How many of us have found ourselves in waiting rooms, trying to kill time? Sometimes, it’s more than an hour.
Or waiting for a kid’s practice to end?
Then we lament that we “don’t have time” to:
- Complete client work
- Source products
- Create our own content
- Add your own task
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
For those of our who are caring for aging parents, overseeing care for a medically complex child, and/or managing our own chronic health issues, and even caring for younger children, the potential for downtime is significantly increased.
Answer me this…what do you do while waiting during appointments, procedures, etc.,? I’m not saying you need to be productive 24/7 because I believe everyone needs some down time. But can you answer yes to any of the following?
- Scrolling any of the socials, just to be scrolling
- Playing online games (I have a thing for King’s Bubble Witch Saga)
- Reading magazines in the waiting room, catching up on the latest gossip or fixer upper trend
- Add your own way to pass the time
For the occasional appointment, that’s fine.
But, if you’re like me, we have multiple appointments every week. Sometimes we drive 45 minutes across town, to see a specialist that is always behind schedule, and then 45 minutes home. By nature of driving, I lose 90 minutes to the drive. I can listen to podcasts. But sometimes, I just need the music so I can sing along and enjoy the drive.
But that time in the waiting area…what could you do? As I type this post, I’m sitting in the parking lot outside a medical office, waiting for my Mom. My daughter is in the backseat, connecting to school.
Is it ideal? NO
Is it worth it? YES!
My notifications are off. I’m not connected to WiFi. I’m just typing.
Some of the other tasks I’ve completed while sitting in the waiting room or the car:
- Creating a Reel
- Researching trends on Instagram for my Reels
- Editing an eBook for a client
- Finishing my own eBook
- Creating a content calendar for the rest of the month
- Posting to my business socials from my phone
As we head into the holidays, our schedules become fuller. We may find ourselves with little pockets of time instead of the chunks we typically have. By using these effectively, we can mark of the next thing on the “to do” list.
As I finish writing this piece, I had a chat conversation with a friend. She’s feeling some pressure as some urgent things have arisen a week before an event. These are thins that MUST be addressed now. But yet, this even is within the next week.
She talked about the Enemy lurking, trying to trip her up, prevent her from being the servant God made her to be. Before I knew about this, I asked her what she needed help with either her day-to-day business or for the event. God can use me to bless her in this time of stress so that she can focus on the event and really pour into these women who want to hear what she has to say and be blessed as we head into the holidays.
I found a few verses that fit this whole “using our time wisely” wisdom. This resonated with me the most:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
–Ecclesiastes 3:1
Focus on the things that God has called you to, whether it’s being a Mom, wife, sister, friend, therapist, nurse, whatever. How can you best serve those around you that God has called you to serve?
**I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess it’s NOT surfing social media.
Use these little pockets of time to serve God in the ways He has led you to. You won’t be disappointed.
I bet you’ll feel fulfilled, refreshed, and content.