are you wasting your wait times?

Dear you,

I spent today thinking about Lagos traffic. I remember how I used to carpool with bae, and we suddenly realised we were spending at least 3 hours in traffic on most days. So we asked ourselves, what could we do with this time? I used to read books, but I felt that was a little selfish, and unfair to him. I needed to keep him (the driver) engaged. We were always tired from work, and it's so easy to fall asleep while driving in Lagos traffic, especially when you wake up really early in the morning to get a head start or at the close of business when you are worn out. It's draining. So, we figured out a way. We picked up the habit of listening to podcasts, audiobooks, and radio shows about the financial markets".

This made me realise that we spent so much time waiting. In traffic, you wait for the road to clear up or for the person in front of you to move forward. You call customer care; you wait to be attended to. You book an Uber; you wait for 10 minutes, or while you are on your way, you can't do anything because you are waiting to reach your destination. You book an appointment at the hospital; you wait to be attended to. You order food at a restaurant; you wait for it to be ready and served. We spend so much time waiting!

For the rest of the month, keep a journal of all the minutes and hours you spend waiting, and tell me what it sums up to.

According to the Fact site, The average person spends five years waiting in lines and queues throughout their lifetime. And this is in global climes, where they are pretty efficient. I think for Nigeria, especially Lagos, that number might be double.

So the question is - how can you maximise the time you spend waiting?

I use my waiting times to make calls to my loved ones and really close friends or old friends, read/listen to a book or podcast, or respond to emails. These are the top four things I do while I wait. Sometimes, I also write. But whatever I do, I ensure I am either deepening bonds, learning or clearing my emails. Because these things are so easy to forget or push back or even procrastinate when you are actively neck-deep in work. But I use my waiting times to do these.

Other times, I use my waiting times to catch my breath, relax, and just have some me time, doing absolutely nothing.

So, I guess my question to you is - How do you spend your wait times?

If you don't like the answer, you can change it. Stop wasting your wait times. Maximise it.

With Love,

Blessing Abeng

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