20 Ways to Make Time Pass Faster When Waiting for Something
We’ve all had moments when we wished we knew how to make time go faster, especially when anxiously waiting for something or when idle and bored.
For instance, you may feel like time is passing too slowly when you have to wait a few minutes for things like food, test results, someone’s arrival or queues, or when waiting a longer period for something like a trip, a special event, or a package delivery.
Instead of feeling bored or anxious while watching the clock, you should find ways to distract yourself, stay busy, and entertain yourself. In this article, we shall give examples of things you can do to make time pass faster when waiting for something, whether it’s a short or long period.
How to Make Time Go Faster When Waiting for Something
- Stop checking the time
Time won’t pass any quicker if you keep looking at the clock. It will seem to be moving even more slowly. Whether you have to wait a few minutes or months for something, one of the first things you should do is stop constantly checking the time or calendar.
- Focus on now
It’s good to have something to look forward to. But if that thing is all you can think about, time will appear to move excruciatingly slowly. You may also not enjoy the present moment and everything you have going on.
To make time pass faster when waiting for something, stop focusing too much on the future and focus more on the present. Plan activities for shorter periods, like what to do in the next 30 minutes or today only, and fully engage in things you can have or do right now. Don’t live for one specific future moment.
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- Take a walk
Sitting back to wait for something, for example, a package delivery, can make it seem like it is taking forever to arrive. To make time pass faster when waiting for something for a short time, go for a walk around the neighborhood or in nature.
By the time you return home, a few minutes or an hour will have gone by, and your package delivery time may be nearer. A walk will also help you calm your mind and stay fit.
- Play games
Time goes faster when you’re having fun. As such, playing games is one of the best ways to pass time while waiting for something. They can be online or offline games; physical, or ones you can play on your phone or computer.
The CulinarySchools.org website has a collection of free online games you can play alone or with your kids and friends to distract yourself, reduce stress, and make time go faster when bored.
Not only are the games easy and fun to play (e.g., the watermelon game and solitaire games), but many of them are also educational (see the Can I Eat It and Fruit Word games). They will help you and the kids learn new things, improve memory, and develop problem-solving, decision-making, and resilience skills.
- Prepare in advance
Maybe you have a vacation coming up soon, but feel like the days are dragging. As you wait, one of the best things to do to make time pass faster is to plan and prepare for the trip in advance.
For instance, you could research the place you want to visit, go shopping, pack, create an itinerary, or learn a new language.
Early preparation will help you stay busy, maintain excitement, and be ready for the thing you are looking forward to.
READ ALSO: 18 Best Things to Do to Prepare for Summer
- Follow a daily routine
If you create and follow a daily routine, you will not have such a difficult time deciding how to make time pass quickly when waiting for something.
A routine will make your days structured and more predictable. You will know the order of the activities you have to do and when to do them, which will likely leave no spare time for you to feel like time is moving slowly.
- Sleep
A lot of things can happen while we are asleep. However, getting enough sleep can be a problem for some people when they’re excited or anxiously anticipating something, making the days seem endless.
If you want to make time pass faster when waiting for something, especially if it will happen the next day, go to sleep. Before you know it, the next day will be here, and whatever you were waiting for will be closer to happening.
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- Do the next thing on your to-do list
If whatever you are waiting for is an item on a list of things you want to do, you don’t have to be bored and idle while waiting for it to happen. That will make time appear to be moving at a snail’s pace.
Instead of waiting idly, be productive and make time go faster by moving on to the next thing on your list, or another activity that is not dependent on the first one being completed.
- Spend time with loved ones
You don’t have to be cooped up in your house or room, alone and bored when waiting for something. Invite your loved ones over, visit them, or make plans to go out. If you can’t have an in-person meeting, a voice or video call can work just as well.
Spending time with your family and friends or even your pets can help you lose track of time for a while, thus, it’s one of the best ways to make time pass faster when waiting for something. You could spend this duration doing activities that will strengthen your bond, promote personal growth, keep you busy, and make you happy.
- Do household chores
Time goes by quickly when you’re busy. If you want to make time pass faster when waiting for something, keep yourself busy by doing chores such as cleaning the house, washing the dishes, doing laundry, cooking, organizing stuff, grocery shopping, and taking the trash out.
You will be active doing the household chores and probably too tired to think about what you were waiting for when you’re done.
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- Start a project
Perhaps the thing you are looking forward to will happen in a few weeks or months. Don’t waste your time obsessing about it now. Instead, find something else that will take up a lot of your time and immerse yourself in it.
Starting a new project may be just what you need to do to make time pass quickly while waiting for something. They could be projects such as knitting/crocheting a blanket, painting something, gardening, writing a book, carpentry/woodworking, songwriting, sculpting, or renovating your home.
- Watch TV
Watching TV is nearly everyone’s go-to way to spend their free time, and you can use this activity to pass time and entertain yourself as you wait. Catch up on TV shows you like, have a movie marathon, or try new TV series that will keep you engrossed for a while.
READ ALSO: 6 Reasons Why You Feel Sad After Finishing a TV Show (and How to Cope)
- Use social media
Even though there is a negative side to social media, spending time on social networking sites is a good way to make time go faster as you wait for something.
Get lost down social media rabbit holes, reading or watching content that lifts your spirits and educates you. Ensure you don’t end up doomscrolling or participating in online fights.
- Read a book
Reading is another good hobby to engage in when trying to make time go faster while waiting for something. It can distract you and help you reduce anticipatory anxiety.
Reading your favorite genre of books will enable you to temporarily escape your real life and things that stress you to immerse yourself in the fictional world created by the author.
- Help others
Focusing too much on future events and yourself can make you miserable and unproductive during wait times. To remove the focus from yourself, gain a sense of fulfillment, and pass time when waiting for something, look for ways to help others.
You could keep yourself busy by doing acts of service and kindness such as volunteering in community organizations, doing household tasks for elderly people near you, cleaning your partner’s car, babysitting friends’ or neighbors’ kids, offering free classes, etc.
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- People-watch
The people around you can be quite entertaining. While waiting for things such as food or someone in a restaurant or park, you can pass the time people-watching.
Observe people interacting and use your imagination to guess what they could be talking about, the kind of individuals they are, their relationships as well as their backgrounds and motivations. Just don’t stare at anyone for too long as it can make them uncomfortable.
- Go on a trip
One of the best things to do to make the days go faster when waiting for something that is weeks or months away is to take a break from your usual surroundings and stressors to go on a trip.
You will be too busy seeing new places, meeting new people, and getting new experiences to dwell on what you were waiting for.
If something will only take a few hours or a day to happen, you could go for a day trip or a short drive to pass the time and take your mind off of it.
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- Count backward from 100 or 1000
Depending on how long you have to wait for something, counting backward from 100, or 1000, is an effective way to make time go faster. It is soothing and helps reduce anxiety as you focus on something else.
- Listen to music
Not only is listening to music a fun hobby, but it can also help you measure time and make it feel like it is moving faster. 3 minutes is the average song length; hence, listening to one or a few songs from your favorite playlist as you wait for something could make the passage of time seem quicker.
Additionally, you might engage in other activities while listening to music; for instance, singing along or dancing, which will prevent boredom, increase your happiness, and keep you busy so you no longer obsess about how long you have to wait for something.
- Slow down
Slow down to make time go faster? You may be wondering how that can work.
At a moment when you are trying to make time pass quickly because you are waiting for something, you should try to avoid finishing tasks too fast as it will bring you back to the question of how to spend the in-between time.
Take advantage of the waiting time and embrace slow living. Be intentional when choosing tasks and do them as best as you can at a leisurely pace. Try to draw out the duration you have an activity to do and savor moments to enjoy the full experience.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to feel anxious or bored during waiting times. Abstaining from checking the time constantly, being productive, planning and preparing in advance, engaging in fun hobbies, creating routines, and hanging out with loved ones are some of the best ways to make time pass faster when waiting for something. These activities will keep you busy, calm your mind, and entertain you.
Remember that even as you wait for things, you shouldn’t focus so much on the future that you fail to appreciate and enjoy your present.
You never know about tomorrow. The now is the only thing you can be sure of. Live your life to the fullest today, making every second count even as you look forward to better things in the future.
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