Maybe I want clear enough, so allow me to expand.

Some events, like the cited example of award shows, have their outcomes decided on before they are announced. If I gain this ability after that the decision is made but before the outcome is announced, then I could place a wager on it now without impacting anything in the past. This is where the “depending on the timing” qualifier comes into play and why I said “already decided but not yet announced”.

So many questions:

• Is the soup hot or cold, in the hole?
• What type of soup is it?
• Is it gluten free?
• Is it vegetarian or vegan?
• Did they even taste the soup to know that it is, in fact, soup?

It is the lack of these type of details that make me suspect that this is not real.

This year. Having near omniscience about recent events would have so many useful applications.

My stock predictions would be crazy accurate if I could observe what decision makers were planning but had not yet implemented or were still in the process of implementing.

Depending on the timing of when this ability takes affect, I might be able to also place wagers on events, like awards shows, that have already been decided but not yet announced.

My ability to solve crimes by observing how they were committed and what happened to the evidence would propel me to Sherlock Holmesian level of noteriety.

I am also sure plenty of influencial people would be willing to do favors for me in exchange for my silence on some of their various recent activities.

Those aren’t even the imaginative ideas.

A few uneducated thoughts:

I feel like there should be a way to use tides to track the passage of time. Maybe by monitoring the shifting water at fixed points?

While a clepsydra may not work underwater, a inverse one that slowly releases air instead of water might. Similarly, any container that slowly releases sand, or other such substance, at a constant rate could be used. Either by adjusting a scale, releasing counterweights, or even tracking how much has been released into another container (like an hourglass).

I think social media provides a good reference to start speculating an answer to your question.

The problem with statements like this is that they only ever seem to be made by narcissists who thinks work is only those efforts that directly benefit them. The end of my “work day” is when I start my other job of working for myself. I manage my home, I take care of my garden, I put effort into maintaining or improving my physical and mental well being, I foster and build the relationships in my life that I care about, etc. All of that is work, it’s just work that I do for myself and don’t get a paycheck for.