Layovers Can Be Great!

My husband had to travel recently and since he didn’t book his own flight (I did) he was not aware that he had an 8-hour layover!

So, the day before he was scheduled to fly he looked over his flight itinerary and for the first time became aware of his long layover. Of course, he starts panicking like it’s the end of the world and he began asking me what he should do.

It’s amazing how our mindsets differ because I came up with all kinds of things he could do to make those 8 hours feel like only 2 hours AND at the same time offered suggestions on how he could use some of the time to be productive rather than “wasting” it.

So here is what I told him to do:

For leisure: (1) he could mindlessly look around in stores in the airport, moving at his own pace. It’s such a great feeling when you don’t have to rush! (2) He could read a book or magazine. (3) He could relax in one of the airport restaurants and eat and enjoy a drink without rushing. (4) Journal what’s on his mind. Journaling is therapeutic 😌 (5) Relax and people-watch or do nothing.

For productivity: He could take his pile of mail with him and pay the bills within them. For example, he has a couple of toll bills and rather than ignoring them due to a “lack of time” he could “tackle” them by paying them. This will help him get organized. He could also clean his email inbox if he’s still hungry for something to do.

For nurturing relationships: he could call people he has been meaning to call or call people that he typically does not call.

My point is that we should look for ways to use our time effectively when life throws us delays. Start welcoming “unwelcome” delays in time…find ways to use the time to your benefit!

Until next time…