The Reason Why My Life is Better Without a Watch

I don’t own a watch or a calendar

My life used to be super planned. Every minute was organized. I would not leave the bed without having a watch on. And my calendar was always in my handbag. With all my appointments and meetings I had to be reminded of.

Being a young girl growing up in Germany I had way too many things on my schedule. But now, I don’t have either of it. I don’t own a watch. I don’t own a calendar or anything where I can write appointments down. And I don’t have stress. Ever.

Background

In my teens and the years of university, I had an extremely organized lifestyle. I did manage them all. All my appointments. I was never late for an appointment, a meeting with friends, a sports lesson, or any other event.

I had my life planned through. By myself. My watch and my calendar were my life. I would have been lost if I forgot them somewhere. I could have left the house without my phone but not without these two items.

My life was a way to be busy. Even though I loved my life back then. I loved organizing and managing things. Because I was good at it. I could fit so many things into one day. People admired me. My mom said I should become a manager. Of something. Or someone.

But looking back at it — I never took a break to breathe. Even my holidays were planned. I had beach volleyball sessions, excursions, and market days on my schedule. It sounds ridiculous. But that was my life.

If you asked me then I would have said I was happy. I was living a happy life. But I am very glad I am living a different life now. Which is a happier life. A more conscious life. In my eyes at least.

How Africa changed my way of thinking

And then it happened. I decided to go to Africa. Without a plan. And I left without my watch. And without my calendar. But instead, I took a diary with me. And lots of time. Lots of time without any schedules.

I learned to stop worrying about time. I learned to not calculate how long you have been waiting for a bus. I learned to wake up with the sunrise and go to be when I’m tired. I learned to listen to my body.

I traveled far and too different countries. I met various people who always had time to talk to me, to show me the way or give me a lift. None of them were ever in a hurry when I got somewhere.

Even though I struggled in the beginning I did learn to deal with not having control over the time passing.

I learned to relax.

I learned to let go of all the stress and worries. Worries about getting somewhere in time. You get there when you get there. It won’t change a single thing if you sit stressed out in a bus staring at your watch and trying to make the bus driver go faster so you will make your meeting on time.

Nobody was ever upset when I was late for any event in Ghana. The first country I visited. They were glad I arrived. Whenever I arrived. They were glad I arrived safely. And they didn’t care I was being an hour late. Because so what?

Writing

It obviously took some time. It took some time to get used to it. It took some time to change my mindset. It took some time until I learned to relax.

But then I turned into a different person. I did smile more often. I did start to write and I did start to write a lot. On a daily basis. And I realized how much I actually do enjoy writing.

Previously I had only been writing down appointments and meetings. Now I was writing down words. Full sentences. I was writing down my thoughts. I was sharing my thoughts with family and friends and soon a much larger audience.

I enjoyed communicating with the loved ones and with strangers too. I enjoyed exchanging experiences and points of view on various topics. I learned a lot about cultures and time in different cultures. The value of time.

And I forgot about time.

I grew up in a place where I was taught to do the most with my time. To be productive and successful by planning and managing the time to perfection.

Now I did learn to live the time I was given. To make memories and share them with others. I learned to worry less about when I would get somewhere but put instead more attention to how I got there and the fact that I got there.

“The path is the goal.” — Buddhist Saying

Time spent traveling from A to B

While I used to see cars, buses, trains, and flights as a way to get from one location to another I did understand now that there is way more behind a journey. It is not just about getting there. It’s about which route you take. It’s about the people you meet along the way. It’s about the conversations you have. And it’s about living your life.

I don’t spend time staring at my watch calculating when I will arrive at my destination but instead I spent time perceiving my surrounding. I watch people and admire the architecture or nature.

The change in the mindset

I learned the meaning of the word gratitude and I learned how to live it. To be thankful for the time I have. I learned the meaning of quality time. Quality time is important for your mental health. To manage to relax and embrace the moment.

And now, six years later, I am back in Germany. Without a watch. Without a calendar. I have a job with irregular working hours. And yet. I don’t have a calendar and I don’t need one. I have the time in my head. The time I have to be at work the next day. Because that is all that counts. The immediate future. I don’t care about the rest.

But I also give myself time to get to work. Because I am cycling to work. And I want to have time to listen to the birds singing. I want to have time to watch the deer disappearing in the forest. And I want to have time to stop and pick some berries along the way.

Because it’s not just about getting there. It’s about how I get there. I might get there sweaty. But I definitely get there smiling. And I feel much better after a quick shower. I have so much energy to start working and face the challenges given to me.

This is why I still don’t have a watch. And I don’t look on my phone to check the time. I don’t need to know what time it is.

If I meet up with friends they gotta be spontaneous because I don’t plan weeks ahead. That would just add unnecessary stress to my brain. Having something on my schedule that I need to remember. And most of my friends cope with it. We always find a way to meet or chat.

Mainly because I have more time than I used to have. Because I have fewer appointments and fewer commitments. I am the one being more flexible.

And that is why I won’t buy a calendar again. So that I can’t fill my life with unnecessary burdens.

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse