Start the wait

Get the clock going and you'll likely end sooner

Waiting is inevitable. There are a great many situations in life where we cannot move forward until someone or something else does their part.

Perhaps it’s that you can’t start the timer on a so-called “10 minute meal” until your pot of water comes to a boil. Maybe it’s that you need to wait for your boss to see and approve the first phase of a project. Maybe you need to call the customer service number for an airline and you know you’ll be listening to hold music for a good long while. Maybe you’re ordering a present from an independent retailer and so the delivery timeline is uncertain.

Life features a lot of waiting. So, when you know you’ll need to wait, and especially if you don’t know exactly how long you’ll need to wait, it’s wise to start the wait as soon as possible.

Managing the risks

This is party about managing the downside. For most things, it’s fine to be done early. Will you be upset if your passport comes long before your international vacation? Not at all. But you will be upset if you’re waiting for it to come and you’re getting closer and closer to departure. So best to get that renewal going as soon as you know a trip’s on the horizon.

(I will pause for this public service announcement: Always expedite your passport. If you can afford to travel internationally, you can afford to pay the expediting fee, and it is so much nicer to get your passport quickly!)

Likewise, if you will be dealing with customer service, call the cable company before you start unloading the dishwasher and folding laundry. I know I like to put these unpleasant calls off as long as possible, but the good news is you can let the music be your soundtrack for your chores until you finally get through. Then you won’t have to let that wait cut into the time you hoped to do other things.

Giving other people more margin

At work, you can save yourself a lot of stress by passing the baton to other people as soon as you can. Just be sure that you communicate about when you need the work back, so that you can complete it before the deadline. In general, people are in a better mood about getting stuff back to you if they have, say, 48 hours, vs. 48 minutes.

As for boiling water, you may as well start it as soon as you walk in the house — or even ask an older child or your after-school sitter to start it for you. That way the wait passes while you’re transitioning and that 10-minute meal can be a 10-minute meal.

When you start the wait early, the ball will be back in your court sooner. If you start the wait earlier, you can do other things, and then move on once the wait is over. No one likes to wait, but it’s even worse to wait when you know there are all sorts of other things you could be doing.