When everyone so casually throws around sentences like "Turn the barrel clockwise..." what do they mean? Should I look at the shifter mech along the barrel, my face is at the center of the bike, looking at the handlegrips, and I need to see the barrel adjuster as a clock, and turn it clockwise?

Or do I have it backwards? Should I be seeing the barrel as a tiny clock as I face the center of the bike from off to one side???? Likewise minor brake adjustments.
Of course, for the barrel down on the rear derailler, there is the same question, but it is 90 degrees turned. What is the system? This is so basic, I feel foolish asking, and I know I can just experiment, but please tell me, thanks.