Have more fun in line

How to stop wishing minutes away

Lines can be incredibly frustrating. They feel like a waste of our precious time on this planet. And in some cases, they are just that — torments created because of mismanagement. In a previous Vanderhack I talked about getting out of line if at all possible. But if you can’t do anything about the line’s existence, it’s better to try to do something fun instead of wishing precious minutes away.

These days we do almost always have our phones with us, which can make waiting in line mildly more tolerable. I suspect most people just view these minutes as a guilt-free time to scroll around online — looking at pretty pictures on Instagram or reading the snarky comments on someone’s Facebook posts. If you’re behind on email you can start sending responses, or even save Future You some time by unsubscribing to marketing emails.

But — and this may be a better idea — you can also use your phone to do slightly more cerebral things. Keep a list of articles (or links to articles) that you’ve been meaning to read. When you’re stuck in line, click on a link and get started. You can read ebooks on your phone pretty easily via the Kindle app (or any other e-reading app). If the line caught you by surprise, feel free to avail yourself of Amazon’s free sample policy. You can download about 10-15 percent of most ebooks for free. With any luck, that sample will get you through the time in line.

(As a book author myself, I should point out that if you’re enjoying the book, you should support the author and purchase it. But the free sample might get you to try a new author, so that’s a good thing too.)

Zone out

If you don’t have to pay immediate attention to the line — that is, the line is moving quite slowly — feel free to put on your headphones and listen to a podcast or audiobook. You might also listen to something uplifting like a movie soundtrack. This can help you tune out other folks who are doing some of the other suggestions.

Like, if it seems appropriate, you might have a light-hearted chat with the people around you. This can be risky, because if things don’t go well, you can’t escape. And the other person can’t escape, which can be awkward for them. But a lot of the folks in the security line at a Caribbean island were probably just on vacation. You can ask what they did, what they saw, if it’s their first time there, and so forth.

If you are in the line with someone else, you can use the opportunity to chat (quietly, out of respect to the people trapped around you) about life in general. I actually have fond memories of waiting in a line at Animal Kingdom at Disney World a few years ago because it was only with my big kids — the little ones had left with my husband — and the heat had broken as the sun went down. It was a lovely Florida night, my kids didn’t have devices, and so they chatted with me for the hour. It might help to look up a list of conversation starters (maybe “Would you rather?” questions) and ask your line partner one of them.

Now of course lines are very different if you’ve got little kids with you. Corralling them can be tough. But sometimes a game of I Spy, or giving them little things to play with can help. Or hand out the snacks. One gummy at a time can get you through something of a wait. Sort of. This is why we have TSA Pre-check and do fast passes at amusement parks. And hand over our own devices to any child who might be amused by game apps. I can start mentally planning my next vacation while my kid uses my phone.

This won’t last forever

But in any case, usually the time in line isn’t endless. It might help to guess about how long the line would be and then make a rational choice about what to do with that time. Right now, if you knew you had an hour you needed to fill, what would you do with it? If you had access to an electronic device, how would you choose to spend that hour? If the answer is play Minecraft, or look at before and after photos on Apartment Therapy, or read the poems of Emily Dickinson (I’m not judging which is better) then go for it!

Think this through ahead of time, and lines can be mildly less annoying. Mildly. But anything that moves minutes out of the “wishing them away” category is a big win in life. Because we only get so many — so best not to wish any into the past.