Unconventional Ways We Measure Time
By Katie Mather
How long it takes for a piece of gum to lose its flavor.
Waiting for a YouTube ad to end.
Waiting for coffee to cool.
Time needed to warm cold coffee back up again to a drinkable temperature.
Making note of how many things you can do before your food delivery arrives.
The number of songs it takes to get from your apartment to the subway.
The number of songs it takes to get from the subway to your office.
Phone battery percentage.
The number of drinks before you feel comfortable.
The number of drinks before you feel too comfortable.
When to take Melatonin.
Pages left in a book.
Watching a small plant grow.
Netflix asking: “Are you still watching?”
The difference in how you get ready when you wake up late for work vs. when you have the whole afternoon and evening to get dressed for a party.
Time until shorts weather.
Time spent getting to know someone.
Time spent falling out of love with someone.
Time since the last time you wore that shirt.
Time since you last heard that song.
Time since you first watched that movie.
How long it takes for the Uber to arrive. (Do we need to go downstairs just yet? Do I have time to change quickly?)
The last time you were kissed.
The last time you changed your sheets.
Facebook “On This Day” memories.
How many magazines you can read during a layover.
The last text he sent.
The last time she called you.
TV show episode lengths.
Guessing how long it will take to walk there.
How quickly you can finish a pack of gum.
Barely used and totally forgotten tubes of chapstick in old winter coats.
Worrying if there are spiders inside your shoes because you haven’t worn them in a while.
Counting out daily contact lenses for a trip.
Guessing how long it will take to get over him.
How long it will actually take to get over him.
The time between meals.
What you were doing an hour ago.
What you were doing 24 hours ago.
What you were doing on this day, a week ago.
What you were doing on this day, a month ago.
What you were doing on this day, a year ago.