Boost Your Productivity While You Wait

Waiting is sometimes one of the hardest things in life to do psychologically. Even though it usually requires time from us. This is especially true if we are unsure how long the wait time will be. Yet, we are always waiting on something or someone. This feels unproductive and can be so frustrating to those of us who are not blessed with patience. So, how can we boost our productivity while waiting?

My wife and I were recently waiting in a Federal Government office for a service we could not do online. About 20 other customers were ahead of us. I commented to her this was “dead time” for me since I was not being productive. She laughed and said she was sorry to hear that because her definition of productivity was doing what she was supposed to at that time. And at this time, it was to wait. So, as far as she was concerned, she was being very productive. Although funny, it was still quite an interesting perspective. So, what does it mean to be productive? Do you have to be sweating, stressed, or producing something?

According to Oxford Dictionary, “Productivity is the effectiveness of productive effort, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.” That is, how much you got done for the effort you made. Here is the golden nugget: That output can be tangible (a physical product) or intangible (happy hormones produced).

The Waiting Game

We tend to get frustrated when we have to wait. That’s because we feel we are not being productive. It also means we are not getting our needs met quickly enough. The issue is feel stressed from having to wait. Delays are sometimes painful. We are constantly pushing for more to happen faster. I remember when fast food was the standard representation of rapid service. Today, same-day delivery from online merchants is the norm. When last did you patiently wait longer than 3 seconds for a webpage to come up? We bounce from a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. That amount of negative stress can be unhealthy.

Waiting is part of life. There are times we wait due to circumstances beyond our control. It may be due to inefficiencies in a long line at a cash register. Sometimes, waiting is part of the process as in waiting for a pot of coffee to brew. Other times, the wait is fully in our control but created by a lack of preparation. For example, not prechecking before getting to the airport for a flight or for a doctor’s appointment.

The result of our impatience can be stress-related illnesses. We must learn how to handle wait times more productively to minimize the negative impacts.

Harnessing the Benefits of Waiting

Even when out of our control, instead of waiting passively (not doing anything), we can choose to boost our productively by producing something during that wait time. We can leverage one of the many benefits that can come with waiting. Here are just a few.

• Waiting gives us time to plan and prepare.
• Waiting gives us time to reset and start something over.
• Waiting gives us time to relax and renew mentally
• Waiting gives us time to reevaluate a situation and determine the best next steps.
• Waiting gives us time to slow down and be in the present in a quality way with relationships.
• Waiting gives us time to see and enjoy more of what is around us.

If you get frustrated while waiting, that’s most likely because it’s “dead time” and you are feeling unproductive. Stop for a moment and switch your mindset to rethink productivity. Then use that time to return calls, strengthen relationships, meditate, learn something new, or simply increase your happy hormones by just daydreaming of your favorite place.

When we choose to be productive during wait times, there is a very good chance our frame of mind will improve, our stress levels will reduce, and we will enjoy a better quality of life. Sorry though, I don’t have a measure for emotional productivity.

Empowered Leader Reflection

Consider the last time you were stressed from having to wait, did the increased stress reduce your wait time? How could you have been more productive during that time?

I invite you to help us by adding to the conversation in the reply section below.