I'm not shy about doling out life advice on this site, and I'm a firm believer that at the end of our lives we regret the things we didn't do far more than the things we did. If there's one standard bit of advice I've given on WSO since day one, it has to be to leave it all on the field. Obviously, this resonates with you guys. One of the most popular posts I've ever written on WSO was 27,394 Days (so popular it became a chapter in my book) which deals with our ever dwindling supply of time and how to best spend it.
So I was pretty excited to see Tikker hit Kickstarter. Tikker is an actual wristwatch that counts down your life. Think of it as 27,394 Days on your wrist, reminding you every second of every day to leave it all on the field. It comes with a handbook to determine your approximate life expectancy, and the whole shooting match can be yours for just $39.
I guess the question is, do you really want a constant reminder that you're going to die? I'm actually of two minds on this. In a lot of ways, it's a comfort to me because I'm looking forward to the rest. But I could actually use something like this to motivate myself. I don't need motivation to accomplish the big goals in my life, I need it for the little ones.
For example, do I really need to check my email every five minutes? I have an alerter that lets me know whenever something comes in, but do I really need to see what it is right away? You can probably see where I'm going with this. Because email isn't really the issue. A device like this is a Facebook/Reddit/Porn killer because it gives you the actual amount of life you're wasting on that stuff.
I happen to love the idea, and I think it works both ways. Not only does it call attention to the fact that you're wasting time, I think it also helps you to enjoy the time you're wasting (when wasting time is your actual intent and not just something you're doing to procrastinate). How could you not look at it as a win when you burnt a week of your life being served boat drinks in an island paradise?
So what do you guys think? Could you use a constant reminder like this? Or is this just another gimmick? What do you do to ensure that you're not wasting the time you have left?
ha i think it's an interesting idea but it would stress me out seeing the days slowly tick down... though would be a good reality* check and might kick my butt in a few areas
*life could end at any moment so the # of days on there would be irrelevant, but the reminder that life will end at some point is the kicker
this aside, i believe transhumanism will be a reality in our lifetime (though maybe only affordable to the ultra-rich) and plan to download my mind/emotions/etc to a robot before I die and "live" an extra couple hundred years :)
There's a good chance that many of the hard-charging type-A monkeys on WSO won't make it to the average life expectancy - the client dinners, booze, lack of sleep, and general stress, even at the senior levels...no way.
There's something romantic about going out like a Don Draper of the 50's or 60's would have...a heart attack while somewhat young - half drunk on bourbon and lying next to your mistress. Beats the hell out of croaking in the retirement home, after a decade of shitting your pants.
People have different values. Some romanticize liquor, extramarital affairs, and the ability to woo women, while others look forward to watching their children (and grandchildren) grow up and form families of their own. Your values now may incline towards the former, but something tells me it'll reverse sooner or later. I hope it's sooner than later.
Couldn't agree more. I'm just past mid 20's and it's incredible how those values switch gears.
Thanks for the spoiler. Great.
Reminding yourself of death is always a good thing. Just not sure I have to pay $39 for it when I can just think it myself.
This would just freak me the fuck out.
I agree, I think I would potentially become irrational. For example I might decide to leave my firm because I am pissed off at someone and looking at my watching would certainly reinforce the feeling that I would be wasting some precious time in my life...hell if I was close to the end I might just shoot my MD :-) More seriously I think it would really push people to take decision in the instant which is not always a positive way to manage your life....
I procrastinate the fuck out of WEEKLY deadlines of major things. I highly doubt looking at a clock with 60+ years on it will serve as any type of motivator for me.
People who buy those things usually get hit by busses anyways.
This.
This product sounds like a cool premise for a movie. People would have their remaining time written on their wrist and time would be almost like a currency which you could buy, trade or steal. You could make it into a crime thriller with people racing against time trying to steal other people's time. The title would have a cool title like a pun on the word time, or something, and you could throw in a couple of washed out pop stars since the acting wouldn't need to be that great anyway. In time when the product takes off I'm sure someone will make a movie like this..
Amanda Seyfried was smoke city with that redhead wig in that movie.
I'd feel like a cheesedick explaining to people what my watch was
What happens when it goes down to zero and you are alive? Do you die from the stress of your inevitable death?
I personally would much prefer to have a watch that counted up - that way you and all the other geriatics could make it more of a competition (lets face it, what else do you compete for when you are 80+). I can't imagine it would be popular with the ladies though ...
If you hit the gym or stop smoking/drinking, do you get time added?
Every time you walk into a McDonald's, the door sensor trips an alarm on your watch that says, "Get the fuck outta here!"
How are you supposed to accurately reset the clock when the battery dies? Also, this would stress people out when it gets down to the last months. A watch that flashes YOLO constantly would be far better. That way when you get run over by a bus and they find your watch flashing YOLO they will think you were some kind of bad ass instead of just an idiot.
I once heard that if a girl says YOLO, it's code for "I'm down with anal."
Knowing is half the battle...
I'm confused, do people actually say "yolo" or do they spell it out, "you only live once" and just abbreviate it when typing?
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