A little over a week ag while traveling, my watch battery died. I took the watch off and made a mental note to get the battery replaced when I got home. I still haven’t and, after about 10 days, have no plans to ever wear a watch again.
Being Present
I’m a self-centered enough person without also having to worry about time. Trust me, with a watch on my wrist, I probably check the time way more than necessary. Without the watch, I find myself constantly amazed by two things over the last week or so.
First, I’m far more present in each situation. I’m not worrying about my next phone call or next appointment. For the truly important ones, I can set reminders in other places; like my cell phone. The cell phone, by the way, either stays in my pocket or is on the table top next to me upside down. Just the other day, I met a friend for a business coaching session. About 30 minutes into the session, I had to ask her how much time we had left. What a liberating feeling that I wasn’t the one worried about the time! It’s about letting go.
Second, you begin to realize how little time really matters. Last night, we went out with friends on their boat. Once the sun went down, I really had no idea what time it was. At some point, it hit me that I didn’t care. Sure, I had my phone with me and even used it to send a few tweets. Strangely, I never looked at it to see what time it was. I actually had no idea what time it was until we got in our car and I realized four hours had flew by. It was an awesome feeling, knowing I’d fully enjoyed and appreciated that time.
Live in the here and now
Giving up a watch, and thus the shackles of time, is about living in the here and now. It’s about being present with the project or the people you have committed to spend time with. Trust me, you’ll figure out when it’s time to move on. You really don’t need a watch. There are many other indicators of time that surround you each day; like the sun coming up and going down.