How well do you keep track of time?
I have often realized over the course of my life just how bad I am at keeping track of time in the long run.
I will often tell someone something that includes a time frame, only to later realize that I was wrong by a fairly large margin.
This is a little strange to admit, but I don’t even know the months of the year. I know its January February, something with an ‘M’ either may or march, then April, then blah blah blah December. I have managed to learn to speak 5 languages in my life, and am working on my 6th. I have learned how to program computers, and have managed to remember very long strings of numbers and other bits of info with ease, but try as I may, I have never been able to learn the months of the year.
This is something I dislike, as I find it makes me look like I tell lies, Ill tell someone I have been at a job for 6 months when I have really only worked there for 4 or almost worked there a full year, and get dates wrong all the time.
So I was wondering, how well do you keep track of time in the long run?
Also, if you are good at it, how do you achieve being good at it?
My short term is fine, if I tell someone I will be there at 5pm Ill be there by 4:50pm, but remembering and keeping track of how much time has passed in the long run is almost impossible for me.
Any advice?
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14 Answers
Normally, I don’t bother keeping track of time. But the funny thing is that I can wake up without an alarm. My body is programmed to wake up at 08.00 so I can get to work by 09.00, and is pretty consistent about it. The only time my internal clock fails me is when I stay up too late. Then I over sleep and miss the bus and have to drive to work (which is a major pain where I live).
Learn Japanese. You’ll love the way they name the months
Jan: Ichigatsu (1 month)
Feb: Nigatsu (2 month)
Mar: Sangatsu (3 month)
Apr: Shigatsu (4 month)
May: Gogatsu (5 month)
Jun: Rokugatsu (6 month)
Jul: Shichigatsu (7 month)
Aug: Hachigatsu (8 month)
Sep: Kugatsu (9 month)
Oct: Juugatsu (10 month)
Nov: Juuichigatsu (11 month)
Dec: Juunigatsu (12 month)
The rule is simple and there are no exceptions. The math is real easy, too. Quick! How many months from April to October? Oh…...I don’t know . But in Japanese the question becomes “How many months from 4 month to 10 month? Easy! It’s 6!
@LuckyGuy I actually know a little Japanese, and can count 1 to 10, I did not know they list their months like that, that is actually very nice, If only everyone else knew Japanese I could solve my dilema :P
Depends on what I am doing. At work yes. At home no. I didn’t wear a watch for the longest time because I didn’t need to be ruled by the clock. If I recall correctly, I did usually have a good sense of where I was in the day.
Now, if I am engrossed in a task I can totally lose track of time. Hours can fly by and I even forget to eat. Other times, when I don’t want to do something, I clock watch.
I am fairly good at keeping track of time in my own life, but not of events. I was stunned to realize that this will be (In October) the 10-year anniversary of the D.C. sniper killings.
As for how to keep track of things in time, I would say note events on a calendar for the year. Like: Started work at X company. Then keep access to that calendat where you can glance at it.
Goodness I am a goose, read the rest of your Q @poisonedantidote and I am hopeless at that. Seems like Christmas 2010 was just here and it is now Feb 2012. Things are just flying by. I use a calendar all the time for everything at work and social events. It is the only way I can keep track.
I know it isn’t but it really does feel as if time is going faster and faster the older I get.
It depends if I’m really into whatever it is I’m doing. It can get away from me pretty easy if I’m “in the zone” and then realize it’s too late to get to the bank to make my deposit…oh shit. I’m self employed so by nature I really need to know how long things take to do so I use my work progress to gage how much time has elapsed but it is all based on estimates anyway so when in doubt I dig out my phone and check the time. On the toughies, I pad my responses with a best guess at the time and let others know I could be off and then there’s the old “I don’t remember” and the ever more easy to admit “I don’t know.” Then there are the completely unrelated cues that help keep things sort of straight. I don’t question why a certain event would trigger recall as long as it works all the time. If I over analyze this it may disable the ah- ha moment forever and then I’d be screwed. If you get old and look like shit like I do, you tend to get a pass from most people anyway. Not really a worthwhile benefit if I had the choice btw.
I’m really bad at it, so I’m afraid I can’t be much help. Calendars are good for keeping track of when things happened, and I try to always keep my resume current so I don’t have to guess about dates of employment.
I’m really, really good. I have some sort of magic clock in me that lets me be able to tell what time it is, within 5 minutes, even if I haven’t seen a clock for hours. I don’t wear a watch. Don’t need one. I already know what time it is!
Me thinks maybe I didn’t read the question closely enough but o well. I just felt like bragging so I’ll let it stay! :)
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