You place a call and are put on hold immediately. Muzak fills your headset and you wait. And wait. Now a recorded message reminds you that you are a valuable customer and they appreciate your patience. That’s nice. So you continue to wait. You look down at your hands. When was the last time you had your nails done? More waiting. Gee, if you knew it was going to take this long you would have called at another time. You want to hang up, but now you’ve already waited so long. Now you’re vested. So, you elect to wait. The music stops. There is a click. And then another click. Is this it? Is this the end of your holding period? No. Now a recorded message assures you that your estimated waiting time is less than two minutes. Now that is exciting news. You sit. You are poised with pen and paper ready to talk to somebody. Then another recording comes on that suggests you visit their web site for faster service. Faster service? Why didn’t they say that in the first place? Well, you can’t just hang up. That would be like giving up. So you wait. This is definitely more than two minutes. That recording lied. And that woman had such a nice voice. Finally, the music fades. Click. Click. A female voice comes on. “If you’d like to make a call, please hang up…”
You then glance at your watch and realize you’re late. You hang up really hard (you showed them!) and rush out the door having accomplished zip. A large nugget of time (approximately 20 minutes) has been lost forever.
We’ve all had similar experiences. Why do we give our time away so freely? It is a gift that we cannot get back and yet we stay on hold. We stand in lines losing precious time nuggets. We pull the little number at the bakery counter and wait. More lost time nuggets. We know to pack a lunch if we have to visit the DMV. Doctors. Dentists. I predict you’d probably have to wait for a psychic.
Don’t Waste Any More Nuggets of Time 1. Many companies have web sites. Why not go that route instead of waiting on the phone for a customer service rep?
2. Instead of attending computer class every Tuesday night, discover online tutorials. Free computer education is available online so you can learn at your own pace when it is convenient for you. From free
Excel training and Excel tutorials to an online
QuickBooks tutorial, your computer will save you time nuggets and maybe some money.
3. When you are destined to be in a line or in a waiting room sometime during your day, come prepared to balance your checkbook, write a few bills, actually start writing the novel you keep talking about at cocktail parties. These are time nuggets well spent.
4. Writing individual notes and invitations is time consuming. Let e-mail save the day. If you want to invite more than one person to a gathering, e-mail the invite to everybody all at once.
5. If your computer takes time to boot up, fill those potentially lost time nuggets with good tasks like cleaning out your desk, testing pens, checking voice mail, or putting in a load of laundry if you’re home.
6. Waiting time can be productive thinking time. If you are working on a deadline for your business, make a productive to-do list that will help you reach your goals. Writers can use the time to create doable outlines for various assignments.
7. Stretch a little. Sing a little. Breathe. Those are nuggets of time we need just to keep smiling.
Go Nuts with Your Time NuggetsBy filling time nuggets with meaningful tasks, you now have time nuggets to fill with whatever you want.
1. Pick up your old flute and still see if your pucker has power.
2. Enjoy lunch. Don’t just grab something on the run.
3. Maybe you’ll want to actually read the ballot initiative booklets that the county registrar keeps sending you before every election.
4. Get your car washed before somebody writes “WASH ME” in the dust on your back windshield.
5. Go through your closet and donate all the clothes you bought when you were going to lose weight. Then use the remaining time nuggets to go buy more clothes.
6. Contact a friend whom you lost track of over the years.
7. Call your mother-in-law before she calls you. (That’s the guilt-avoidance time nugget usage.)
Draw pictures for your kids that they can put on the refrigerator next to the ones they drew for you.
I’d make a longer list, but I don’t have time. With my few remaining well-earned time nuggets, I promised myself that I would watch my favorite chick flick without my husband and kids sitting there groaning during all the good parts.
Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. QuickBooks is a registered trademark of Intuit Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.About Video Professor:Video Professor is the industry leader in self-paced computer software tutorials. Tutorials are offered on CD-ROM and through Video Professor Online, an Internet-based program.
About the Author:
Elaine Landau is a freelance writer, publicist, web site editor, and television writer with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, advertising, and publicity.
