Tick Tick: A Journey with My Watch

Hello, everyone!

Before I dive into today’s story, for those who don’t know, I own a CASIO A158W—an affordable, practical timepiece that has been with me for quite some time. I have this habit of setting my watch 2-5 minutes ahead, and it’s something that started back when I was a kid. My mom, a primary school teacher, used to set our home clock 10-15 minutes fast. I didn’t understand why until much later.

Growing up, my sister and I would always rush to get ready for school, often cutting it close. Our auto rickshaw uncle would wait a few minutes, and if we weren’t ready, we’d have to wait for the second trip, which wasn’t ideal. My mom, being the only teacher in her village school with 20-25 students, had her hands full—preparing food, getting us ready, and hurrying off to teach. She would set the clock ahead so we unknowingly rushed and were always ready earlier than needed.

The Realization

One day, when the clock battery died and Mom asked me to change it, I realized what had been happening all along. Even though I knew, it didn’t change much—mornings were still a battle. But as I grew older, I started cutting down that buffer from 15 minutes to just 2-5 minutes.

Today, I want to talk about how those extra 2 minutes can actually make a difference. I’m an early riser, and I usually wake up without an alarm. However, sometimes, after a late-night binge-watching session, I wake up around 7:30 or 8:00 AM. I check the news, finish my morning routine, and head to the office. Typically, it takes 5-10 minutes to get a ride on Rapido, Uber, or Ola. But on about 20% of the days, I find myself running all three apps simultaneously, hoping for a ride. After waiting for nearly 30 minutes, I finally get a rider, and the journey takes another 15-20 minutes. By the time I arrive at the office, it’s already 9:30, and I’m worried I won’t be able to punch in on time. But guess what? My watch is set 2 minutes ahead, and I manage to win that battle.

Another instance was on a Friday when I had a train to catch to Mysuru at 5:45 PM. It was 4:30, and I knew it would take me almost an hour to reach the station. Unfortunately, due to heavy traffic, I was delayed, and by the time I arrived, it was 5:40 PM. But again, my watch saved me. I didn’t realize at the time that I could book regular tickets on my phone, so those few extra minutes made a world of difference.

These are just a couple of examples of how my watch has saved me and given me a sigh of relief in many situations. Of course, there are times when it’s frustrating—like when I make plans, and some friends are always late. Or when people say they don’t have time always, I’m reminded of a quote

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to.” - Lao Tzu

This resonates deeply with me, especially when we make excuses for not starting something, like going to the gym.

The Conclusion

For me, setting my watch ahead is better than delaying things I genuinely want to do.

Written by me, corrected by ChatGPT

Thank you for reading! Leave your thoughts in the comments section—I’d love to hear your experiences and how you manage your time.