The Workplace Waiting Game
If your job involves collaborating with other people, you’re probably familiar with the… “I can’t move forward with this until I hear back from…” line. Even when it comes to technology and tools we use there can be a waiting process. “I’m waiting for this social media ad campaign to be approved by Facebook…” “I’m waiting to hear back from tech support to fix this issue…” So how can we continue to be productive when so often if feels like we’re stuck in a constant waiting game?
It’s really about streamlining processes. Frequently we’re so accustomed to the bureaucratic systems of large organizations that we simply stop trying to streamline systems because we feel as if they are grandfathered in. However, questioning these processes could be paramount in a large organization’s ability to stop wasting time on 5 rounds of reviews, when truly only 2 are required. Questioning the over-used phrase, “but that’s how it’s always been done” is important.
On the other hand, there are simply things that we can’t control. Certain approval processes are entirely out of our hands. These are arguably the most frustrating, like waiting to hear back from a social media robot on whether your ad campaign was approved or not. How do we possibly streamline these hands-off processes? We may not be able to do much in that regard, but what we can do is focus on how we spend our time while we’re waiting. In these instances, it’s critical to simply move to the next task. At times it may feel challenging to switch gears when you’re trying to complete a project and you’re waiting on approval for the final component. However, don’t allow this waiting to take up mental space. Figurately, set that project down, move to the next, and trust that it will be there when you return.
According to Payscale.com, “on average, people now spend approximately 13 years and two months of their lives at work. If you often put in overtime, you can factor in an additional year and two months.” How much of that time are you spending waiting?