Self

This article explores the experiences of temporality. It argues that experience of time is a key and undervalued feature of practice; a feature that furthers understandings of how practice becomes normalised. Practice theory advocates that experiences of time are experiences of practice. This article does not wish to refute this claim, rather it aims to extend it by exploring the complexities of the relationship between practice and temporality. Drawing upon an empirical study of a hair salon and women’s hair appointment practices, this article unpicks the drivers of shared practice from the physical to the normative, to the notion that experiences of time spent engaging in practices drives their performance. Introducing the concept of self-time, it makes three main arguments. Firstly, that exploring and prioritising experiences of time (how time spent doing a practice feels) illuminates further elements of collective practice. Practices may not be what they seem and seemingly obvious outcomes, such as showering to clean the body, are also undertaken because of other subsequent intentions. Secondly, that practices and their most recognisable outcomes (showering to clean the body) legitimise the time spent engaging in them. Thirdly, and most importantly, that experiences of time are a key feature of practice and one that should not be overlooked in the drive to understand how practices become normalised and collective activities