Maximizing Dead Time: A Lesson in Missed Opportunities
The most valuable resources we have, yet we often let it slip through our fingers—especially during those unexpected gaps in our schedules. Of course you guested it, I am talking about Time. This morning, I had one of those moments where I realized I had missed an opportunity to make the most of my “dead time.”
The Setup: A Morning of Waiting
My day started with a 06:00 o'clock crew pickup. A 45-minute drive to the airport followed, giving us more than enough time before departure. As I moved through the motions of security and immigration, I had a podcast playing—Steven Bartlett’s "Diary of a CEO" episode on charisma.
It was engaging, but I quickly realized that the content required more attention than my divided mind could give. Between the crew shuttle ride to the airport, the handling of flight documentation, walking through scanners and passport control, aa well as dealing with small distractions, I wasn’t really absorbing the material.
Then came the 30-minute flight delay, creating an unplanned pocket of free time. The perfect opportunity to do something productive, right? But instead of taking advantage of it, I found myself caught in that strange limbo where time feels wasted.
The Realization: Time is Slipping Through
Looking back, I had several ways to use that time more effectively:
✔ A Proper Breakfast – Instead of waiting around the gate, I could have taken a few extra minutes to enjoy a real meal rather than rushing through a triangular egg sandwitch as breakfast.
✔ Video Editing – My laptop was in my bag, but I didn’t take it out. A half-hour could have been enough to trim clips or plan the next sequence for my content.
✔ Focused Podcast Listening – I could have paused the episode earlier and saved it for a time when I could actually engage with it fully.
It wasn’t about doing more—it was about being intentional with my time.
The Takeaway: Intentional Use of Dead Time
There will always be unavoidable downtime in our day: airport delays, long drives, waiting for meetings to start. The question is—do we let those moments slip away, or do we use them wisely?
- Decide in advance how I want to use downtime (work, learn, or recharge).
- Match the task to the situation—passive listening for movement, deep work for still moments.
- Recognize opportunities early rather than realizing afterward what I could have done.
Small optimizations like these, when applied daily, can transform how much we achieve over time.
So next time you find yourself in an unexpected delay—what will you do with your time?