Short Life: A Clock to Remind You that Life is Short

April 11, 2025

One of my birthday gifts was a little late in arriving. So while I didn’t get to receive it on the actual day, I got it recently… and I’m just as excited.

I’ve had my eye on Shortlife, a clock/project by Dries Depoorter, for some time now. And beyond excited to actually have the thing in hand, and to be able to have it on my desk.

I’m a fan of things that evoke a sense of memento mori. It’s not a ghoulis or depressing sentiment; rather, it’s a reminder of how fleeting everything else. It’s a reminder to step back and appreciate, to pause and absorb, all the things that are happening right here, right now. Before it’s too late.

Despite what it may appear to be on the surface, this is not about morbidity. It’s about recognition and celebration.

The clock actually works differently than what I thought/remembered. In my head, it was a countdown to zero. But seeing it in practice, the clock indicates what percentage of your life expectancy has already passed.

When ordering the clock, you send along your date of birth (this gets programmed into the clock, before it’s shipped out). Overall life expectancy is calculated using average age and country, with data from the World Health Organization.

While there will be a finite number of these clocks produced, I think I got in early enough to be safe.

To be honest, I’m a little disturbed that my percentage is so high, already. I thought I had a bit more time. But my clock is running, both technically and literally. And I’ve enjoyed the slight pause I have, each morning, when I look over and spot this next to my keyboard.

Of note: I’ve been a fan of Dries Depoorter for some while now. I’ve enjoyed his projects as they’ve come across my radar, and only recently connected the fact that he was the author of several projects I’ve mentioned on this site.

I’ve had a few projects that involve code and the Internet. But I haven’t yet done anything to move things into the physical world. I really like Depoorter’s projects, and find a lot of inspiration in the things he’s created.

The idea of creating something tangible and physical is incredibly appealing. I think I’d like to do something like that, in the near future.

While I still have time.