Waiting, always waiting

Waiting for my delayed train (again!!!!) yesterday, I got to wondering how much time I (unintentionally) waste waiting.

Waiting for trains (delayed or otherwise), waiting for buses or other public transport. Waiting for the kettle to boil. Stuck in traffic. Waiting for the oven to warm up. Waiting for tea to cook. Waiting for the computer to fully load. Waiting for the bath to run. Waiting for appointments.

All that waiting may seem small buckets individually, but what happens when you add it all up. What could you do with the time?

Yesterday for example my first train was delayed by 9 minutes, therefore missing the connection I usually go for. Therefore I waited a further 20 minutes. So that’s already 29 minutes, lets add another 10 minutes for the oven to heat up, 1 minute (twice) waiting for the kettle…that’s 32 minutes already and that’s just the time I spent waiting off the top of my head.

32 minutes basically wasted through waiting.

What could I have done? Obviously the task has to be able to be split into the waiting times. So…..

1. Could have read a paragraph or several (perhaps even a full chapter) for research purposes.

2. Could have outlined a new project.

3. Could have created a new character profile.

4. Could have decided upon the title of my forthcoming novel.

5. Could have worked on the blurb. Could have worked on the ‘pitch’ to describe what my book’s about.

6. Could have written a review.

7. Could have outlined the title and theme of a potential short story.

8. Could have worked on the improvement and editing on my current project.

9. and so on and so forth……..

 

 

Time is precious. You can potentially get so much done if you organize your time while waiting. I’ll definitely be taking my own advice and thinking not only what could I be doing while waiting, but more importantly do it.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: organization, time-management, waiting times, wasting time, writing tip