It is a common occurrence; you have time before class, but not enough time to do anything productive. Or so you might think. While waiting for the class before yours to vacate the classroom, or for your professor to show up, or someone to arrive at a meeting, there is always that awkward time frame of five to ten minutes during which you don’t know what to do with yourself. So instead of sitting there with your phone and aimlessly switching between Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (no there have not been any new posts in the last thirty seconds) take the time to accomplish something!
So, here are a few things you can knock off your list:
- Review your notes from your last class. Maybe you were dozing off a little while your professor droned on, so take this time to look over your notes and solidify the information in your head. You’ll be glad you did when it’s time to study for the final!
- Answer emails. If you’re anything like me, you let all those emails pile up in your inbox during the day thinking you’ll read them properly later and respond. Take the time to do it now instead and that way you will avoid overlooking something important.
- Start reading. Obviously you are not going to make a huge dent in your reading assignment in ten minutes but getting started on it will get you in the right mindset and you will be less likely to put it off later.
- Grab a snack. In my opinion, the Rat is wholly underappreciated. 5-10 minutes is plenty of time to run to Lyons and get something to eat. Doing so will energize you and make you more focused for your next class. And you won’t be absolutely starving when you next have to wait in a long dining hall line.
- Send a text to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Whatever happened to your best friend from your Appa group or the person you befriended in Orgo last semester? Shoot them a text to see if they want to grab lunch or coffee sometime. What about your friend from home who it seems you haven’t spoken to for ages? Take a moment to see what’s going on in his or her life!
Even though it may seem like you aren’t wasting much time by just sitting there, I estimate that you spend at least 91 minutes per week (not including the weekend, when wasting time is perfectly acceptable) simply waiting around for things. So, make the most of this time so that when you finally get back to your room after a busy day, you have tons of time to watch that show that just came on Hulu…. Or do all your homework!
Photo Sources:
http://pqhobbit.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/facing-the-time-crunch/