Perhaps the most frustrating part of managing time, or trying to manage it, is the sense that you are losing time. You plan your day and it includes a doctor visit that turns into a three-hour stretch so the laundry gets behind or plans are cancelled. You feel out of control because you did not foresee the long wait. The end result is that you probably end up losing more time being angry about the wasted time and the boredom you experienced than the original time leak created.
Think about it. Maybe you did wait an extra hour or so at the doctor’s office, but it is only an hour or two. It should really not disrupt your entire 24-hour day. Go back to your intended goals for the remainder of the day and see how many you can do.
Reward yourself for sticking it out in the dismal waiting room as you read old magazines you did not care for, and most importantly, plan ahead for next time. Is there something you can bring like a bag of crocheting tools, an iPod, a novel, or even your backlog of junk mail ? I actually wrote the outline for a book I am working on the last time I had a long visit at the doctor’s office.
Knowing that I could not accomplish a lot on the same day an appointment is scheduled allowed me to plan accordingly. Simply, don’t plan too much in one day. Leaving an adequate amount of time in your schedule is better than trying to squeeze in too many things. You can do it all, just not all at once.