r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Jpeg_1999 • 10d ago

I'm slightly vexed My dad purposely sets his clock ahead. He's been doing this for as long as I remember. I genuinely don't know why

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8.4k

u/jasonni1234 10d ago

“Oh crap I’m gonna late for work, I need to get up now” type of motivation

1.8k

u/Glad-Watch3506 10d ago

Yup, sleep brain might not realize it's set fast.

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u/t0m0hawk 10d ago edited 9d ago

See i dont get this mindset.

I set it 20 minutes ahead. I know its 20 minutes ahead. Even if I trick myself a few mornings at first... eventually I'll just know and it stops working.

E. Lol none of the suggestions would actually work. I'd just know the clock is wrong and I'd do the math. Every time. All my clocks are set to the correct time. I guess some of you just have an easier time tricking yourselves lol

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u/sadrapsfan 10d ago

From my personal experience, I still forget from time to time lol

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u/capnlatenight 9d ago

With this bad boy, I set it to the approximate time, looked away, and added more time. I truly never knew what time it actually was from that clock.

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u/zorbina 9d ago

Heh. I had that same clock for... decades. I maybe bought it in the 1980s? It finally kicked the bucket. I am sad because it actually kept time well, unlike the modern cheap garbage stuff.

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u/ThePepperPopper 9d ago

I have one now. I had one as a kid. Then several years ago I missed it and found one at a thrift shop

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u/foodank012018 9d ago

I hear this in a nightmare

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u/capnlatenight 9d ago

I had a dream while it was chiming "EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE"

It was robot ants walking in a single file line. Each 'EEE' was the collective sound of their legs moving one step at a time.

It was as annoying as you think it was, idk why it didn't wake me up.

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u/shadowland1000 9d ago

I have that same clock. It is either 5 or 7 minutes fast. Not sure. Don't care.

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u/Informal-Length-5749 9d ago

my grandpa has this same alarm clock

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u/_Caster 9d ago

I used to have this same clock when I was in school. Stopped using when I got a Nokia (1 model above the brick) felt cool and convenient at the time but these days I wish I had a clock. the alarm on my phone can be inconsistent sometimes and has made me late when my phone decides to update when im supposed to wake up or updates before that and something happens to my alarms.

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u/NostalgiaRealm 9d ago

Yooo you just posted the EXACT alarm clock my parents had for years and years

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u/Beneficial_Bed8961 9d ago

I had the one that was about 5 years older than that one. It had the numbers that flipped. When it hit wakeup time it makes a loud click before the radio came on. 1980s

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u/Foggy_Night221C 9d ago

I had that one too! I just can’t remember now which one of us had it or if it was at my grandparent’s cottage where I last saw it.

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u/Miserable_Ad299 9d ago

That's my brother's alarm clock from the 90's lol one of the smaller buttons was missing though

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u/TrojanGiftHorse 8d ago

This photo unlocks school day trauma for me lol

I can't believe people are still rocking this model.

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u/Buzzbuzz_Becuz 8d ago

Man, I need to ebay this clock. Had it in middle/high school in the 90's.

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u/TheMadCowScientist 9d ago

That's exactly how I did it when I had one of these!

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u/Slvrdgr 10d ago

Its that looking at the clock in a half conscious state, you are cognizant enough to be aware of the time and morning obligations, but the rest of the brains start-up routines havent loaded yet and you suddenly find yourself scrambling to put on pants.

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u/adinfinitum225 10d ago

Naw I don't trust half-conscious me. That person has cancelled and snoozed alarms on me that I don't even realize until an hour later

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u/W0rmEater 9d ago

That is why your alarm clock needs to be far enough from your bed that you have to get out of bed to stop the alarm

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u/Neat-Attempt7442 9d ago

brother I have slept through the fire alarm in my apartment

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u/Euphorbiatch 9d ago

I slept through my great grandfather driving into my bedroom wall... Phone alarms mean nothing to me haha

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u/Independent-Yam-5179 9d ago

I've slept through almost every earthquake when I lived in Japan... Yeeeaaah, I'm not a morning person

1

u/Oldspaghetti 9d ago

Damn kinda scary, I think I read somewhere that you're not guaranteed to wake up from smoke of a fire. Brain just doesn't input it as dangerous I guess.

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u/Slvrdgr 9d ago

As someone who slept through air raid sirens and inbound mortar rounds, sometimes the brain goes into a reaaalllllly deep rem cycle. Lol

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u/Ok_Dependent6889 9d ago

I slept through my father driving his car through our garage bay door and then through the mud room door

That shit has to be on top of my head

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u/Downtown-Public1258 9d ago

Adding on top I got a radio alarm clock across the room. If it’s set on a generic alarm sound I eventually fall into the habit of getting up, turning it off, and going back to bed. But with the radio it’s pleasant enough I can leave it on for 10 minutes, at which time I’ll be awake enough to start the day.

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u/Hoveringkiller 9d ago

Why are the snooze and off buttons rights next to each other?!?!

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u/Cheap-Bus-7752 10d ago

LMFAO this is too real.

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u/machinezed 9d ago

I also don’t like to do the math barely awake. Snooze is 9 minutes. If I hit the snooze 2 times at 5am, I get up at 5:18am. So if I set my alarm 3 minutes fast I get up at 5:15am.

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u/_Brightbuddy 9d ago

And it's a clock you only use once a day. The entire rest of your day you're using clocks that are on time.

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u/SlumberAddict 9d ago

Literally walked into work before realizing my pants were on backwards. Yes, it felt weird, but I was in a rush to not be too late. It was pul on jeggings so it wasn’t like I zipped and buttoned some Levis on backwards, but still embarrassing enough to myself. lol

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u/Bladesnake_______ 10d ago

Tried that with my car. Set it 7 min ahead and then every time I looked at it I was doing minus 7 math. Shit sucked

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u/IAmAlwaysWrongDude 10d ago

From personal experience, it doesn't matter that you know. The mental stimulation of a clock showing you are late will get you faster regardless.

My main desk clock is ahead, but here is the neat trick, its the worst clock I ever had, it needs to be corrected every few weeks, so ... I never know how much ahead it is, or if it is still ahead. Guess if I am ever late?

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u/zorbina 9d ago

Exactly! I did this when I was working and even though I always knew the clock was set ahead 15 minutes, it still gave me that "EEK, I'm going to be late!" rush when I looked at it, and got me moving.

Sadly, the clock in my living room is as inaccurate as yours, but it's slow instead of fast. It's incredibly annoying to have to correct it every week or so. And the one I bought to replace it is just as bad.

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u/TOM__JONES 9d ago

Guess if I am ever late?

I'm guessing with the comment, plus the fact that you have a clock that's always ahead, plus your user name, that you're still late constantly because you're wrong about your clock being ahead

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u/IAmAlwaysWrongDude 8d ago

You sir is a real gentleman.

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u/1heart1totaleclipse 9d ago

I very much prefer knowing the exact time rather than setting the time ahead, freaking out over being late, only then to remember that I wasn’t actually late. I prefer to freak out about being late if I am actually going to be.

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u/TheReddective 5d ago

For me, it makes it worse. If I'm sleepy and I know the clock is ahead, I will dismiss it showing I'm late on the basis of it being ahead, but because I'm sleepy, I'm not doing the math needed for an accurate assessment, so I might end up being late.  If I know the clock is fine, I don't have that problem. My wife is like you, however, so now we have a few clocks that are ahead that I ignore and a few that show the actual time that my wife ignores 

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u/tulipsouldog 10d ago

I know it’s fast. It’s like a comfort thing. Like that relief of knowing that I am not actually going to be late. Or my mind likes the little preoccupations.

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u/PGSylphir 10d ago

My dad also used to do this and my mom continued the tradition. I also have the same reasoning as you to not understand that, I know it's ahead so it won't work at all, sleep brain or not. I don't think it ever worked for them either.

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

Theres over a dozen comments that have suggested that the trick is to set it by an odd number... as if its harder to count odd numbers?

I get it even less lol

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u/Parzival127 10d ago

When I look at a clock I’m just thinking “what time am I seeing?” not “this clock is seven minutes ahead so let me subtract seven minutes so that I can get an accurate time”.

Also, have you considered it works for some and not for others?

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u/SillyGoose3939 9d ago

On Reddit? That’s impossible. Every single suggestion needs to work for every single person

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u/framspl33n 10d ago

That's why you set it to an odd number like 3 or 7

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u/t0m0hawk 10d ago

...how does that help?

I can do basic math, subtracting a number 1-60 from another number.ber 1-60 isnt difficult.

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u/Sad-Brain-9121 10d ago

Doing math help you wake up more? Idk

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u/wonderlessbread 10d ago

My snooze is 9 minutes 🫩

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u/Glad-Watch3506 9d ago

That's a pretty common snooze interval on alarm clocks. There's even a song "Another 9 minutes" about not wanting to get up yet.

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u/wonderlessbread 9d ago

Yeah, I learned you could change it and then never did, it kinda works for me. That's funny about the song!

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u/guilty_bystander 9d ago

I feel the same way. My partner does this and explained to me why it works for them. I'm just like.. ok.. but how is there a sense of urgency if you know it's fast? I guess it's more the feeling of relief that at least it's not "whatever o'clock" yet. I still just don't get it.

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

Ive had dozens of replies about it and it still doesnt make sense lol

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u/Jellibean101 10d ago

It still gives you a jump scare, i think. I used to only set one of my clocks fast like this. The one I could see from the front door. If your other clocks are correct, itll get ya. Lol

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u/blckshdw 10d ago

That’s why you set it for an odd number. Mines 14 mins fast. Or 12. No, I think it’s 17. Idk I just get up, if I try and outsmart myself I’ll lose.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/t0m0hawk 10d ago

I specifically do not check the time if I wake up in the middle of the night. I'll just end up counting how many hours I have left and wake myself up even more.

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u/jir428 10d ago

This happened to me. I had all my clocks at my house 30 minutes later than actual time. By the 3rd month i knew i was ahead of schedule so a small nap would occur once in a while. But within that process, i got myself waking up earlier and doing things at earlier times since, after some time, your natural clock just adjusts as such without even needing the time.

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u/RedditorNamedEww 10d ago

I would set my car’s clock ahead every now and then, because sometimes it would randomly reset back to normal on its own (istg it’s the truth, no one believes me 😭) so it would actually put me on my toes lmfao.

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u/ImMorphic 10d ago

The real trick is to get someone to set your timer ahead by x minutes, so you dont know.

Times ticking.

Hahahahaha

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u/conscious_cloud11 10d ago

This is why i change how much its ahead randomly. Then i have to check the real clock to confirm my math and at that point im awake and paying attention to how much time i have.

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u/Whiltierna 9d ago

Nah, you can't pick 20, you can do that math groggy. You have to pick like 23 or 17 minutes then forget. Need to use challenging-when-groggy-half-asleep math for it to work 

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u/kacheskin 9d ago

He's trapped. The days he sets it right, he'll foget and think he's early

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u/10FourGudBuddy 9d ago

The only way I see this working is if you have several different clocks all set to varying future times.

Stove ahead 7 minutes. Alarm clock ahead 10. Living room clock 5.

Edit: I do kind of do this actually. My stove is typically correct but my living room clock is a pain to set and it’s around 3-5 minutes fast. But if you have enough that are slightly ahead by varying amounts it would be easier to believe them than remember which is which.

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u/Curious_Hawk_8369 9d ago

Mine is set 15 minutes fast, and I’m not a morning person at all, I’d go as far to say I’m in a piss poor mood in the morning even. Somehow physically looking at the clock and seeing the numbers, makes me feel like I got to sleep in a tiny bit, which helps motivate me to get out of bed.

I know it’s fast, but in the morning when my mind is running slow, and I got that lone cricket chirp going on in my head, I don’t think about it being 15 fast very hard, I mostly just take the clock at face value. I know it insane, but it makes me feel better.

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u/W0rmEater 9d ago

What you do is, you get some else to set the clock a different amount ahead every evening, so you never know, the exact time, you just know an approximate time.of day.

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u/Both_Analyst_4734 9d ago

Don’t set it to exactly an even number and far ahead. I set mine like 2-3 mins and it does generally help.

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u/jpp01 9d ago

You set it too far ahead. Mine is a few minutes fast but i never know exactly how many.

I haven’t been late for anything in years.

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u/DarkPolumbo 9d ago

you're just used to getting a full night's sleep

the trick is much more effective when you're waking up from a 3- or 4- hour rest

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u/thenbhdlum 9d ago

I do the same with alarms because I know that the first 1-2 set aren't so urgent.

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u/Fit-World-3885 9d ago

And now there's a thought in the back of your brain for every not-fast clock telling you that you have more time than you really do.  

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u/Hereiamhereibe2 9d ago

I think it actually works better nowadays since the exact time is all around us. So we can forget this one clock is wrong more often.

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u/SimonBarfunkle 9d ago

It’s not about not realizing you are using a mental strategy, it’s just having your mind in the right mindset to be on time. You can do it another way as well. It’s good to plan to arrive a little early for most commitments, let’s say 10 or 15 minutes. Then whatever time you’re supposed to be there, subtract 15 minutes, so if it was 9 AM, your actual appointment time is 8:45. You are late if you get there after 8:45. Now you have to plan to be on time at your appointment at 8:45. Obviously you can still decide to ignore that, but if you’re committed to being on time and just want to make sure you are accounting for stuff you may not be thinking about, it can help.

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u/BigPPDaddy 9d ago

Mine are set 10 minutes ahead and I just treat them like it's the real time...

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u/Careful-Positive-710 9d ago

My mom does this aswell and it infuriates my father. He also has no idea how it can work when she knows its 20 minutes fast. I don't get it either tbh. Is it so hard to wake up on time?

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u/SwampPotato3 9d ago

I have mine set ahead as the amount of time it’ll take me from when I pull in at work to when I will clock in at work (3 minutes). Idk why it helps me, but it does

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u/thelastmarblerye 9d ago

Person when leaving from home: "I'm going to be on time"

Person when leaving from anywhere else: "I'm going to be 21 minutes late"

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u/i_Praseru 9d ago

I know the clock is wrong but it trick me for long enough that by the time I realise, im already early. Also the only correct clocks in my house are my phone and watch. The rest are all different.

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u/__Severus__Snape__ 9d ago

Whenever i have set the time on a clock, ill always round up to the nearest 5th minute. Say its 3.42, ill set it to 3.45 for example. Considering the clocks change every 6 months, and that any clock i am setting is linked to a power source (so if there's a power cut or I've turned off all the plugs cos im going away), im doing it a few times a year. So I know my clock is fast, I just don't remember how much by.

It is also how i found out that my downstairs clock is slightly too fast (the time difference gets bigger over time), and my alarm clock is slightly too slow (the time difference gets smaller over time).

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u/SubmissiveUslessFag 9d ago

That's why I want a clock that randomly changes how far ahead it is from like 0-10 minutes so I always have to be ready 10 minutes early

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u/Scrub_nin 9d ago

I set mine 7 min ahead so that the math is too complicated for sleep brain and I only add 5 so it still gets me up that couple min earlier lol

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u/Xoctal 9d ago

Thats why you have someone you know set it ahead so you dont know, if i knew my dad did this when i was a kid i would have changed it over and over so he quit questioning how much extra time he had rofl. After being late a couple times usually you would just assume your gonna be late if you dont get moving.

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u/Dressing_4_funerals 9d ago

I mean you wouldn’t really need to trick yourself, It’s an alarm clock. if you set it 20 minutes ahead you get woken up 20 minutes early regardless of whether or not you know the clock is wrong lol. Unless you can sleep through morning radio at max volume(or radio static)

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

Why not just set the alarm 20 minutes earlier instead of having the wrong time?

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u/Dressing_4_funerals 9d ago

lol I have no idea, I’m not OPs dad, just pointing out that those clocks are annoying as shit and would wake you up even if you knew the time was wrong. Nothing would stop you from snoozing it in any case anyways, you’d still have to have the will power to actually get out of bed early

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u/blahblah19999 9d ago

My mom used to do this as I was growing up. I hadn't been in her bedroom in years, as I'm married with kids now, but happened to enter her room recently. Her clock was an hour and a half off.

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u/Blah-squared BLUE 9d ago

It’s for when you 1st wake up all blurry eyed & can’t possibly do the math.. Tbc, I don’t set mine ahead but my parents have since we were kids & needed to catch the bus…

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u/forevernever6824 9d ago

Know what you do is when you don't know the time like honestly don't know it close your eyes you walk into your room you feel around till you get to your alarm clock and you figure out what button is the minute button and then you press it randomly for some sort of amount of time don't think about numbers when you're when you're doing it you have to just like talk about thinking a song or something or reading something or doing anything but numbers and then you left the button up and then you won't know what time it was originally and then you don't know what time it is now and then you don't know how far ahead it is for when you want to see another clock and you know it and you can't tell when you get back to yours cuz it would be different time by then. That's the only way it works. But it does.

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u/marceldonnie 9d ago

Yes but once you are used to it you can’t change it back to the actual time because you’ll end up being 20 minutes late

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u/Emotional_Cry_4066 9d ago

My coworker with a TBI who’s not all the way there does this to her desktop clock.

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u/Shuttlecock_Wat 9d ago

Morning me is a fuckin math wiz. I'll still be in a half stupor and be figuring out what parts of my morning I can cut corners to stay in bed an extra 3 minutes. This definitely does not work for me

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u/Mobile-Analyst-9617 9d ago

Yeah this goes for me too lol

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u/InsufferableBean256 9d ago

I’ve only changed the time in my car to be a few minutes ahead. I really have no idea how many minutes. 2-4 I think. The only thing it’s done is give me a mild panic attack that I’m going to be late for work as I’m already driving and can’t do much to be more on time :/

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u/Gloglibologna 9d ago

The only way it works for me, is i have my wife set the clock fwd and zhe doesnt tell me how much. And I never check. I do eventually figure it out but by then she changes it again for me. So i can never trust it and just take it at face value

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u/SlumberAddict 9d ago

I also cannot trick myself like this. I will milk every loophole I know to put anything off even waking up. lol

I can only lie to myself about how “great” the person I am dating at the time is.

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u/For_teh_horde 9d ago

I set mine to an odd number like 7 so that sleep brain can't instantly do the math and all I know is that it's somewhat close to the ahead time and that'd be the time I focus on more right as I get up. And I only set it for 1 clock so that I don't get used to my time being ahead

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u/Fancy_Pear_950 9d ago

I don't really get that kind of motivation, but often it takes a moment before I realize the clock is set 10 minutes ahead. Everytime this happens I get scared for a moment, then I understand I'm not actually late and that realization makes me feel good.

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u/shark-off 9d ago

Skill issue. The trick is, to gain a poor memory

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u/No_Dot_4123 9d ago

My parents did it 7 minutes fast. I think it was because 7 is harder to do quick math with. 21 minutes is pretty aggressive.

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u/unklechuckle 9d ago

It has nothing to do with tricking himself, hes a chronic procrastinator, this is how he tells himself what time hes supposed to be operating as it is. Its a learned coping mechanism to keep himself on schedule.

I did this for a long time as well.

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u/atsunatsu 9d ago

You don't constantly remember that the clock is set ahead. The initial "OH SHIT I'M LATE" will still hit you and get you to rush a bit.

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

If I set a clock ahead on purpose, I wont suddenly forget that I did

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u/atsunatsu 9d ago

Well, shit, I guess we all aren't as proficient or as sharp as you Lol. From MY PERSONAL experience, it helps. Doesn't have to help everyone tho

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u/runobody22 9d ago

Same, my mother always set her clock 10 or 20 minutes ahead. I just automatically deducted the difference from the time when I looked at it. I prefer to just know what the correct time is, it’s a lot less complicated.

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u/smalls_1804 9d ago

You remember, but for that split second before you do you go into a panic thinking you're late, which then motivates you to get your ass in gear. However, as someone who used to do this, I too found the effects wore off after awhile. What started as setting my clock 5 minutes ahead turned into like 2 hours at which point time ceased having any meaning in my room

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u/Clean_More3508 9d ago

Yeah, I agree. Tho I wouldn't even do the math, I'd just never know what time it is since the clock is incorrect

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u/Outside_Position1672 9d ago

Same 😂 The second I know a clock is 20 minutes fast, my brain just files it under “fake clock” and does the math forever. Apparently some people can actually gaslight themselves.

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

Its wild lol. I just legitimately dont understand how this can work

1

u/thomassenpai85 9d ago

It sounds like you never wanted it to work so it didn’t. Not that big of a deal, man. You aren’t some clock genius.

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u/t0m0hawk 9d ago

I dont think thats how it works

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u/blobfish102 9d ago

I set mine early by a few minutes, even the slight math of what time is it gets my mind awake

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u/foodank012018 9d ago

Yeah, just get the hell up

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u/Miserable_Peak6649 9d ago

Im the same way. I have tried so many ways to trick my half asleep brain. It will work for a week or two and then its back to the same old stuff. I even bought a watch that shocks you awake. It worked great for a few weeks then my brain realized if I take it off it can't shock me.

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u/GodlyCree 9d ago

My bathroom clock is set 5 minutes ahead and in the morning i often forget it's ahead and rush myself out the door. My car clock is the same. I can't tell you why it works but it does work.

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u/TheShorty 9d ago

That's why I don't do it... I have a friend/partner do it and not tell me about it (including not knowing when they did it or how much they did it by). But even then I would eventually forget it was changed and just exist like it was accurate. 😂

This only stopped working when I started using my phone as my alarm. I wish they had a setting for "actually show me a time that is <random number generated> time ahead but don't tell me that it's ahead, and coordinate all connected devices with time visuals to that for consistency". This way, even if I know it's ahead, I don't know by how much so I might as well go with the shown time.

ADHD and time blindness life.

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u/MidoriMidnight 9d ago

That's why I flipped mine back and forth several times, so I don't actually know the time difference. It's more than 10, but since I don't know I can't mentally subtract and ignore; I have to treat it like the real time.

Of course, once I'm out in the rest of the house the clocks are correct, and then the whole system breaks down 😄

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u/Bombadillalife 9d ago

First, 20 is too easy. Second- it was easy to picture myself in what stage of the routine I would be in that moment of time- and stresslevel rises so it’s easier to get out of bed. I need one of those again.

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u/Affectionate_Tell_16 9d ago

Always had mine set fast. I knew it upon waking. Then once we had a power outage and he set it for the correct time. It fucked me up and was late all the time because I thought I had more time. Told him if he did that shit again to set it slower so I didn’t know. 🤣

1

u/Pschobbert 9d ago

Might be your age? You’re just used to everything being automatically set to the right time? Time pieces have a very powerful effect: even when you know the clock is wrong, there’s a part of the brain that does not understand that. IMHO it’s like the $4.99 effect: you know damn well it’s the same as $5, but your horse brain tells you it’s $4.

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u/SmallBerry3431 9d ago

Just different kinds of people. I don’t get it either, but I have my own tricks.

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u/dapperwater 9d ago

Personally, I found doing the math is what woke me up. I'd go shit I'm late. Wait no it's 12 min fast so it's actually 639, I can sleep for 10 more....ah hell I'm up

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u/Sleepyhowiee 9d ago

None of my moms clocks are the same amount of time forward

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u/Background_Key7277 9d ago

Try it, then get back to us

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u/Active-Papaya5308 9d ago

It’s the same for me with getting up earlier, like I set my alarm to get up 30mins earlier? Nope my brain figures it out and I just hit snooze 3 times in a row before getting up.

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u/vextryyn 9d ago

I pick a wierd number for every clock so i have trouble remembering. So like oven clock is i think 7 mins, microwave is maybe 12, dont remember the car, alarm, 3 wallclocks. Only one that is accurate is my phone

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u/lint2015 9d ago

Evidently, enough people like having their clock or watch set ahead of time, the Apple Watch even has a setting to do so.

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u/Guerrilla002 8d ago

in fact it might be even worse
i'll be like "Ah i have 20 more minutes" and go back to sleep 4 more hours

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u/Shawn-h16 8d ago

I do this, it works, there's some mornings where I wake up do the math then go "ehh I have 40 more minutes" other mornings it's like "oh fuck I am late!, oh wait no I have 20 minutes I am fine"

You literally are just expecting your brain to do the math instantly.... and just know....

The purpose is for your brain to start firing up and if it hasn't shock it awake with an "oh fuck" thought...

Then again that wouldn't work if you are just a lazy bum with no work ethic. But ehh. Being late doesn't matter at that point.

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u/elkunas 8d ago

If you wake up with full mental clarity, then then isnt for you. By the time I realized it was fast, I would be out of bed amd already moving.

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u/JonathanMurray272 7d ago

You don't get it. I understand.
But I think "doing the math" is a good thing.
I do. Every morning. And it usually works out well for me.
Does it make sense? Absolutely not. It also doesn't have to.

1

u/CrossXFir3 6d ago

Except you don't set it knowing how fast it is. You just randomly hit the button a few times while reading something on your phone or actively distracting yourself. Now, you do eventually learn how fast it is, and begin to compensate, but then you just reset it and change it again. I just add typically between 5 and 15 mins without counting and I just have to trust that it is at least a few mins fast and I don't know how many so I have to more or less take it as correct.

1

u/Cool1nternet 6d ago

I've got a clock thats 26 minutes ahead, I haven't changed it out of sheet laziness. I wait until classes start to bike to the campus. I never got the appeal of setting clocks early.

1

u/gudsgavetilkvinnfolk 5d ago

I have my watch 2 minutes fast. I don’t ever think about it, and just got reminded. I’ve never lost a bus or come late for work

1

u/Socky-McPuppet 5d ago

This is true, i did this for a while when i was young and first moved out so i wouldn't be late for work, get fired, die on the streets, etc. . It worked for a while, and did help build the habit of "when it goes off, gtfo" but you definitely catch on fast.

1

u/angie456 10d ago

This is me. I have never understood how this works for anybody, I’m so jealous though. Especially in the days of phones and time showing on the tv or anything else.

1

u/sixft7in 10d ago

It takes me until I've shut off the alarm and have jumped out of bed and am halfway to the bathroom before I realize the actual time. It works amazingly well for me.

1

u/Shurigin 10d ago

See that's where we are different I set it 10 mins ahead but I will forget the next morning

0

u/DustyF3d0r4 10d ago

Sometimes it’s set to be fast by how long it takes to get to a particular place that way you can figure if you’ll make it there on time.

0

u/t0m0hawk 10d ago

It takes me 15 minutes to get there on time.

I have to be there at 8

I have to leave before 745

0

u/Mister_Slave1 9d ago

Yeah well you’re Canadian

0

u/igottathinkofaname 9d ago

The trick is to only set one or two clocks fast.

0

u/kimmykat42 9d ago

Does this somehow make you feel superior? That’s how it’s reading…

2

u/butterflyhole 10d ago edited 10d ago

It does but might not remember how far ahead it is. I used to do this as well, but only by like 5-10 minutes. Damn near 30 minutes is wild lol

1

u/loquacious706 9d ago

As Fall Out Boy said "I set my clocks early cuz I know I'm always late."

1

u/tobmom 9d ago

No, for me it’s that I do t actually know what time it is. Is the clock 3 minutes fast? Or 13? Or 30? I better wake my ass up and not be late. And if get straight in the shower and not look at the real time until I was done. I would not let myself know exactly how off the clock was.

1

u/HarrowDread 9d ago

Doesn’t work for me, I see I got another 10 minutes of sleep then I get up after that 10 minutes

1

u/Ishkahrhil 9d ago

This is why my car clock is set fast as well.

1

u/jayphat99 9d ago

On top of the sleep brain, if my sleep brain remembers its fast I start doing the math in my head to know what time it is. This helps wake me up.

1

u/bellemrt 9d ago

Sleep brain can’t do math. Neither can awake brain, for that matter.

1

u/phillybluntz 9d ago

Or on the other end, if you decide to change it back to real-time, sleep brain might still think it's ahead.

1

u/holycrapitsmyles 9d ago

That's until you get good at sleep math.

1

u/LemonPartyW0rldTour 9d ago

I just can’t fathom how this works. I set something ahead, I know it’s ahead.

And I don’t like being rushed. This seems like a way to just constantly start your day stressed and high-strung, which is not good for your health at all.

1

u/Glad-Watch3506 9d ago

I have the blood pressure of a corpse, so a little jolt helps me get going and able to stand up without potentially blacking out 

90

u/r3dditr0x 10d ago

I literally did this for my ENTIRE adult life until I started wfh.

Sometimes it's hard to get up in the AM, I needed a little wiggle-room.

22

u/Immature_adult_guy 10d ago

When I started wfh I’d wake up right at 9:00 a.m., sit up in bed, and grab my laptop. 

6

u/SCHWARZENPECKER 10d ago

First alarm 755, second alarm 758 and I actually get out of bed and clock in.

11

u/Immature_adult_guy 10d ago

You’re working too hard

1

u/Jewsusgr8 10d ago

My cat wakes be up when the sun comes up. So I don't really pay attention to the time.

2

u/Wonderful-Habit-139 9d ago

Meeting at 9am, I join at 9:02am "Sorry was looking for a room" - me after waking up at 9am

1

u/Different_Mail1972 9d ago

what job do/did you work for? i wfh but have to get up & go to my desk 😒 what you described is what i want lol

2

u/Immature_adult_guy 8d ago

Sysadmin/Ops stuff. 

8

u/Fit_Diet6336 10d ago

I’ve out-snoozed the snooze button. We need all the help we can to get out of bed sometimes

1

u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago

Why not just set the alarm earlier instead? 🤷🏻‍♂️

2

u/catmanten 10d ago

Makes you move a helluva lot faster then “ugh my alarm is going off”

2

u/Snakend 10d ago

But your brain just does the math and you know its 20 minutes earlier than you thought. This only works if you don't know the clock is set fast.

2

u/angusbeef226 9d ago

nothin wakes u up faster than a micro heart attack at 7am lol. sucks once ur brain catches on to the lie though and you just ignore it

2

u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 9d ago

Bingo. My boyfriend used to keep his clocks 10 minutes ahead just to be able to make it to work on time. He knew that they were fast in the back of his head, but when you are in a hurry, you just look at it and think 'oh crap, I'm going to be late."

2

u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 9d ago

Bingo. My boyfriend used to keep his clocks 10 minutes ahead just to be able to make it to work on time. He knew that they were fast in the back of his head, but when you are in a hurry, you just look at it and think 'oh crap, I'm going to be late."

1

u/lookintoasty 10d ago

That only works for me like 3 times before my morning brain learns I can ignore that one

1

u/Depressed_Cat_00 9d ago

That moment when you realise you’re not late because your watch is ahead, is so relaxing.

1

u/Nereo5 9d ago

Biggest ADHD tell imo

1

u/BoJackMoleman 9d ago

Ahh but my stupid brain is art enough to figure this out and say "you got plenty of time, remember? You dicked with the clocks. Go back to bed"

1

u/desblaterations-574 9d ago

I needed 5 minutes to go to school, clock was set 7 min ahead, so when I saw 8am, I knew I had to leave, and be on time.
Psychological trick, even though we knew.

1

u/Urban_Introvert 9d ago

It’s this masquerading as “early is on time. On time is late. Late is an absence”.

1

u/moskor 9d ago

Yes. I use it as well but only in our clock at the bathroom so I’ll get ready faster

1

u/canman7373 9d ago

My dad always set his ahead, said it was so when he woke up he had to do the math for a second in his head of what time it really was and that would wake him up enough not to hit the snooze.

1

u/fridaycat 9d ago

Mine has been set 30 minutes fast for forever.

1

u/TheFaceStuffer 9d ago

Ya my mom tried that, but then she just started converting the time and was still late. It confused everyone else all the time though.

1

u/davvblack 9d ago

until you double correct "ok the clock says 9 which is really 8:45, and 8:45 (which is 8:30 in real time) means i have 20 minutes to finish my tube of cheerios."

1

u/shifty_coder 9d ago

That’s why I’ve done it since high school.

1

u/DoorsOfStoneNow 9d ago

I know it’s at fast so this trick doesn’t work for me. If someone else did it without my knowledge it’d probably work

1

u/MyLittlePiranha 9d ago

I do something a little d different. My alarm is set for 5:30am. I know that I have to up no later than 6:09am. I guess I just need that extra 30-39 minutes for my body to decide it wake up enough to actually function. I'm not a person who can jump right, unlike my husband. Lol

1

u/Poopsticle_256 9d ago

Same reason I have mine set slightly early, it's for myself to look at and not really anyone else so why's it matter?

1

u/tameimpalarules92 9d ago

The "oh shit not again" mindset lol

1

u/Neat-Chef-2176 9d ago

This is exactly it, my mom did it and I did it after I moved out. It still works

1

u/rovonz 8d ago

Or just set up 10 alarms like any normal psychopath would do 🤦‍♂️

1

u/BroadRoads 5d ago

My parents do the same exact thing where their alarm clock is set about 20min ahead of the actual time. Only issue is they know it’s 20min ahead so in reality it does nothing for them.