Don't Look at the Clock

When meaning matters more than minutes

Last night after dinner, I pulled out my phone to check the time. My daughter caught me and asked, "Is it 8 o'clock yet?" – her bedtime. The question hit hard. I was already rushing to what's next.

We've gotten too good at being efficient. Every moment optimized, every block accounted for. When everything has a time limit, nothing has a chance to surprise us.

Last week, a founder came to pitch without slides or a deck. Just a clear vision of where the world was heading and three paths to get there. What was planned for 30 minutes turned into two hours. No one looked at the clock – we were too busy planning what could be.

Last month, I picked up my daughter early from school – no special occasion, just to get ice cream. She brings it up at dinner sometimes, grinning - not because of the ice cream, but because we did something different.

Even date nights with my wife have their time limits – babysitters need to get home. The real talks start right when we should be heading home.

I'm the person who shows up ten minutes early to everything. My calendar runs my life in 30-minute blocks. Being "on time" feels like winning. But trying to use every minute means we lost what matters.

This isn't about being careless with others' time. It's about knowing when the clock should take a backseat. Sometimes the best thing we can do is let someone else watch the time.

The next time you're with someone who matters, resist the urge to check the time. Good things happen when we forget about the clock.