This will come in handy if you’re in some isolated part of the country with no watch or have lost your way in the Sahara. However, this method of telling time is unlikely to help you make it to your next scheduled meeting.

Locate the horizon. Remember to correct for the slope of the land and the height of trees.

Straighten your arms out and make your hands into vertical fists.

Going hand over hand, count the amount of fists from the horizon to the zenith (the highest point of the sky). Take that number as half of a day. For instance, if you counted 9 fists, and you know the day is 12 hours long, nine fists would be equal to six hours. One fist, then would equal 6 divided by 9 – or about 2/3 hours (40 minutes). This is your hours-per-fist.

Now count the number of fists from the horizon to the sun. Estimate the number of hours by multiplying that number times the hours-per-fist measurement. It sounds complicated, but it’s very intuitive – you just have to go out and try.

It isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Go out and try it once and you’ll be smarter in no time!