Making the Most of Spare Moments

Have you ever found yourself with a few spare minutes, but you weren't sure how to use them?

For instance, do you ever sit around and twiddle your thumbs when...

• the wash or dry cycle is nearly done, and you hate to just walk away?
• you are stuck waiting at the doctor's office or in the carpool line?
• your computer is updating or restarting (for the zillionth time)?
• you are waiting for a phone call or a friend to arrive and don't want to get involved in something new?
• the timer on the oven or microwave is just about at zero?
• naptime should be over by now, but somehow you have a few more precious minutes?
• your favorite show is just about to come on?
 

I imagine you could add at least a dozen more things to that list.

We all have things that steal our time. How can we make some of that time more useful, or dare I say, even meaningful?

I present to you ten things that will brighten your day in the blah moments of life.

1. Hug, cuddle, tickle or kiss the person or pet nearest you. (Just don't do this at the doctor's office!)
2. Call or text a family member you haven't talked to in a while.
3. Make a list of things you are grateful for.
4. Brainstorm a way to make someone smile.
5. Look through your datebook or calendar and see who is having a birthday soon.
6. Strike up a conversation with a stranger.
7. Mentally plan a special breakfast, outing or activity for the coming week(end).
8. Write a thank you note or text.
9. Make list of movies to see or books to read.
10. Pay a compliment to someone near you.

ps--This post was originally going to be about having a centralized to-do list (on paper, a dry-erase board, on your phone, etc.) so that you could quickly review it and find a task that fit the timeframe available. I was also going to suggest you could always look around and find something to throw away, give away, or put back where it belongs. But that's just not as fun. Weren't you doing that already, anyway?