ABSTRACT
Good uses of time are those that give enjoyment, that develop potential, that leave something useful behind. Bad ones by contrast are inert, useless, mindless, and unmemorable. In pre-industrial societies, time is close to nature. Social life is ordered by the rhythms of the seasons, of day and night. People understand time cyclically, and in terms of key rites of passage through life, moments that were often experienced communally. In such societies time is rarely measured; instead it is present subjectively rather than objectively. The clear logic of industrial time is towards homogeneity and synchronisation, a vision of the world perfectly captured in the production line of films like Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. Around these continuous production processes the most successful businesses strove to synchronise life and leisure to suit production, with shift working, and a host of measures from hire purchase to macro management to stabilise demand.
