It is very common to have lots of extra time on your hands at the office. Maybe the day is just slow or simply there is no work for you to do till the next day, which can certainly create boredom.
How do you avoid this boredom or spend the office hours that you are not actually busy?
Avoid just sitting idle, wasting time on your phone or sleeping and find some work to do. In fact avoid sleeping at work no matter how bored you are as it might make you lose your job.
Instead use this time more productively. There is so much potential and opportunities of using this time for growth, improve on your work productivity, learn new skills and other personal development ideas.
Simple Productive Ideas & Activities for a Long Day at Work
1. Take Extra Duties
If you have no work to do at the office because you are through with your allocated work, take on some extra work instead of staying idle. It is especially motivating if there are remuneration benefits attached.
Your effort does not go unnoticed by the office. You may be picked for a promotion or get a pay rise later because of taking this initiative. It is hence a good way to be productive with the free time you find yourself with at the office.
2. Plan for Future Projects
You can use the slow hours in the office to plan for other future projects. For instance, you can create your work plan for next week/month/project etc. Entertain your thoughts by looking ahead in the long term and on things you can do now to start on that goal. You will be so occupied you cant get bored.
If you are done on your major projects, there are other administrative works to do like documentation, organizing files, planning future projects, coordinating long-term plans, and troubleshooting among other tasks. All these are productive ways of using this extra time you have at hand.
Read: How Moms can Retain their Motivation at Work
3. Help Other Co-Workers
Be productive with the extra time you have at the office by helping your colleagues who still have got a lot of work to do. You should not sit idling about while others are overwhelmed by work. The most reasonable way of turning this boring time into productive time is by looking at who needs you helps and chipping in.
However, this can only work if you are efficient and conversant with your colleague’s work. You can opt for small simple tasks that you can manage effortlessly without needing direction.
Taking such an initiative is also bound to help you in a variety of ways. Your effort will be recognized by the office. You can also rely on your colleagues to help or step in for you when you need help. In addition, handling a variety of tasks enriches your skills which is good for your career development.
4. Work on a Second Job
One of the most useful and productive things you can do with the extra time in the office is work on your side hustle. It is very much possible and doable to work on your second job at your main office. If your office is not too strict on checking what you are doing, you can use the extra hours to work on a second job instead of staying idle.
Fortunately, you have the time and resources to work on generating additional income while you are at work. Be productive and use those free hours to enrich your other sources of income. Turn the boring office hours into busy hours with any flexible and remote work you can get.
Any job that you can do on your work desk is worth it as it keeps you busy and earns you additional income.You need a second job that is remote and allows flexibility of time. Some of the job you can take as a second job include writing, blogging, and social media management among others.
You also need a less restrictive work environment with less or no supervision. As such you can easily pretend to be busy and working but you are actually working on your own projects. Nonetheless it is only fair to ensure you meet your targets and finish your main work effectively.
Read: How to Manage Working two Jobs Effectively without Fatigue
5. Do Research and Improve your Skills
Don’t just stay idle because you are through with your work at the office. You can also use the extra time to improve on your skills. There are so many resources available online that you can use. Resources such as websites, databases, and even YouTube have easy-to-use tutorials which can help you improve your skills.
Also a majority of these resources are free. Therefore you can efficiently get access to skills enhancing resources without having to pay. You can get away with this plan because no will notice what you were working on. You will pretend to be working but you are actually learning and improving on your skills.
Improving some skills may help you get a promotion at work or get you a better job. The skills can be work-related to your current job or other skills you would like to improve. Some relevant skills include statistics, data analytics, and programming among others.
You can also research your industry to learn more about the new developments. There are always new things happening and new technology being introduced. Having the knowledge places you in a better position career-wise.
6. Take an Online Course
You can efficiently manage being a study, mom and parent by taking advantage of an free minute you can get at the office to study. Having free office hours is an opportunity to advance your career qualifications online.
Technology advancement has made online courses convenient and accessible to everyone. You do not need to physically attend classes to learn a course. Many institutions are now offering online courses and you can use your spare time in the office to enroll in one.
Don’t idle about because there is no work to day. The most beneficial thing to do is enroll into a course you feel is beneficial for your work or personal development. You can literally take a course in any field as long you are qualified and is related to your interests.
I know of any working mom who pretended to be busy working when they had free-time while all along they were doing an online course. At the end of the day, you will have used your time effectively to enrich your academic qualifications. It places you in a better position for a promotion or even a new job.
“There is so much potential to use your free time to improve on your work and yourself as a working mom. You can pick up extra duties, plan for future projects , help colleagues out, work on a second job, research & improve your skills, take an online course, and read among other things.”
7. Read Books
Reading is a fun and entertaining hobby for many working moms and one way to spend your long day at the office. If you cannot get time to read once you get home then use the free time at the office to read.
It does not even have to be a physical book anymore as many books now have soft copy versions. You can easily pretend to be working when reading a soft copy compared to a hard copy book. Further, there are so many apps and platforms hosting free online books. Just find a favorite book to read which keeps you busy.
8. Learn New Skill
If you have some free hours at the office with no work to do, use this time to learn a new skill. You should use every time you can get to advance and develop yourself.
Do let boredom get to you. Instead use the time to learn as many skills as possible. Some things you can consider include;
- Learn how to create work plans, meal plans, manage projects etc
- Learn a new language online
- How to write- start a personal journal as it helps empty your thoughts
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