The past few months we’ve all experienced quite a few challenges. For many, the next big one will be socializing. As our world begins to open back up, we will venture out and expand the universe as we have individually known it to be. But what we will be returning to will not be what we left. Are you prepared for that?
A part of our transition back into society will mean more, new rules; wear face masks, limited number of people in a space, directed spacing and movement, etc. Plus, a lot of waiting!
It has been estimated that we spend 1 -2 years of our lives waiting in lines. These are pre-COVID numbers. What are we in store for now?
Waiting in line generally causes anxiety and irritability. There are rare exceptions. For example, take the masters of the art of waiting in line, Disney. By creating distractions and managing expectations, parents, with kids in tow, will happily wait in line—repeatedly(!)—for an hour or more just for a four-minute ride. But life is not a Disney theme park ride. We will now be waiting in places we had accessed freely for years. How will we manage?
Experts recommend several ways to make the time pass quickly (perceived time). Our smart phones are a great way to pass time: check emails, play a game, read a book, etc. Or how about some good old-fashioned people watching? Especially since much of our new waiting time will take place on a sidewalk. You could even go out on a limb and strike up a conversation with fellow waiters (maintaining proper social distancing of course).
Here’s the thing, we are going to wait more than ever. You can’t control that. But you can control what you do with that time and how you react once your wait is over. We need to realize that the employees that we encounter when our wait is over are doing their best in very trying times. Let’s make an extreme effort to treat them with respect, as well as everyone else we encounter. A friendly smiling face or a kind word can go a long way in making someone’s day better, including our own.
It’s a whole new world out there. Let’s try and make it a better one.
A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners. Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.