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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The simplest thing is to not use "clock" or any equivalent. Just say the time.

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> Question: How long did it take you to read that research paper?
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> Answer: About half an hour.
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We generally only use the verb "clock" when giving instructions, like, "Al, please clock Bill's time." It's rather redundant to say you measured the time and then to give the measurement. Like:

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> How tall is this stack?
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> I measured it. It's 9 inches.
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Well obviously if you know it's 9 inches you must have measured it, so saying you measured it is superfluous.

People will use "clock" when they want to make clear that this was a measurement and not a guess or estimate.

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> How long did it take you to read that paper?
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> Half an hour.
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The listener can't be sure if that's an actual measured value or just a guess. But:

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> I clocked it at half an hour.
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That indicates it's an actual measurement.

You could also say "I timed it ..." or "I checked a clock and it was ..."

BTW "Half and an hour" is not correct. If you mean 30 minutes, say "half an hour". If you mean 90 minutes, say "an hour and a half".