Ahoyhoy™,
This is the companion piece to A Nunnery—Habit No. 2: Phone within arm’s reach. Habit No. 2 looks normal because it is. Practically everyone has a smartphone on them nowadays—what a time to be alive! However, this is about the abnormal part—more important part. This is about the Chunk Timers. As usual, when addressing something I’d rather not address, I’ll avoid explaining my motivation as long as possible—until I need to confront it. Also, I’ve templated the rest of this as an FAQ…
What are they?
They’re three timers I’ve saved on my phone. They’re set to vibrate (silent). They’re why it’s most important that I keep my phone on me (or within arm’s reach) at all times.
That just further confused me. Please elaborate!
| Name | Duration | Usage (when) | Usage (examples) |
| SChunk | 40 min. | – I need to focus on specific tasks | – writing – reading an article – watching a video |
| MChunk | 100 min. | – almost always | – out in public – having lunch with someone |
| LChunk | 250 min. | – always | – Always (when awake)… If I’m sleeping, I set an alarm, or I have someone else fulfil that role (i.e. Chokka wakes me up…) |
Why are they called “Chunk timers”?
I picked the first word that came to mind when describing a duration of time. Since it was just something personal that I never intended on sharing, I didn’t bother naming it better. Now, I’ve changed my mind; I’ve decided to share it. Ironically, the awkwardness of the name reflects its purpose, so I don’t see the need to change it…
Umm… WHY?!
The timers annoy me. I can’t ignore them. The timers are set to explicitly to annoy me…
STOP AVOIDING THE TOPIC!
Fine fine. I’ll explain… I respond poorly to touch. A vibrating smartphone exploits that to disrupt flashbacks, dissociations, and intrusive thoughts. Before implementing this, I’ve lost up to a few hours (daily) distracted by flashbacks, dissociations, and intrusive thoughts. After implementing this, I lose much less—like a few minutes per day. Given how I can’t remember a day when I haven’t dealt with that unpleasantness, I think you can see how much time it saves: I’d rather lose a few minutes than a few hours daily…
This makes no sense.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up? It’s practically that—it just disrupts something that’s not sleep…
Any other questions?
Please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your time,
Roybert S. Henanigans
P.S. 96: I’ve updated my Contact Me page explaining how you can help me if you choose to. This includes a messaging form, my gmail address, my Twitter account, and a donation button to my Ko-Fi page. I’ll update specifics gradually. If there’s one thing I could ask for above all else, I’d ask for two—then I’d use one of those two to say that the best way to help is to share my work with someone.
On a serious note, thank you so much for reading—it truly means the world to me!
justcallmeroybert 