diff --git a/src/clocks.c b/src/clocks.c
index 843970edf8d0647b1c86071f7fa99844809a28d3..50a4c624122f60e5b26eb5eb075a7774c119fc5d 100644
--- a/src/clocks.c
+++ b/src/clocks.c
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ const char *clocks_getunit() { return clocks_units[clocks_units_index]; }
  *
  * @result the time since the start of the execution
  */
-const char *clocks_get_timeofday() {
+const char *clocks_get_timesincestart() {
 
   static char buffer[40];
 
diff --git a/src/clocks.h b/src/clocks.h
index 20ac6f954b4bc2cdeed04396b3a59bf381d34bc7..1b4640d605c5ff5d0d9a3d07af158e346695974e 100644
--- a/src/clocks.h
+++ b/src/clocks.h
@@ -39,6 +39,6 @@ void clocks_set_cpufreq(unsigned long long freq);
 unsigned long long clocks_get_cpufreq();
 double clocks_from_ticks(ticks tics);
 double clocks_diff_ticks(ticks tic, ticks toc);
-const char *clocks_get_timeofday();
+const char *clocks_get_timesincestart();
 
 #endif /* SWIFT_CLOCKS_H */
diff --git a/src/engine.c b/src/engine.c
index 04c9f3c03288b1e9e4134b76d45433c446fbfd3d..43df6c3b6a39ef0f3a76e202a351f52acecb8259 100644
--- a/src/engine.c
+++ b/src/engine.c
@@ -1171,10 +1171,10 @@ void engine_print(struct engine *e) {
       counts[task_type_count] += 1;
 #ifdef WITH_MPI
   printf("[%04i] %s engine_print: task counts are [ %s=%i", e->nodeID,
-         clocks_get_timeofday(), taskID_names[0], counts[0]);
+         clocks_get_timesincestart(), taskID_names[0], counts[0]);
 #else
-  printf("%s engine_print: task counts are [ %s=%i", clocks_get_timeofday(),
-         taskID_names[0], counts[0]);
+  printf("%s engine_print: task counts are [ %s=%i",
+         clocks_get_timesincestart(), taskID_names[0], counts[0]);
 #endif
   for (k = 1; k < task_type_count; k++)
     printf(" %s=%i", taskID_names[k], counts[k]);
@@ -1929,9 +1929,9 @@ void engine_init(struct engine *e, struct space *s, float dt, int nr_threads,
     if (nodeID == 0) {
 #ifdef WITH_MPI
       printf("[%04i] %s engine_init: cpu map is [ ", nodeID,
-             clocks_get_timeofday());
+             clocks_get_timesincestart());
 #else
-      printf("%s engine_init: cpu map is [ ", clocks_get_timeofday());
+      printf("%s engine_init: cpu map is [ ", clocks_get_timesincestart());
 #endif
       for (int i = 0; i < nr_cores; i++) printf("%i ", cpuid[i]);
       printf("].\n");
@@ -2108,14 +2108,15 @@ void engine_print_policy(struct engine *e) {
 #ifdef WITH_MPI
   if (e->nodeID == 0) {
     printf("[0000] %s engine_policy: engine policies are [ ",
-           clocks_get_timeofday());
+           clocks_get_timesincestart());
     for (int k = 1; k < 32; k++)
       if (e->policy & (1 << k)) printf(" %s ", engine_policy_names[k + 1]);
     printf(" ]\n");
     fflush(stdout);
   }
 #else
-  printf("%s engine_policy: engine policies are [ ", clocks_get_timeofday());
+  printf("%s engine_policy: engine policies are [ ",
+         clocks_get_timesincestart());
   for (int k = 1; k < 32; k++)
     if (e->policy & (1 << k)) printf(" %s ", engine_policy_names[k + 1]);
   printf(" ]\n");
diff --git a/src/error.h b/src/error.h
index 4a6b931d49f5261394940ac79849a648c9ef9461..b131cb124feedc48e83427122f3a0edcb2ec81d4 100644
--- a/src/error.h
+++ b/src/error.h
@@ -37,19 +37,19 @@
  */
 #ifdef WITH_MPI
 extern int engine_rank;
-#define error(s, ...)                                                 \
-  {                                                                   \
-    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,     \
-            clocks_get_timeofday(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
-            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                           \
-    MPI_Abort(MPI_COMM_WORLD, -1);                                    \
+#define error(s, ...)                                                      \
+  {                                                                        \
+    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,          \
+            clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
+            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                                \
+    MPI_Abort(MPI_COMM_WORLD, -1);                                         \
   }
 #else
-#define error(s, ...)                                                 \
-  {                                                                   \
-    fprintf(stderr, "%s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", clocks_get_timeofday(), \
-            __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, ##__VA_ARGS__);         \
-    abort();                                                          \
+#define error(s, ...)                                                      \
+  {                                                                        \
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", clocks_get_timesincestart(), \
+            __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, ##__VA_ARGS__);              \
+    abort();                                                               \
   }
 #endif
 
@@ -59,27 +59,27 @@ extern int engine_rank;
  *                         followed by the MPI error string and aborts.
  *
  */
-#define mpi_error(res, s, ...)                                        \
-  {                                                                   \
-    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,     \
-            clocks_get_timeofday(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
-            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                           \
-    int len = 1024;                                                   \
-    char buf[len];                                                    \
-    MPI_Error_string(res, buf, &len);                                 \
-    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n\n", buf);                                   \
-    MPI_Abort(MPI_COMM_WORLD, -1);                                    \
+#define mpi_error(res, s, ...)                                             \
+  {                                                                        \
+    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,          \
+            clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
+            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                                \
+    int len = 1024;                                                        \
+    char buf[len];                                                         \
+    MPI_Error_string(res, buf, &len);                                      \
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n\n", buf);                                        \
+    MPI_Abort(MPI_COMM_WORLD, -1);                                         \
   }
 
-#define mpi_error_string(res, s, ...)                                 \
-  {                                                                   \
-    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,     \
-            clocks_get_timeofday(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
-            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                           \
-    int len = 1024;                                                   \
-    char buf[len];                                                    \
-    MPI_Error_string(res, buf, &len);                                 \
-    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n\n", buf);                                   \
+#define mpi_error_string(res, s, ...)                                      \
+  {                                                                        \
+    fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: " s "\n", engine_rank,          \
+            clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, \
+            ##__VA_ARGS__);                                                \
+    int len = 1024;                                                        \
+    char buf[len];                                                         \
+    MPI_Error_string(res, buf, &len);                                      \
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n\n", buf);                                        \
   }
 #endif
 
@@ -89,12 +89,13 @@ extern int engine_rank;
  */
 #ifdef WITH_MPI
 extern int engine_rank;
-#define message(s, ...)                                                \
-  printf("[%04i] %s %s: " s "\n", engine_rank, clocks_get_timeofday(), \
+#define message(s, ...)                                                     \
+  printf("[%04i] %s %s: " s "\n", engine_rank, clocks_get_timesincestart(), \
          __FUNCTION__, ##__VA_ARGS__)
 #else
-#define message(s, ...) \
-  printf("%s %s: " s "\n", clocks_get_timeofday(), __FUNCTION__, ##__VA_ARGS__)
+#define message(s, ...)                                               \
+  printf("%s %s: " s "\n", clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FUNCTION__, \
+         ##__VA_ARGS__)
 #endif
 
 /**
@@ -107,21 +108,21 @@ extern int engine_rank;
   {                                                                           \
     if (!(expr)) {                                                            \
       fprintf(stderr, "[%04i] %s %s:%s():%i: FAILED ASSERTION: " #expr " \n", \
-              engine_rank, clocks_get_timeofday(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__,    \
-              __LINE__);                                                      \
+              engine_rank, clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FILE__,             \
+              __FUNCTION__, __LINE__);                                        \
       fflush(stderr);                                                         \
       MPI_Abort(MPI_COMM_WORLD, -1);                                          \
     }                                                                         \
   }
 #else
-#define assert(expr)                                                     \
-  {                                                                      \
-    if (!(expr)) {                                                       \
-      fprintf(stderr, "%s %s:%s():%i: FAILED ASSERTION: " #expr " \n",   \
-              clocks_get_timeofday(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__); \
-      fflush(stderr);                                                    \
-      abort();                                                           \
-    }                                                                    \
+#define assert(expr)                                                          \
+  {                                                                           \
+    if (!(expr)) {                                                            \
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s %s:%s():%i: FAILED ASSERTION: " #expr " \n",        \
+              clocks_get_timesincestart(), __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, __LINE__); \
+      fflush(stderr);                                                         \
+      abort();                                                                \
+    }                                                                         \
   }
 #endif