diff --git a/config.h b/config.h
index 40207a3..42de31d 100644
--- a/config.h
+++ b/config.h
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ struct settings defaults = {
 .lowfgcolor = "#000000",
 .format = "%s %b",         /* default format */
 
-.timeouts = { 10*G_USEC_PER_SEC, 10*G_USEC_PER_SEC, 0 }, /* low, normal, critical */
+.timeouts = { S2US(10), S2US(10), S2US(0) }, /* low, normal, critical */
 .icons = { "dialog-information", "dialog-information", "dialog-warning" }, /* low, normal, critical */
 
 .transparency = 0,           /* transparency */
diff --git a/src/dunst.c b/src/dunst.c
index 1449a43..88031e8 100644
--- a/src/dunst.c
+++ b/src/dunst.c
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ int dunst_main(int argc, char *argv[])
                 n->summary = g_strdup("startup");
                 n->body = g_strdup("dunst is up and running");
                 n->progress = -1;
-                n->timeout = 10 * G_USEC_PER_SEC;
+                n->timeout = S2US(10);
                 n->markup = MARKUP_NO;
                 n->urgency = URG_LOW;
                 notification_init(n);
diff --git a/src/queues.c b/src/queues.c
index c90faf2..9f292ff 100644
--- a/src/queues.c
+++ b/src/queues.c
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ gint64 queues_get_next_datachange(gint64 time)
 
                         if (age > settings.show_age_threshold)
                                 // sleep exactly until the next shift of the second happens
-                                sleep = MIN(sleep, ((G_USEC_PER_SEC) - (age % (G_USEC_PER_SEC))));
+                                sleep = MIN(sleep, (S2US(1) - (age % S2US(1))));
                         else if (n->timeout == 0 || ttl > settings.show_age_threshold)
                                 sleep = MIN(sleep, settings.show_age_threshold);
                 }
diff --git a/src/utils.c b/src/utils.c
index 22a0c50..4dcffa5 100644
--- a/src/utils.c
+++ b/src/utils.c
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ gint64 string_to_time(const char *string)
                 LOG_W("Time: '%s': Unknown error.", string);
                 return 0;
         } else if (errno == 0 && !*endptr) {
-                return val * G_USEC_PER_SEC;
+                return S2US(val);
         }
 
         // endptr may point to a separating space
@@ -180,13 +180,13 @@ gint64 string_to_time(const char *string)
         if (STRN_EQ(endptr, "ms", 2))
                 return val * 1000;
         else if (STRN_EQ(endptr, "s", 1))
-                return val * G_USEC_PER_SEC;
+                return S2US(val);
         else if (STRN_EQ(endptr, "m", 1))
-                return val * G_USEC_PER_SEC * 60;
+                return S2US(val) * 60;
         else if (STRN_EQ(endptr, "h", 1))
-                return val * G_USEC_PER_SEC * 60 * 60;
+                return S2US(val) * 60 * 60;
         else if (STRN_EQ(endptr, "d", 1))
-                return val * G_USEC_PER_SEC * 60 * 60 * 24;
+                return S2US(val) * 60 * 60 * 24;
         else
                 return 0;
 }
@@ -205,7 +205,6 @@ gint64 time_monotonic_now(void)
 #else
         clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &tv_now);
 #endif
-        return (gint64)tv_now.tv_sec  * G_USEC_PER_SEC
-                     + tv_now.tv_nsec / 1000;
+        return S2US(tv_now.tv_sec) + tv_now.tv_nsec / 1000;
 }
 /* vim: set tabstop=8 shiftwidth=8 expandtab textwidth=0: */
diff --git a/src/utils.h b/src/utils.h
index b77fa28..6b8a7a7 100644
--- a/src/utils.h
+++ b/src/utils.h
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@
 //! Test if string a and b are the same case-insensitively
 #define STR_CASEQ(a, b) (strcasecmp(a, b) == 0)
 
+//! Convert a second into the internal time representation
+#define S2US(s) (((gint64)(s)) * 1000 * 1000)
+
 /**
  * Replaces all occurrences of the char \p needle with the char \p replacement in \p haystack.
  *