Reading Things- The Tyranny of The Clock

20 Jan, 2026

A somewhat lengthy excuse as to why I didn't stick to my goals for the first ten or so days ¹

About a week ago, I started my NY resolution reading this wee essay. My current bits of reading are 1984 (once again).
While a somewhat radical/radicalizing read, it was nevertheless a fun one, especially given the fact that I was joined by one of my best mates in this endeavour. It's remarkable how an essay as old as my grandparents somehow still rings true--I sit in my cubicle writing this blog because I have no work to do. I wait for someone to assign me a task. I can't help but think of how I could have written this in the comfort of my desk, in my room. I wait until the clock strikes five.
Human laziness prevails as we invent ways to put on a facade of productivity- a watch under a mouse, code that logs random keystrokes. There is innovation involved, one that can be preyed on by the very systems it aims to defraud, and yet, in an era bound by the ticking of the clock (when was the last time I heard a clock tick? I wonder how long it is until that phrase is obsolete. I wonder if it becomes one of those things that people just say, like biting the bullet, or if it turns into a digital ortholog, like 'watching the digits change'), it goes by unnoticed, as the worker sleeps and the manager stays deluded.
I've been given something to do. I continue to read and write blogs. There's a few about dopamine traps, about the endless pit, the helplessness. It reminds me of the first time I deleted Instagram. I really hadn't thought about how many spare moments I had in a day until I took my phone out and stared at it as if it had something to tell me (it did not, not anymore). A ride in an elevator, waiting for a friend to tie her shoelaces, just enough for my phone to tell me something. I think about the tyranny of the clock, the release of dopamine every in 7-30 second intervals that compound into hours of screentime.
There is something to be said about the derision of effort put into self-improvement. This comes from the very recent 'Kai Cenat uses a dictionary' discourse. While most defense to the ridicule comes from people who quip about the bar being too low, it also happens to be one a chunk of the population cannot reach. The universe had a bit of a chuckle as I found this wee blog while thinking of incremental effort.
I think I hope for a world where we see, if not appreciate, single shovels of sand thrown down an unending pit of human curiosity for what they are- a miniscule attempt at not giving in to complacence.

I'd love for you to write me your thoughts, or simply say hi!