Waiting — at the DMV, at the doctor’s office, for a delayed flight — is absolutely infuriating. Even if the wait is not objectively long (who hasn’t lost 30 minutes staring into space at home?) the lack of control makes any ordeal seem longer.
So how can you seize those minutes?
Obviously, you can try to minimize them: calling ahead to your doctor’s office, checking with any government agency on the best time to visit, avoiding flights with a high risk of delays. But the best approach is to realize they are going to happen.
If you’re hoping for a wait-free life, you’ll just be disappointed.
So, knowing that into all lives a little waiting must fall, the first step is to make a list that I like to call “Bits of Time for Bits of Joy.” You can break this into two categories:
1. Things you like to do that take 30-60 minutes
2. Things you like to do that take 10 minutes or less
The 30-60 minute list might include watching a favorite show, going for a walk, listening to a recording of your favorite symphony, writing a letter to an elderly relative or actually wading through one of the articles in the New Yorker. The 10 minute list might include sketching your surroundings, reading some poetry, reading an article from a clip file, brainstorming items for your List of 100 Dreams, flipping through People, listening to your favorite song, or emailing a love note to your spouse.
For each of these, figure out what you need to have with you, and any circumstances in which the activity won’t work (like a tarmac delay where you can’t use your computer). If you’ll be heading into such a circumstance, choose a back-up option. Then make sure you have what you need on hand. Sure, you’ve got your iPhone in your purse, but a small paperback, or some colored pencils, might be a nice addition too.
Will this turn a wait into a joyful occasion? Hardly. But remembering to bring a book I’d started reading made a multi-hour visit to a doctor’s office the other day much more pleasant than a previous trip to the DMV, which I’d expected (silly me!) to breeze in and out of. Two hours is a long time to spend scrolling through stuff on an iPhone. Better to plan ahead.
What do you do when you’ve got to wait?