Fed Up? Bored? Frustrated? How To Make Time Fly By

A few weeks ago I took a look at time management strategies. However, human nature being what it is, one minute you wish you had more time to get stuff done, and then you wish time would speed up so you can get out of a boring meeting or not have to wait around so long at the airport. Delays and queues are rife in our lives nowadays. However, you don’t have to be a victim to such frustrating circumstances. Below I’ve detailed some of the strategies I use to make a boring trip or a tedious wait in the till queue go that little bit quicker.

• Hide the clock
  Clock watching is a surefire way to make time drag and drag… so don’t do it! Hide the clock if you need to (don’t forget to put it back when you finish work or your boss may send security after you). You can also take your watch off and stick it in a drawer or pocket if it’s too much of a temptation. If your place of work is anything like mine, every phone has a digital clock display on it. It’s not really practical to unhook your phone every day (unless your intention is to lose customers) so what I personally do is stick some tape over the display. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re not constantly face-to-face with a clock.
• Avoid tedious work
  Time always seems to go slower when you are constantly aware of it. If you’re doing irritating, tedious and just generally naff work then all you are going to be thinking about is how long you have left until you can go home. However, if you are too occupied, engaged or just generally too busy to worry about how many minutes have passed you’re on the right track.
• Get active
  If you are stuck at the station waiting for a train, don’t sit there on the platform twiddling your thumbs. Get up, move around. Buy a book, listen to some music, admire the architecture if that’s your thing. The same goes for any other scenario. If you are sat at your desk waiting for the last hour to pass by before you can go home, don’t just stare at the monitor. Have a conversation with a colleague, tidy your desk, make a paper plane.
• Accept your fate
  What I have personally found is that, ironically, a short four hour shift seems to drag on a lot more compared to a full day at work (eight hours for instance). The reason seems to be that with the long shifts I accept my fate. I’m here for the long haul so I might as well just get on with it. So, whether it be an all-day meeting, a big traffic jam or a twelve hour flight, accept you’re going to be there for a long time rather than wondering how much longer you have left. It’s much better to be relaxed about the situation that constantly frustrated.
• Use it to your advantage
  While I admit it’s not really practical to start organizing your to-do list when you are waiting in line at the supermarket (ever get someone peeking over your shoulder?), if you would otherwise be stuck doing nothing, it can be a great opportunity to instead do something constructive. Whenever I have a long drive ahead of me I take a notepad so I can scribble down any notes or even plan out a blog post (and yes, this is when I’m the passenger not the driver).