A. Before we even get to the alarm feature, let’s take a look at the time setting in relation to real time.
I think there are three main categories of people here:
1) The first category is those that have their time (alarm clock, watches, wall clocks) set to the exact/actual time. Based on my experience these people tend to be very orderly and precise. These are the type of people who like the adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place”. They tend to be meticulous and organized. These people are time-focused and would rarely be without a means of telling time (watch, cell phone used for telling time, etc.). In fact, they might feel a little lost without a watch, alarm clock or cell phone.
2) The second category is for people whose clocks are behind real/actual time. I've found that these people tend to be more laid back and perhaps even a little more apathetic about time and schedules in general. "The clocks off? Whatever...who needs time? I’ll get there when I get there." People who have clocks that are off might not even know they are off. These people might also tend to be the ones that don’t wear watches. In my experience, they can also be a little more disorganized, forgetful, and polychronic (those that tend to be social, like to do something until they feel ready to go, and tend to generally like going with the flow). I think non-watch wearers are not the type to set strict agendas and as is the case with some people I know, can have trouble following schedules set by others. (Sometimes people from category 2 will see people from category 1 as "uptight" or "rigid", while category 1 people might see category 2 types as "lazy" or "apathetic").
3) Ah, then there's the last category…those that set their time ahead, on purpose. What I've discovered here is that these are the type of people who tend to consistently run late. They too are a bit disorganized, maybe take on too much and think they can change. “If I just set the clock ahead I’ll end up getting there on time” but guess what? Typically, these late people still tend to be late. In my experience, these are the people who usually have good intentions but lack some follow-through. These people like to think they are in control but sometimes aren’t.
B. Ok now let’s move on to where your alarm clock is located.
1) Right next to the bed. To me this indicates you are self-motivated. Again, probably like some organization in your life and can follow through on given tasks.
2) Across the room. You like your sleep and tend to give in to self pleasures like a little extra sleep. You need more motivation than some others because unless you actually get yourself up out of bed, you might just go back to sleep. And I’m guessing for some of you across-the-room alarm clockers, that you’ve actually still done just that—get out of bed, turn off the alarm, and collapse back on the bed in rebellion. That’s right, you have a bit of a rebellious side.
3) Cell phone alarm clocks. You might fit into category 1 if you are diligent in placing your cell phone within reach each night before you go to bed. Or you may be a category 2 if your cellphone is still placed across the room. However, if it gets left where ever it gets left, like in a pocket, this might indicate a slight tendency to be a 2. But whether you're a 1, 2, or pocket alarmer, people who use their cell phone as an alarm generally are into gadgets, technology and toys. More than likely these people would feel lost without their cell phone and would probably rank it high on the list of items they couldn’t live without. Oh, and perhaps they tend to exaggerate.
4) Some people don’t set an alarm. This either indicates that you are a morning person, bright and bubbly, ready to face the day. Or you have kids that wake you up, so why bother setting one. You don’t really count in this category, because at heart you’re really one of the other personality types, but your kids have gotten in the way of your morning alarm preference and routine. Am I right?
Now, let’s look at the time setting of when you want your alarm to go off.
1) I’m guessing if you were an A.1 you are going to have your alarm set for the exact time you plan on getting up. You probably also tend to get up at the same time everyday or alternating times if you are on a swing shift. More than likely you tend to also be a B.1
2) People who set their alarm ahead exactly one “snooze” unit feel like they’re missing something in life. For example, this type of person knows they require 30 minutes to get ready in the morning. They need to leave the house be 7:30 am. So this person sets their alarm for 6:51 am. (Just reading that uneven number is probably unnerving some of you A.1/B.1 individuals) “If only I had 9 more minutes of sleep…I’d feel better.” These type of people like to trick themselves into thinking things are better than they are. My guess is you like your sleep and aren’t happy that you’re not getting enough.
3) The more “snooze units” you use, the more possibly lazy or possibly unproductive perhaps a person might be. I’ve had students report they set their alarms 5 snooze units ahead. These type of people tend to also be more of a night-owl and some might say self-pleasing. They probably stayed up very late playing video games or hanging out with friends. These people sometimes have trouble getting work done that others may think is important and again, are probably a little more apathetic about it as well. However, to this person, setting 5 snooze units ahead makes perfect sense. As does setting your wall clock ahead 12 minutes. To an “exact timer” (someone who likes the time set exactly to real time and gets up on the first alarm) this sounds absolutely ridiculous.
Enter culture clash: You get a roommate or a spouse who is of a different “time persuasion”. A couple who come from opposite time orientations, might have some serious communication problems if these differences aren’t talked about and a collaborative agreement reached.
An alarm clock may just be an item but it sends messages about its owner based on where it is located, what time is showing, and how the alarm is set in correlation to "snooze units". And we didn't even touch on other telling factors like volume settings, radio vs buzzer, music selection, white noise use and other alarm clock features. Those too are interesting variables to look at in correlation to personality types.
I hope you've enjoyed this generalized and stereotyped view of alarm clocks as "Artifactual communication".
Questions to Think About:
Can you classify yourself by how you use or don’t use an alarm clock?
Did other people come to mind when you read the classifications?
How do you agree or disagree with the assessments made about each personality type based on the alarm clock's use?
Do those traits hold true for you?
What other “traits” might be implied by the alarm clocks?
In the last example, the culture clash, what options do these individuals have?
What other common “artifacts” (objects) and corresponding use do you think are “telling” of one’s personality?
