The Waiting Game We All Play
“Ugh, Monday again… is it Friday yet?” Sound familiar? These little phrases sneak into our lives more often than we realize. A couple of days ago, I found myself deep in that “just get through the day” kind of mood. I was tired, uninspired, and counting down the minutes until I could clock out.
Nothing unusual, right? Most people feel like that occasionally—or even daily. But here’s the thing: that state of waiting, where you’re mentally fast-forwarding through the day, is more than boring. It’s draining. Exhausting. Physically and mentally depleting. Yet, shockingly, this is how so many of us live.
Always Waiting for the Next Thing
If you zoom out, you’ll notice that waiting doesn’t just happen at work. It happens everywhere. On a big scale, people wait for holidays, retirement, or when “life finally gets easier.” On a small scale, we wait for work to finish, for the car ride to end, for dinner to be ready, or for a new season of our favorite show.
Here’s the cold, hard truth: we can’t make time move faster. No matter how hard we stare at the clock, those hands won’t budge. And while there’s nothing wrong with looking forward to things, when you’re constantly waiting for the “next moment,” you might end up skipping over most of your life.
What Happens When Life Becomes One Big Waiting Room?
Imagine if you could skip all those waiting moments. If you could fast-forward through traffic, chores, and boring meetings straight to the good parts. Sounds amazing, right? But here’s the catch: you’d probably end up skipping most of your day… most of your week… and eventually, most of your life.
Even worse, those “good moments” you were waiting for often don’t feel as fulfilling as you imagined. The fun trip ends too quickly. The long-awaited weekend is over in a blink. And before you know it, you’re back to waiting again.
The Good News: You Can Stop Waiting
Now, I know this all sounds a bit bleak, but there’s hope. Once you realize how much of your life you spend waiting, you gain the power to change it. No, I can’t make your job more exciting or magically make chores disappear. But there is a simple solution: stop waiting.
I don’t mean you should cut in line at the grocery store (tempting as that might be). I’m talking about the mental waiting—that dreaded, restless state where you’re longing to be somewhere else. When you stop that, waiting just becomes being.
Two Ways to Break Free from the Waiting Trap
1. The Outside-In Approach: Address the Root Cause
Ask yourself: What am I waiting for, and why am I waiting?
For example, are you counting down the hours until work ends? Why? Is it because you don’t enjoy the task at hand? Look deeper. Maybe you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or unmotivated. Often, the dreadful waiting state is tied to deeper emotions.
Once you identify the root cause, you can start finding solutions. Maybe you need to communicate more at work, delegate tasks, or set clearer boundaries. When you address the underlying problem, the waiting becomes less dreadful because you’re actively improving the situation.
2. The Inside-Out Approach: Find Peace in the Moment
This approach is about shifting your mindset. Instead of trying to fix external circumstances, focus on your internal state.
Slow down. Accept that you don’t need to be anywhere else right now. If you’re in the car, you don’t need to be at home just yet. If you’re at work, the report doesn’t need to be finished this very second. Let go of the mental rush to “just be done.”
Here’s a practice to try:
- Notice the feeling of impatience or annoyance when it arises.
- Pause and take a deep breath.
- Instead of reaching for your phone or looking for distractions, focus on the present moment.
- If you’re doing a task, give it your full attention. If you’re not, simply observe your breath.
When you stop mentally racing to the future, you start living in the now. Waiting turns into just existing—and existing doesn’t have to feel bad.
Final Thoughts: Living Beyond the Wait
Life doesn’t have to feel like a series of hurdles to get through. Yes, there will always be things we’d rather not do, but constantly wishing for the next moment only robs us of the present one.
The next time you catch yourself in a mental waiting room, take a breath. Remind yourself that this moment—mundane as it may seem—is still a part of your life. And life, no matter how ordinary, is something worth living, not just waiting for.