Top Five Things to Do While Waiting For The Bus
Written by: Johann Cardenas, Fourth Year Bioinformatics
Photo by: Ze Wang
Picture this: you’re waiting for the LTC bus at your usual bus stop. You’ve perfectly planned your trip and arrived at the bus stop 5 minutes early just to be safe. You wait five minutes, no bus. Five more minutes, still no sign of a bus. Five more minutes pass and you see two buses come your way, unfortunately, neither one is the correct route. Now you’re already late for class and should have just walked from the beginning but are determined to keep waiting because of the sunk-cost fallacy. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. For the next time this happens to you, I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 things to do while waiting for your bus.
1. Practice some light choreo
During the hubbub of our daily life, adult non-dancers rarely get to practice our square dancing. Bus stops where you don’t want to sit down on the gross public bench are the perfect place to review the lost art of your eighth-grade gym class choreography. I practice marching band drills, but also recommend reviewing the line dance so you’ll be prepared for any Albertan wedding.
2. Listen to music
Bus stops are the perfect place to finally get around to listening to that album everyone’s been talking about. Yes, now you’ll be able to actually answer what your favourite Midnights track is instead of saying “Karma” just to fit in. You could also listen to some of the excellent curated Thrive Online playlists, such as the Pop Punk Exam Study Playlist.
3. Write something
Bus stops are a good time to do some self-reflection. Maybe you can do some journaling to destress or improve your mood. Maybe you can update your to-do list to stay productive. You could submit a blog to Thrive Online, or even write some feedback about your transit experience for the municipal government if you really wanted to.
4. Impulsively check the bus schedule
Practically, checking the bus schedule lets you know if there are any detours happening that day that may explain why your bus is so late. But that’s not why we check it. Deep down, all we really need is a little hope. So, every time you think about giving up and walking, just open Google Maps and be comforted with the knowledge that the bus is just 5 minutes away. Constantly checking will take your mind off the fact that it’s been that way for the last 10.
5. Study
Okay, if you really wanted to stay productive at the bus stop, there are lots of options. Downloading your notes and readings on your phone is a great way to make downtime productive. If you prefer using flashcards, you can use sites like Quizlet or AnkiWeb to review concepts while waiting for the bus. It may seem a little pointless studying for a few minutes at a time, but these short opportunities can add up and build good habits.
Waiting at the bus stop can be a frustrating, yet common experience. Hopefully, these 5 activities can make your next trip smoother. And if you were reading this at the bus stop to kill some time, you’re welcome.
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