Shabby Chic Boho Waiting is a part of the human experience. However, for some people, it crops up more often than others. This might be because you travel often, so you’re stuck waiting for flights and trains, or you have a lot of appointments during the day, so you cannot schedule anything too productive for that time. However, if you’re not the most patient person, waiting can truly test your nerve, which isn’t good if you’re trying to maintain your calm or even just ensure that you step into your next meeting with the right impression. As such, finding ways to spend that extra time can make waiting a little easier.
Use Some Micro Learning Apps
Your personal development is something that you can always spend your free time on. You might not have the time or space to go in-depth with a lesson, but there are great micro learning apps that can deliver lessons in as little as two to five minutes. These micro-learning platforms can cover all matters of things, be it history, science, coding, leadership, finance, or otherwise. They don’t necessarily have to be things related to your career, either. Keeping up a lifelong habit of learning, even outside of your work, can be highly enriching and help you maintain a growth mindset.
Tidy Away Some Digital Admin
Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your email inbox, your schedule, or even just how your photos are organized in daily life? Then, if you’re sitting around doing nothing else, it can be the perfect opportunity to do a little low-energy digital housekeeping. Take the time to clear away your unread emails, look through your subscriptions to see what you can cancel, organize your calendar, and tidy up your photo folder. Taking care of the little bits of digital admin that clutter up your day can reduce the cognitive roadbumps that get in your way when you’re actually trying to be a lot more productive. That little sense of achievement that comes with getting through that type of chore can also add a little accomplishment to your day.
Distract The Brain With Some Low-Dopamine Games
If you’re not trying to get too deep into a given task, then there’s nothing wrong with distracting yourself and keeping your mood light with a game. The brain craves stimulation when it’s left at rest for too long, but you don’t want to get too absorbed into something or too excited, so simple games like FreeCell can hit just the sweet spot that you need. You can enjoy a game that holds your focus and engages a little light problem-solving, with a sensation of reward if you beat it, but if you suddenly have to close it up and go, you’re not going to be too reluctant to leave it on pause for another time.
Ground Yourself With The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
Sometimes, waiting isn’t just boring; it’s stressful. This can be especially true if you’re just coming out of a situation that had your brain firing on all cylinders, or you have some lingering worries on your mind. To that end, a little mindfulness technique can be a lot of help, and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is one that you can do just about anywhere. It involves mentally (or verbally) pointing out five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. It might seem a little silly, even pointless, at first, but the process is legitimately very effective at slowing your thoughts down and reducing stress.
Image credit: Photo by Anna Tarazevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-writing-on-white-paper-5425647/
Leave Your Thoughts In A Notepad
Sometimes, you might have thoughts on your mind that you don’t want to carry with you all day, but you don’t exactly want to forget them, either. To that end, open up a notes app, or even carry a notepad and pen with you, so that you write down all of the things that are competing for your attention. You can make sure that you don’t forget the tasks you want to accomplish for tomorrow, for instance, or ideas that you can workshop, or you can write down your worries and anxieties so that they don’t spend as much time bouncing around your head. It doesn’t have to be particularly polished or well-written; it’s all about sorting your thoughts so that they’re not a constant distraction.
Chip Away At A New Language
If you want to feel a little more productive at times, then working towards a goal, rather than just shuffling things around, could be just what you need. Language learning apps can be perfect for making use of your waiting time. Their lessons are typically short and self-contained, allowing you to make measurable progress, be it learning a new word, phrase, or linguistic rule. If you spend a lot of time waiting, then it’s not going to be too long before you begin to feel a sense of forward momentum. It also helps you keep your brain sharp, working out the memory, sound, and meaning parts of the brain, whereas simply sitting still while waiting can leave you a little foggy and unfocused, which isn’t great if you have a meeting coming up.
Write A Message To A Friend
Life is full of friends, family, and colleagues that we wish we had a little more time to engage with and to express our sense of care or gratitude for. Taking a moment to pen a message to such a person, even if you don’t send it, can be a very worthwhile way to spend your time. You can remind yourself to set up that lunch date or weekend hangout, and practice what you want to express to them in a more natural setting.
Having to spend a lot of time waiting can certainly make the day a little harder to get through, but with the tips above, that time can pass a lot quicker. Having a few different options or strategies on hand can help you get through even the most demanding of delays.
Featured image: Photo by Sinitta Leunen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-people-waiting-for-the-train-in-railway-station-6542530/
