Listen Live
Majic 102.3/92.7 Featured Video
CLOSE

VIA ASSOCIATED CONTENT:

Very rare is the physician’s office that runs on time. I, like most people, cringe when the receptionist announces that the doctor is running late. I have learned to be prepared for such occasions. Here is a list of things to do while waiting at a doctor’s office or anywhere else where you have time to kill.

Time Killer #1: Listen to your iPod or MP3 Player

Who says you have to sit there bored? Bring along your tunes to help pass the time. Listening to your iPod is an excellent way to block out background noise when you are trying to read. Since you can download Podcasts, you can catch up on your favorite Podcasts with relative ease. Learn French, Spanish or Portuguese! These are also free podcasts to download from the iTunes store and are located under the Education tab in Podcasts. You could be half way fluent in a language before you see the doctor!

Time Killer #2: Clip your coupons

With today’s economy, pennies are starting to count. Most people are feeling the pinch of high gas and utility prices and consumers are looking for ways to cut down on their discretionary expenses. A relatively easy and painless way to save money is to clip coupons. Take those inserts from your Sunday Paper with you to the doctor’s office, along with a pair of scissors. You can easily clip what you need and file it into your coupon organizer while you wait for your name to be called.

Time Killer #3: Clean out your purse

I rarely seem to have the time to devote to cleaning out my purse. A great time killer while you are waiting is to spend some of your wait time cleaning out your purse. Many moms, especially, carry everything but the kitchen sink in their purse, which just leads to a disorganized mess with M&Ms at the bottom mixed in with loose change.

Time Killer #4: Play your hand held game

More and more adults are reliving their childhood via hand held game systems such as the Playstation Portable (PSP) or Gameboy Advance. Why should the kids have all of the fun? Take your hand held game with you to pass the time while you wait. It is a guilty pleasure for most parents and since you have nothing better to do, go ahead and indulge.

Time Killer #5: Pay some bills

Take some bills with you to occupy you while you wait. While many bills can be paid online, you can always pay the ones that require a check to be written. Be sure to take some stamps along too and hit a blue mail box or post office on your way home.

Time Killer #6: Exercise your mind

Bring along a Sodoku book or a crossword puzzle book to kill some time. Don’t have a book? You can print Sodoku puzzles or crossword puzzles online. Printing a puzzle or two is very easy and once you finish the puzzle, you can toss it in the garbage there. Puzzles are widely recommended to Alzheimer’s patients to keep their minds sharp.

Time Killer #7: Read your own magazines

I have learned to bring my own magazines to the doctor’s office. To be sure, sick people thumb through the rack at the doctor’s office and frankly, I would prefer not to touch those germ-laden pages. Therefore, I bring my own magazines from home and catch up on my reading. If I am going to spend time reading, I want it to be my own stack of magazines since I usually let them pile up when I am too busy to give them the thorough read they deserve.

Time Killer #8: Read a book

If you know your doctor never runs on time or if you, like me, get allergy shots and are required to wait a full half an hour after the shots to ensure no adverse reaction, then you need to bring a good book along with you to your appointment. This also goes back to the germ problem in doctor’s offices. If you bring your own book, you won’t be touching any reading materials that likely contain germs.

Source