K.L. Davis
04-21-11, 10:21
While this is not something that happens often, it is something that I have seen happen more than a few times... and the results can be disastrous.
I like to call this phenomenon the "missing minute" and it occurs when someone is using the second hand on an analog watch to time an event... under stress, we all suffer from some loss of perspective of time. Often, time goes by much faster than we realize.
So, having stood and watched this transpire many times... this is pretty much what happens:
1. A person has to do something (make a turn, flip a switch, etc) at exactly 7 minutes and 20 seconds.
2. This person made note of the start time on their watch and is keeping an eye on their time, as well as several other things about them.
3. The person notes that they have 40 seconds until they need to do whatever it is they need to do - at this point, they are focusing on the analog second hand of their watch.
4. To ensure that everything goes well, they are double checking and going over all the steps up to now... and most likely thinking about the next step.
5. All of this is confirmed and they look back at the watch... 22 seconds to go, but they fail to realize that the events in step 4 actually took them 1 minute and 18 seconds, it is now T-plus 38 seconds, and in 22 seconds - when they do their task - they will be exactly one minute late.
The likelihood of this happening is tied directly to how significant the task at hand is, and how much "peripheral" stress they are subject to. Naturally, in some cases being a minute late may not be that big of a deal - but if you are navigating a lights-out small boat into a harbor entrance at 45 knots, that minute can literally make or break you.
I like to call this phenomenon the "missing minute" and it occurs when someone is using the second hand on an analog watch to time an event... under stress, we all suffer from some loss of perspective of time. Often, time goes by much faster than we realize.
So, having stood and watched this transpire many times... this is pretty much what happens:
1. A person has to do something (make a turn, flip a switch, etc) at exactly 7 minutes and 20 seconds.
2. This person made note of the start time on their watch and is keeping an eye on their time, as well as several other things about them.
3. The person notes that they have 40 seconds until they need to do whatever it is they need to do - at this point, they are focusing on the analog second hand of their watch.
4. To ensure that everything goes well, they are double checking and going over all the steps up to now... and most likely thinking about the next step.
5. All of this is confirmed and they look back at the watch... 22 seconds to go, but they fail to realize that the events in step 4 actually took them 1 minute and 18 seconds, it is now T-plus 38 seconds, and in 22 seconds - when they do their task - they will be exactly one minute late.
The likelihood of this happening is tied directly to how significant the task at hand is, and how much "peripheral" stress they are subject to. Naturally, in some cases being a minute late may not be that big of a deal - but if you are navigating a lights-out small boat into a harbor entrance at 45 knots, that minute can literally make or break you.