want to grab coffee together?
can't believe I'm giving this list away for free!!
10 Things To Do While Waiting for a Friend (Instead of Checking Your Phone)
We all know the drill. You're five minutes early, your friend’s running late, and your thumb instinctively hovers over Instagram. But there’s something kind of beautiful about those small, unstructured pauses—if you let them be.
Next time you’re waiting, try one of these instead (they’re all FREE and will make you feel goooooood! Send this to a friend who could use it, too)
Make a quick gratitude list. In your head. Just three things. Could be tiny: good coffee, sunlight, someone who texted you back.
Stretch something. Roll your shoulders. Shake out your hands. Loosen whatever’s tense.
People-watch. Notice what people are wearing, how they move, who they’re with.
Think about a friend you want to call later. Someone whose voice you haven’t heard. Or someone who you know could really use hearing yours. Don’t just text them. Make a mental note to call them later.
Look up. At the sky. The clouds. The buildings. Turns towards a view you don’t see when your head is semi-permanently angled downwards.
Breathe. A full, slow inhale. A long, grounded exhale. It’s free, and it helps with just about everything.
Doodle. On a napkin, receipt, whatever’s in your bag. (Shoutout to my dad whose doodles are the best in town)
Listen. Really listen. How many individual sounds can you hear?
Say hi or smile at someone nearby. I don’t care how awkward it is! Lean into the awkward! Why are we afraid of awkward moments?
Daydream. Let your mind wander somewhere soft or silly. It doesn’t need to go anywhere important.
If this list made you smile, pause, or breathe deeper, forward it to someone you’d love to have coffee with—phones down, eyes up.
More soon,
Rachel 🤍
Unfollowed is a love letter to the parts of life that don’t happen on a screen. It’s where I explore digital habits, attention, and what it means to live a little more intentionally—and a little less online.