Thilde Peterson - Researcher in Organizational Behaviour

“We are never trained on how to use time.”

Thilde Peterson is deeply passionate about time and our relationship with it. She explains with contagious energy that individuals experiencing burnout often struggle to perceive time accurately, akin to how addicts grapple with their perception of it. This misjudgement of time plays a pivotal role in the overwhelming sense that plagues those facing burnout.

To directly tackle the problem, Thilde established the Clock School, which offers a comprehensive program called "Making Time©," based on over 200 academic papers. Through this program, she helps people to transform their relationship with time to give them a new sense of accomplishment and regain control of their time. 

Indeed, Thilde is an expert in time poverty, the subject of her doctoral studies at the Toulouse School of Management in France. She shares a fundamental perspective with me: time is a man-made construct, measured by an atomic clock in Colorado that defines the Coordinated Universal Time (or UTC). As she aptly points out,” You cannot manage time, you can only manage yourself.”

Thilde goes on to elaborate on the four distinct categories of time: 1) contracted time, the hours for which you are compensated; 2) necessary time, encompassing activities like eating, sleeping, and dressing; 3) committed time; and 4) rest. She emphasises the need for further research to refine these definitions, establish a taxonomy, and design programs to support individuals. She reminds us that while humans have structured their lives around a 24-hour clock, the inclusion of leisure time is equally vital.

Through our conversation, I come to appreciate the significance of self-management, particularly the incorporation of moments of awe-inspiring activities that possess a profound ability to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. The encouraging news, according to Thilde, is that one doesn't need to embark on grand expeditions like climbing Kilimanjaro to experience awe. Awe-inspiring moments can be woven into our daily lives by simply living in the present moment.

Thilde is the founder of Clock School.

Clock School offers courses to help people “Reclaim their Time to Reclaim their Life”.