This is a clock that hangs in Bossy’s office. It’s from the Netherlands, it cost a pile of money, and its habit is to stretch and recoil 14 carat arms across the workday. Which is to say: Bossy still doesn’t know what time it is:
Luckily Bossy has a method of knowing the time, so she is never late. You see, Bossy thinks about time as a series of one-minute packets:
In this way, getting dressed takes two packets, and walking to the train takes ten packets — and checking oneself into a mental institution takes approximately fifty packets.
Once you understand that life’s events take place in a series of one-minute packets, all that remains is to make certain you calibrate your inner Timex to know the meaning of one minute.
Bossy will wait. Close your eyes and feel one minute.
Now that you understand a minute, give yourself a challenge. Glance at the time before embarking on a task — and after a while ask yourself, how many minutes have passed?
Resist the urge to be all, “Duh doing dishes takes ten minutes.”
Only when you have mastered the minute packet will you be able to accurately predict how long something will take, and understand how to leave yourself enough time to accomplish that task. Otherwise known as Part ll.
Don’t be late!
If you enjoyed this post about time, click the following link to read Bossy’s review of the worst time in American History according to a book with the weird title, The Worst Hard Time.
Or click this link to read Bossy’s story Once Upon A Time.
Or perhaps you think it’s time for another episode of Art Appreciation With Bossy.
Lynda M O says
June 28, 2013 at 8:42 pmtime passages.
time in a bottle.
what the hell time is it where you work again ?~!
Kizz says
June 28, 2013 at 8:55 pmIn my head days are the squares on an old school desk blotter calendar. I’ve got x squares until Blogher.
Dan says
June 29, 2013 at 8:10 amMaking lunch -4 packets
Making the bed-4 packets
Making out- 5 packets
Making love- 2 packets
Making up- 10 packets
Am I getting the hang of it?
Charlie says
June 29, 2013 at 8:25 amAh, “The Edward Scissorhands” — the first clock built from a Swiss army knife and a set of garden sheers.
bossysMom says
June 29, 2013 at 9:01 amPackets…..I love a visual. I’m1 packets late right now.
Little Miss Sunshine State says
June 29, 2013 at 9:49 amBossy made my brain hurt.
bossysMom says
June 29, 2013 at 10:10 amAnd….that is ONE cockamamie clock.
KathyB says
June 29, 2013 at 10:22 amNote : Bossy’s work clock, merely an example of kinetic art in place of a clock. Now I feel better. I keep many clocks around. Most have variations of a packet or two. The car clock is two packets fast. Watch is close to true packet time. I tend to trust my phone clock and kindle clock and computer clock more than the others. Respect for electronic authority? Nah, just easy to check and accept.
Jack Reacher sets his internal clock to wake up to do his Reacherly things in Lee Child world. Makes me smile as I have no innate sense of time and always set an alarm if I need to be precise instead of late.
Thank you, Bossy.
Cupcake Murphy says
June 29, 2013 at 10:52 amCupcake loves how Bossy thinks.
zidia says
June 29, 2013 at 11:14 am9:22 and 40 seconds (picture 1)
zidia says
June 29, 2013 at 11:15 ameastern standard time!!
Bruce Amiata says
June 29, 2013 at 3:53 pmBossy is lucky – her packets are only 60 seconds long. Myself, I have a packet size of 30 *minutes* – nothing can be accomplished in under one packet of time.
It’s a difficult life, but perhaps I can freeze my packets in liquid nitrogen and smash them up into smaller pieces. It would make for a more fluid lifestyle.
Alexandra says
June 29, 2013 at 7:00 pmI’m 24 times 60 packets LATE reminding you that yesterday was a special person’s birthday:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000131/?ref_=sr_1
But you probably knew that.
BSTBEH says
June 30, 2013 at 3:02 pmSanta never brought me enough of those packets.
Jenn @ Juggling Life says
June 30, 2013 at 8:27 pmAs long as your system works, because I have about 2 packets worth of patience for people that are late.
Liz in Virginia says
July 1, 2013 at 9:38 amIt always sames to be late fifteen at my house . . . .
Janice says
July 2, 2013 at 11:14 amLove, love, love that clock! What’s it called or who makes it so I can start Googling.
Mona (Moxie-Dude) says
July 2, 2013 at 3:24 pmI think we could put FOOD in those packets. Not peanuts because too many people have allergies, but maybe Chicklets gum. Then we could double-check our time with the number of chews something takes. Would that work?
Hari says
July 2, 2013 at 3:56 pmI like that you tell the time with sanitary towels. Did y’know, that prolonged use of STs will make you crave chocolate and get angry? Stick to a low dose.
Jenny says
July 2, 2013 at 11:33 pmI would always be late with a clock like that! Love your writing style and way of thinking. Now I just need to figure out how many packets it took to comment. 🙂
Cactus Petunia says
July 4, 2013 at 9:57 pmI only measure time in the white packets, since I’ve heard the other ones are bad for you…maybe that’s why I’m always late!
Heather Peter says
July 24, 2013 at 11:58 amLove it! The idea of using packets as a visual for accuratly telling time is genius. I am one that tends to ride in at the last minute numerously throughout the week. I think maybe if I master the art of an accurate minute through a packet. This just cracks me up. I am going to send this link to my mother she is always late for everything, I mmean EVERYTHING!