I often find myself watching the progress of a program on my computer and lately I have been asking myself ‘why are you watching this when you can do other things while it finishes?’
Another example is at traffic lights (robots in South Africa) – you see people edging forward when it’s red. In cities with public transport – people cannot stand still when the transport is expected.
What are we waiting for? What is the rush? The computer will finish what it is doing for you in its own time – not yours? We all know that the Microsoft minute is not actually a minute and can range from seconds to multiple minutes. The transport will arrive soon enough. If it does not – it is not your fault and it is out of your control. No one can hold you accountable for those situations.
Next time you find yourself in the situation as above, try and relax. If you can do something else while waiting – do it! Take that long needed toilet break, make that cup of coffee or just sit back and take a breath and chill out for that time. If you are waiting for transport, look around you.
While you are waiting for something or even someone try the following:
1. Try and notice things around you. Even in an underground train station, there are things to watch and notice.
2. If you are fortunate enough to have music, have a good song going. Dance if you want.
3. People watch. There are 7 billion people in the world so this is always an option.
4. Are you waiting in an office? Take 10 seconds to memorize the space around you. Close your eyes and paint the picture of the space around you.
Before you know it, it will be time to go.
