Are you always +2 at 11am? A chronobiological self-test designed to track and identify personal time cycles, based upon an experiment designed by Local 503 Shop JL John Labovitz. Collaboratively written by Local 503 Shop JL, Local 347 Shop FS Bridget Elmer, and Local 917 Shop RC Emily Larned. Designed to mimic a vintage US Army Field Manual.. Includes a manual, test form, reply form, and letterpress printed envelope.
From the introduction:
This project interrogates the assumed plasticity of time, especially as it relates to an individual person. We posit that for most of us, our internal, natural time cycles are governed by something stronger than cultural expectations. Moreover, we believe that treating all time as equal can be as potentially harmful as not thoughtfully using the time at all. What is your best time for impractical labor? For answering emails? For tackling household chores? If we save our most alert time for our most valued activities, and our lowest times for the necessities of life that do not require us to be at our best, will we optimize our experience of time? Our process of living? Our life? By performing a brief experiment, using self-observation and self-analysis, this project helps ILSSA members characterize their personal time cycles: their individual chronobiologies. By charting—without judging—the ebb and flow of energy, whether creative, cognitive, physical, or social, our hope is to help our members understand how to better use their time.
