (Avnet & Sellier, 2011; Sellier & Avnet, 2014) identifies two broad ways people relate to time. Some individuals rely on external cues, clocks, alarms and schedules to guide when they start, stop and transition between tasks. I refer to them as clock-timers. Others rely more on an internal sense of completion. They begin a task when it feels appropriate and move on when it feels finished. These are event-timers.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.