I just saw a post for a new super chic, minimalistic watch coming out. It’s called the Durr. You can read about it here. The big idea here is that instead of seeing what time it actually is (i.e. 8:32 am), your watch buzzes every 5 minutes in order to help you realize that time is passing.

Let me say that last part again: your watch buzzes every 5 minutes in order to help you realize that time is passing. There are a few things worth asking in light of this.

1. Are we really that bad at it? It’s unbelievable that we have to make a product to help us come to terms with such an inescapable reality, yet we do. We don’t recognize that time keeps on “slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future.” At least nobody except Steve Miller.
2. Are we really that naïve? Unfortunately we find ourselves yet again having to answer with an emphatic “yes.” Herein lies the point at which I’d like to camp.

The sudden force of reality and the temporal nature of our lives can often cause psychological and emotional blunt force trauma. Thus, more often than not, we choose rather to ignore our ever present mortality as we blissfully (ignorantly) keep charging ahead to our graves. Now, when reminded of the truth concerning time’s constant waning we really do become desperate enough to spend $125 on a product like this one.

Reading lists of things that are most often regretted by people on their death beds quickly indicates the nature of what truly matters when all is said and done. Hint: it’s not material or financial. People regret not how they spent their money, but how they spent their time. Number two on that list, in fact, really gets to the heart of this expenditure battle. People wishing they hadn’t worked so hard is the simpler way of saying they wish they had used that time to pursue something(s) greater and more satisfying than the money or recognition that came along with all that hard work.

The saddest part about it all is that this (and the others) isn’t something that many people escape having to say. They’re in a “most common” list for a reason: most of us tend to fall into the same trap. That trap is one of squandering our time. And we do it obsessively at this point—here’s looking at you Facebook app. I have no idea how well Durr will work as far as behavioral change is concerned. I really hope it helps people make a dent in their upside down time mortgages.

But I’m doubtful, and this is where the naïveté issue comes in.

The reason I’m doubtful is because we’re having this discussion to begin with. It’s not an external issue (i.e. some lack of information or understanding), it’s an internal one that causes us to disregard the external indicators all around us. We’re naïve to think that this product (or any other) will be a quick fix for us. It’s the human plight to not take inventory of our lives until we’re near the end and I’m hard pressed to think that some fashionable buzzer will suddenly reverse that trend.

We have clocks that actually tell us the time. We have absolute reference points, not just occasional buzzes, and yet we still blow our day. Having a new tool in the toolbox can probably help for a season, but my fear is that, for many of us, it’d just serve as another marker of how ultimately forgetful we are of our own transience.

We certainly need tools—Durr notwithstanding—to help us. That much is certain. At the end of the day, though, we simply must remind ourselves that we’ve spent yet another before asking ourselves if we indeed spent it well.