How to Wait For Your Turn in a Long Queue
Keep a small, thin book handy., Play phone games., Catch up on your phone calls., Watch TV., Play word games or imagination games., Make friends., Bring a snack., Look after your health., Be patient., Write.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep a small
You can keep a book with short stories which you can quickly finish while waiting for your turn, or you can keep the paperback version of a novel that you wanted to read, or are currently reading.
If reading stories or novels is not your cup of tea, you can keep pamphlets, brochures or even the day’s newspaper with you, so that you can catch up with the things that you had to read, but could not find the time to do so, otherwise.
If reading is simply not something that you're game for, then you can turn on your iPod for music, audio books, or videos, or switch to the music folders in your mobile phone and enjoy the music while moving along in the queue. -
Step 2: thin book handy.
Modern day cell phones offer a variety of interesting stuff to pass time.
For example, the games in your cell phone can be a good way to keep yourself engaged during the waiting time, which you would have spent getting bored otherwise. , Call up your friends and relatives while waiting to go ahead.
In our busy lifestyle, we hardly find the time to catch up with friends.
This is the perfect time to talk to them and keep in touch. , In many stores, doctor's waiting rooms, public service offices (such as license payment or unemployment benefits offices), airport lounges, etc., they have a TV installed near the place where they want people to queue up, to keep you entertained.
Allow yourself the opportunity to just sit back and chill; you might even learn something new if it's a channel or show you'd normally never watch.
Equally, you may find the TV irritating.
Ask the people in charge to turn down the volume if the TV is blaring at you, or hide inside your iPod again. , Look at the signs around you and think of some word or imagination games to pass the time.
Some ideas include:
Word associations
- how many associations can you make sparked by reading one sign? Making words from within the words you can read on the signs.
Make as many as you can! Making up histories about the building from the names and information on the signs.
Take a small notebook and some pencils.
Play tic-tac-toe or hangman with someone else in the line.
You can even play mental tic tac toe if you'd like.
People watch – try guessing about people's backgrounds and motivations for being in the queue with you. , If mixing with new people is something that you like doing, then this is an excellent opportunity to indulge in it.
You can strike up a conversation with the person behind you or in front of you.
Sympathize with each other on how long the wait is – this can be a good ice breaking thing to discuss.
However, try to gauge if the person is game for the conversation.
If you do not find them contributing much, maybe you are just intruding into their personal space.
Not just talking, you can also take turns with the person behind you or in front of you to keep each other’s place in the queue secured, so that you can go around again and see if you want something more or would like to exchange something, or to get a coffee or something to eat.
Or, if the wait is very long, you can take turns to sit somewhere, while the other keeps the place.
However, make sure that you do not upset anyone by doing this; keep a sense of humor and make it clear that it's a sharing arrangement anyone can join in. , Many times, you can forget to eat in your tightly packed schedule and if waiting is involved, you might miss the chance altogether.
Use the time in the queue to eat something healthy and filling, so that you keep up with your daily nutrition requirements. , Queue-waiting can come with its own share of irritations and even hazards.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Dress for the weather.
If it's cold, rug up and if it's hot, don't wear too much.
Also have food and drink that keeps you warm or cool, and hydrated for a long wait.
If you feel a sense of panic, talk yourself through it.
If you can't overcome it, ask someone in the queue to hold your place by telling them you feel sick and need take a break.
Go and find a quiet spot for a bit until you feel better.
If this doesn't improve things, you may need to consider going home.
Stretch.
Standing in a queue for a long time can be tiring, so do a few stretches now and then if it's a particularly long wait. , Finally, the best thing you can do about waiting in a long queue is to accept the situation for what it is and to simply ride it out.
It won't last forever even though it may feel like it at the time, and it will soon be a memory.
Rely on good preparation beforehand (food, drink, appropriate clothes) and your determination to meet your mission to get you through the boredom of the wait. , If you have a notebook and a pen or pencil with you, you can draw or write to pass the time.
If you are a writer, or soon-to-be one, this would be useful time to get another chapter or a few pages done. -
Step 3: Play phone games.
-
Step 4: Catch up on your phone calls.
-
Step 5: Watch TV.
-
Step 6: Play word games or imagination games.
-
Step 7: Make friends.
-
Step 8: Bring a snack.
-
Step 9: Look after your health.
-
Step 10: Be patient.
-
Step 11: Write.
Detailed Guide
You can keep a book with short stories which you can quickly finish while waiting for your turn, or you can keep the paperback version of a novel that you wanted to read, or are currently reading.
If reading stories or novels is not your cup of tea, you can keep pamphlets, brochures or even the day’s newspaper with you, so that you can catch up with the things that you had to read, but could not find the time to do so, otherwise.
If reading is simply not something that you're game for, then you can turn on your iPod for music, audio books, or videos, or switch to the music folders in your mobile phone and enjoy the music while moving along in the queue.
Modern day cell phones offer a variety of interesting stuff to pass time.
For example, the games in your cell phone can be a good way to keep yourself engaged during the waiting time, which you would have spent getting bored otherwise. , Call up your friends and relatives while waiting to go ahead.
In our busy lifestyle, we hardly find the time to catch up with friends.
This is the perfect time to talk to them and keep in touch. , In many stores, doctor's waiting rooms, public service offices (such as license payment or unemployment benefits offices), airport lounges, etc., they have a TV installed near the place where they want people to queue up, to keep you entertained.
Allow yourself the opportunity to just sit back and chill; you might even learn something new if it's a channel or show you'd normally never watch.
Equally, you may find the TV irritating.
Ask the people in charge to turn down the volume if the TV is blaring at you, or hide inside your iPod again. , Look at the signs around you and think of some word or imagination games to pass the time.
Some ideas include:
Word associations
- how many associations can you make sparked by reading one sign? Making words from within the words you can read on the signs.
Make as many as you can! Making up histories about the building from the names and information on the signs.
Take a small notebook and some pencils.
Play tic-tac-toe or hangman with someone else in the line.
You can even play mental tic tac toe if you'd like.
People watch – try guessing about people's backgrounds and motivations for being in the queue with you. , If mixing with new people is something that you like doing, then this is an excellent opportunity to indulge in it.
You can strike up a conversation with the person behind you or in front of you.
Sympathize with each other on how long the wait is – this can be a good ice breaking thing to discuss.
However, try to gauge if the person is game for the conversation.
If you do not find them contributing much, maybe you are just intruding into their personal space.
Not just talking, you can also take turns with the person behind you or in front of you to keep each other’s place in the queue secured, so that you can go around again and see if you want something more or would like to exchange something, or to get a coffee or something to eat.
Or, if the wait is very long, you can take turns to sit somewhere, while the other keeps the place.
However, make sure that you do not upset anyone by doing this; keep a sense of humor and make it clear that it's a sharing arrangement anyone can join in. , Many times, you can forget to eat in your tightly packed schedule and if waiting is involved, you might miss the chance altogether.
Use the time in the queue to eat something healthy and filling, so that you keep up with your daily nutrition requirements. , Queue-waiting can come with its own share of irritations and even hazards.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Dress for the weather.
If it's cold, rug up and if it's hot, don't wear too much.
Also have food and drink that keeps you warm or cool, and hydrated for a long wait.
If you feel a sense of panic, talk yourself through it.
If you can't overcome it, ask someone in the queue to hold your place by telling them you feel sick and need take a break.
Go and find a quiet spot for a bit until you feel better.
If this doesn't improve things, you may need to consider going home.
Stretch.
Standing in a queue for a long time can be tiring, so do a few stretches now and then if it's a particularly long wait. , Finally, the best thing you can do about waiting in a long queue is to accept the situation for what it is and to simply ride it out.
It won't last forever even though it may feel like it at the time, and it will soon be a memory.
Rely on good preparation beforehand (food, drink, appropriate clothes) and your determination to meet your mission to get you through the boredom of the wait. , If you have a notebook and a pen or pencil with you, you can draw or write to pass the time.
If you are a writer, or soon-to-be one, this would be useful time to get another chapter or a few pages done.
About the Author
Kayla Kennedy
Experienced content creator specializing in practical skills guides and tutorials.
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