Last week I was in the carpool line picking up my oldest son. I realized once I got there that I hadn’t brought my bag. I just put the younger kids in the car and headed off to school. My kids are generally quiet while we are in line and if I am lucky they even fall asleep. I should revel in the quiet time right? Nope, not me. My mind started to run wild with the things I had to do and I had NOTHING to write them down on. Ideas popped up left and right and I knew I wouldn’t remember them when I got home. I think as mothers we are used to so much noise throughout the day that when things are finally quiet our brain tries to catch up on all of our thoughts for the day – all at once!
Anytime I know I will have a wait… carpool, doctor’s office, etc., I carry a couple of things with me. I always have my notebook and feel lost without it. It is good practice to get those thoughts out when you have them, otherwise you have all of this stuff bottled up that will come out sometime. For me it is when my head hits the pillow at night. Restless sleep for a mother of three is never a good thing.
I also carry with me a magazine I want to read and any mail I need to catch up on. You might want to have a couple of note cards on hand as well so you can pen a letter to someone you are thinking about.
Taking these spurts of time to do something productive will help keep things in balance and free your mind of clutter.
How do you spend your waiting time?
RSS
Reading. I keep a spare book in the trunk if needed,but I am also inclined to bring my current read with me. I try not to get concerned about waiting, but use the time to recharge.
When I’m waiting I usually relax and sing if I’m in the car (I’m not a good singer, so my singing time in the car is valuable to me – lol).
Yes! It is so true my mind runs wild during quiet times too. I like to carry a magazine and a notebook as well. Besides having a diaper bag stuffed with items for my kids I keep my things in there as well. And people wonder why my bag is so huge. Ha ha ha
I agree that my mind will also “brain dump” in the quiet time. Usually in the shower or when my head hits the pillow. I always keep a notepad nearby for that reason.
(Misplaced my planner yesterday for about 5 min. Thought I was going to lose my mind!!)
@juliebavi
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Notepads and books are staples.
The times when I know I’ll be waiting for a while, I’ve even been seen with Mabel’s pamphlets to personalize with my agent info!
With a 5 month old, I spend all my waiting time trying to keep him entertained. I used to always carry a book with me.
I always have a couple of books on my MP3 player stashed in my purse, so even if my hands aren’t free while I’m waiting, I am still “reading”. You can borrow books from the Download Library associated with your local bricks-and-mortar library free for a two week period. It great!