Question: The [word](http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/clock) " to clock" is used in a sense of "to measure or record the time or speed that someone or something is travelling at". However, I would like to use it in a more casual context as in the following if possible or how can I say it with different verbs?

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> A: How long did your journey take?
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Should I say ?

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> B : I "clocked the time/it". It took about half an hour.
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or

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> B : I forgot to look at the clock so I did not "clock it" but it was about half an hour.
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Another scenario

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> A: How long did it take you to read and understand a research paper?
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> B: I "clocked the time/it". I took about half an hour.
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What I mean is here that I looked at the clock when the process started and I looked the clock again when the process finished. However I did not measure time in a scientific way using millisecond unit like in a spring.

Answer: 
To "clock" something is idiomatic so it's not necessarily OK to use as a substitute for the more generic "to time" something. It does convey an image of timing with a stopwatch or some other precise chronometer, so measuring things like swimmers or race cars or solving the Rubik's Cube is fine, since those are activities where more speed / less time is wanted.

But when talking about something like a research paper, it's weird. The image is someone standing over your shoulder while you study, stopwatch in hand, urging you to "read faster!" 

Although of course you can use "clock" for comic effect.

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> I'm really getting into ["power napping"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_nap). I *clocked* my latest nap at 35 minutes, but I think with more practice I could easily break 30!
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> [clocking](http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/clock)
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the *transitive verb* is about *time* and *speed* 

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> The race car *clocked in* with a top speed of 250mph.
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> A: How long did your journey take?  
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>  B : I *clocked* it. It took about half an hour.  
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>  B : I *timed* it. It took about half an hour.  
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>  B : *On the clock*, it took about half an hour. 
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And so may not be appropriate for your second example.

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> A: How long did it take you to read and understand a research paper?  
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>  B: I *timed* myself. I took about half an hour.
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