Waste Time Management

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my dad had prostate cancer. My mom called me today from the Mayo Clinic when he went in for surgery. She said it would be a five hour surgery and she had decided to wait at the hospital.

Five hours is a long time to wait by yourself in a hospital, so I thought of a few things that a person could do that could constructively waste time. I’ve been working on using my money wisely a lot lately, and to me time is just as valuable.

1. Read a Book

A no brainer I suppose but reading is always a constructive use of extra time. I usually prefer non fiction since I feel like I may actually be learning something, but my favorite fiction book is “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Besides being a classic with a somewhat political theme, it just makes me laugh. I don’t look at the story as deeply as others do, I enjoy it for the fact that pigs are talking and running a farm. Besides, it’s a quick read and would be perfect for the time frame my mom had in the hospital. Another short, favorite book of mine is “For One More Day” by Mitch Albom, a seize the day kind of book, which unfortunately would not bring any joy to you if waiting in a hospital for someone to come out of surgery. Any other time though, I’d read it.

2. Sudoku Puzzles

One of my mom’s favorites and probably how she passed the time today at the hospital. There have been studies that show that mind exercise like doing Sudoku or Crossword puzzles or even playing Chess, keep the brain healthy and can help prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Makes sense to me that we would need to keep the brain active as well as our bodies.

3. Surf the Net: Constructive Websites

If you have internet access and a computer, there are a number of websites that will keep you busy for a long period of time and I don’t mean Facebook and Twitter. Those wouldn’t keep anyone busy for any length of time and you’d only end up with a brain freeze. Take the time instead to find some great coupons at Coupon.com, Retailmenot.com or Couponmom.com and you’ll save some money later.

Recipe.com and Foodnetwork.com are great sites for finding recipes. Plan a menu for the month and even make your grocery list at the same time. Having a menu and a list can save you a ton of money on groceries.

Well, everything went well, or as they say, came out well for my dad. He’s out of surgery and recovering. I have a feeling he’ll be looking for some ways to fill his time in the next few days also. Have any ideas?