How Your Phone Is Turning You Into a Clock Person Without You Noticing

How often do you glance at your phone to check the time—only to find yourself pulled into a notification, an email, or a quick scroll through social media? For many, this reflexive habit is more than just a distraction. According to recent research published in Psychology Today, constant digital time cues may be subtly reshaping how we perceive and manage our daily lives, turning us into what researchers call “clock-timers” and eroding our sense of control over time itself.

The Two Ways People Experience Time

Tamar Avnet, Ph.D., a professor of marketing at Yeshiva University and co-author of studies on scheduling styles, identifies two broad ways people relate to time. The first group, which she terms “clock-timers,” relies on external cues—alarms, notifications, and digital schedules—to dictate when they start, stop, or transition between tasks. The second group, “event-timers,” operates more intuitively, beginning and ending activities based on an internal sense of completion rather than rigid time markers.

Avnet’s research, including a 2011 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research (co-authored with Anne-Laure Sellier), suggests that these differences are not just personal preferences but deeply ingrained cognitive patterns. Clock-timers, for example, may feel more productive when adhering to a structured schedule, but they also report lower perceived control over their time. Event-timers, often experience greater engagement in tasks but may struggle with deadlines in environments that prioritize punctuality over completion.

How Digital Devices Reinforce Clock Dependency

A century ago, most people relied on public signals—church bells, town clocks, or the position of the sun—to orient their day. Personal timekeeping devices were rare, and time was experienced more fluidly, anchored in events rather than precise minutes. Today, smartphones, smartwatches, and other digital devices have reversed that dynamic. The average person is exposed to hundreds of time cues daily, from lock-screen notifications to calendar alerts, all designed to keep us tethered to the clock.

Avnet argues that this constant exposure to digital time cues subtly shifts our behavior. “How long has it been since you picked up your phone and, without intending to, saw the time staring back at you?” she writes. “How often do alarms and notifications tell you it’s time to join a meeting, leave for an appointment, or even take the chicken out of the oven?” These cues, while useful, can create a feedback loop: the more we rely on external reminders, the less we trust our internal sense of time, and the more dependent we become on devices to structure our lives.

The Psychological Cost of Clock Dependency

The implications of this shift extend beyond productivity. Avnet’s work suggests that clock-timers may experience higher levels of stress and anxiety when their schedules are disrupted, as they lack the internal flexibility to adapt. Event-timers, while more resilient to interruptions, may find it harder to function in workplaces or social settings that demand strict adherence to time.

the constant visibility of time on digital devices can create a sense of urgency that permeates even mundane activities. A 2023 study cited in Harvard Business Review (though not part of the primary source material) found that the average person checks their phone 344 times per day—roughly once every four minutes. While this statistic is not directly tied to Avnet’s research, it underscores the broader cultural shift toward fragmented attention and time awareness, which may exacerbate the effects she describes.

Reclaiming Agency Over Time

Avnet offers a potential path forward: balancing structured schedules with moments guided by internal cues. For clock-timers, this might mean setting intentional “no-alarm” periods—times when they allow themselves to work or rest without glancing at the clock. For event-timers, it could involve using gentle reminders (rather than rigid alarms) to transition between tasks when necessary.

She also suggests reducing the visibility of time on devices. “Consider turning off lock-screen time displays or muting non-essential notifications,” she advises. “Small changes like these can help restore a sense of autonomy over how we experience time.”

Why This Matters for Well-Being

The way we relate to time is not just a matter of personal preference—it has tangible effects on mental health. Chronic stress, burnout, and even symptoms of attention disorders can be exacerbated by a constant sense of time pressure. Avnet’s research highlights how digital devices, while designed to make us more efficient, may instead be subtly undermining our ability to engage deeply with the present moment.

For those who feel increasingly controlled by their devices, the first step may be as simple as noticing how often they reach for their phone to check the time—and asking whether that glance is serving them or the device itself.

Limitations and Open Questions

While Avnet’s research provides a compelling framework for understanding time perception, it is not without limitations. Her studies, including the 2011 and 2014 papers, rely on self-reported data and controlled experiments, which may not fully capture the complexity of real-world behavior. The long-term psychological effects of digital time cues remain an active area of study. Future research could explore whether interventions like “time-blind” periods or digital detoxes yield measurable improvements in well-being.

For now, the takeaway is clear: our relationship with time is not fixed. By becoming more aware of how digital devices shape our habits, we can begin to reclaim agency over one of life’s most precious resources.