Time: A User's Guide

Time - we are constantly finding new ways to save it, but still we seem to have enough of it. Time: A User's Guide: Making Sense of Life's Scarcest Commodity Stefan Klein examines a number of different aspects of the nature of time, and looks at what we can do to avoid the feeling of never getting enough done.

Note: The US version of this book is entitled The Secret Pulse of Time

Klein looks at the nature of our body clocks, both in terms of the daily cycle which we go through, and in terms of how we experience short periods of time. He describes experiments which illustrate what affects our perception of time, and looks at which activities seem to pass quickly and which seem to drag on. He also tells of those who are forced to live in the present due to the fact that they can no longer lay down long term memories. There is also a chapter on the theory of relativity, which seemed a bit out of place, but helped to emphasise that time isn't as absolute as it may seem.

Klein maintains that the belief that we never have enough time is a myth. Rather we tend to do our utmost to fill any empty moment with activity. He gives some useful advice on how to take back control of our time, although I see this as more of a starting point than a prescription. In conclusion I would say that reading this book will be an enjoyable and maybe profitable use of your time.