SUMMARY POINTS
Kill your boredom by doing fun and/or interesting things that will benefit you personally or career-wise.
You’ve got stuff to do but none of it is super urgent. The work is more of a monotonous drone of doing pretty much the same shit day in and day out.
On some days, it really feels like you’re on a slow-moving production line making generic commodities, only you’re not making physical things but digital goods.
Another database lookup.
Followed by the same excel input.
Recycle the presentation with new data.
Fill in the weekly report.
Rinse and repeat.
Even though work can sometimes get busy, there’s really nothing challenging with your work for the most part.
Thank God that you’re working from home.
At least you can cyberloaf without getting caught by your boss or coworkers.
But there’s only so much social media and web surfing you can do in a day. And even that is starting to get boring too.
When it gets to the point when you’re getting frustrated with not having something meaningful to do, you need to take action before you go bat-shit crazy.
On some days, it really feels like you’re on a slow-moving production line making generic commodities, only you’re not making physical things but digital goods.
Another database lookup.
Followed by the same excel input.
Recycle the presentation with new data.
Fill in the weekly report.
Rinse and repeat.
Even though work can sometimes get busy, there’s really nothing challenging with your work for the most part.
Thank God that you’re working from home.
At least you can cyberloaf without getting caught by your boss or coworkers.
But there’s only so much social media and web surfing you can do in a day. And even that is starting to get boring too.
When it gets to the point when you’re getting frustrated with not having something meaningful to do, you need to take action before you go bat-shit crazy.
Ideal Things To Do To Kill Boredom
There’s no shortage of things to take care of in life. There’s always something that needs to get done and/or sorted out.
The key here is to be selective and choose the right tasks that you can do during those spans of boredom. Ideally, it should be things that you can complete within an hour or less, or finish before the end of the day.
This isn’t about taking on major projects. It’s about quick hits.
When you can knock out some easy to medium tasks before the end of the day, it’ll give you a sense of progress and productivity. It’ll make you feel good that you actually did something.
And, these ideas listed below do exactly that plus, they’re things that benefit you directly.
The key here is to be selective and choose the right tasks that you can do during those spans of boredom. Ideally, it should be things that you can complete within an hour or less, or finish before the end of the day.
This isn’t about taking on major projects. It’s about quick hits.
When you can knock out some easy to medium tasks before the end of the day, it’ll give you a sense of progress and productivity. It’ll make you feel good that you actually did something.
And, these ideas listed below do exactly that plus, they’re things that benefit you directly.
Get Ahead On Upcoming Tasks
When you have some downtime, it’s always good to take a break, especially if you’ve been motoring hard. However, when things are slow and you don’t need the mental breather, you gotta take advantage of this.
You know that there’s always the “calm before the storm”, right?
While you have this quiet time, get ahead of routine tasks. When you check off one routine task after another, you start to get in the zone with work.
Think of the tasks that you can finish ahead of time that don't require input from others. It’s the stuff that you can knock out on your own.
Get as many of those done as possible and build up a bank of completed work that you can dribble out over time. It’ll make you look good that you’re consistently knocking out stuff.
It’ll also give you some buffer for those days when your boss drops an urgent task on you or when you’re putting out fires all day and can’t get to those routine tasks.
You know that there’s always the “calm before the storm”, right?
While you have this quiet time, get ahead of routine tasks. When you check off one routine task after another, you start to get in the zone with work.
Think of the tasks that you can finish ahead of time that don't require input from others. It’s the stuff that you can knock out on your own.
Get as many of those done as possible and build up a bank of completed work that you can dribble out over time. It’ll make you look good that you’re consistently knocking out stuff.
It’ll also give you some buffer for those days when your boss drops an urgent task on you or when you’re putting out fires all day and can’t get to those routine tasks.
Do Light House Chores Around The House
It isn’t just job-related tasks that you can do. There are always some annoying house chores that are a thorn in your side.
It’s loading or emptying the dishwasher, getting a load of laundry done, decluttering the house, vacuuming the rugs, cleaning the bathroom, etc.
They all suck.
But, here’s the good news.
When you do chores while working from home, it’ll free up more of your valuable and precious weekend time. It’ll make your weekends feel longer. And, who doesn’t like that?
The best kinds of chores to do while you’re WFH are the ones that will still allow you to “work” while doing the chore. It’s organizing the house while listening to an industry webinar, wiping down the countertops and tables while brainstorming ideas, etc. You get the point.
It’s loading or emptying the dishwasher, getting a load of laundry done, decluttering the house, vacuuming the rugs, cleaning the bathroom, etc.
They all suck.
But, here’s the good news.
When you do chores while working from home, it’ll free up more of your valuable and precious weekend time. It’ll make your weekends feel longer. And, who doesn’t like that?
The best kinds of chores to do while you’re WFH are the ones that will still allow you to “work” while doing the chore. It’s organizing the house while listening to an industry webinar, wiping down the countertops and tables while brainstorming ideas, etc. You get the point.
Take Online Courses To Up Your Skills
Didn’t get that promotion you wanted?
Want to build up your personal brand?
Both of these can be solved by boosting your skills.
There are a ton of free online business courses that you can take to up your game. Everything from high-level strategy to specific functional-level skills is available right on the web.
Check with your HR department and see if they have any in-house training you can take (and get credit for) or if they have accounts set-up with online learning companies. Some of these even have certificate programs too.
Either way, it’ll be free and you’ll get a lot of benefit from it.
Want to build up your personal brand?
Both of these can be solved by boosting your skills.
There are a ton of free online business courses that you can take to up your game. Everything from high-level strategy to specific functional-level skills is available right on the web.
Check with your HR department and see if they have any in-house training you can take (and get credit for) or if they have accounts set-up with online learning companies. Some of these even have certificate programs too.
Either way, it’ll be free and you’ll get a lot of benefit from it.
Organize & Back Up Your Digital Files
You know that feeling when you’ve been working on a document for hours and then all of a sudden, your computer freezes up on you?
You’ve just lost all your work. It’s a heart-sinking feeling.
Or even worse, if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of losing your entire hard drive with everything you’ve worked on it, you know how soul-crushing it is.
Everything.
Fucking gone.
It’s devastating.
Don’t put yourself in those kinds of situations. This is so easily avoidable.
When you’ve got idle time, eliminate desktop digital clutter by getting all your files organized and sorted. Then, make backups of your work hard drive to the company’s network drive, mini portable hard drive and/or high-capacity USB thumb drive.
Make it a weekly routine. Maybe like a Friday 4pm activity to close out the week. This way, all your files will be neatly organized and you’ll never be SOL when your computer decides to self-destruct.
You’ve just lost all your work. It’s a heart-sinking feeling.
Or even worse, if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of losing your entire hard drive with everything you’ve worked on it, you know how soul-crushing it is.
Everything.
Fucking gone.
It’s devastating.
Don’t put yourself in those kinds of situations. This is so easily avoidable.
When you’ve got idle time, eliminate desktop digital clutter by getting all your files organized and sorted. Then, make backups of your work hard drive to the company’s network drive, mini portable hard drive and/or high-capacity USB thumb drive.
Make it a weekly routine. Maybe like a Friday 4pm activity to close out the week. This way, all your files will be neatly organized and you’ll never be SOL when your computer decides to self-destruct.
Do A Self-Audit Of Monthly Expenses
You’ve heard of the phrase, “There’s nothing certain in life except for death and taxes.”
They forgot to add bills to that.
A lot of things in life are now based upon monthly memberships or subscriptions. And you probably have a bunch of these on credit card auto-pay. And, once they’re on auto-pay, it becomes “out of sight and out of mind.”
This leads to expenses building up in the background of your life without you realizing it. It’s not unusual for monthly subscriptions to increase in price without you noticing it.
Do you actually use all of these services?
Probably not.
It’s time to do a self-audit of your monthly expenses.
Take a look at your credit card bill and review all of your non-essential monthly charges. These are things like gym memberships, subscription box services, shopping clubs, online streaming services, etc.
Are there any that you can live without?
If so, drop ‘em.
For the ones that you use and want to keep, give the service provider a call and ask for a lower rate. Tell them it’s gotten too expensive and that you’re thinking about canceling. The worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
Check out this 2-minute video below for an easy tactic to reduce monthly service expenses.
VIDEO: Lower Your Monthly Bills
YOUTUBE: Acorns
LENGTH: 2:16
They forgot to add bills to that.
A lot of things in life are now based upon monthly memberships or subscriptions. And you probably have a bunch of these on credit card auto-pay. And, once they’re on auto-pay, it becomes “out of sight and out of mind.”
This leads to expenses building up in the background of your life without you realizing it. It’s not unusual for monthly subscriptions to increase in price without you noticing it.
Do you actually use all of these services?
Probably not.
It’s time to do a self-audit of your monthly expenses.
Take a look at your credit card bill and review all of your non-essential monthly charges. These are things like gym memberships, subscription box services, shopping clubs, online streaming services, etc.
Are there any that you can live without?
If so, drop ‘em.
For the ones that you use and want to keep, give the service provider a call and ask for a lower rate. Tell them it’s gotten too expensive and that you’re thinking about canceling. The worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
Check out this 2-minute video below for an easy tactic to reduce monthly service expenses.
VIDEO: Lower Your Monthly Bills
YOUTUBE: Acorns
LENGTH: 2:16
Summary points:
By cleaning up and reducing your monthly expenses, you’re giving yourself some much needed extra cash for other more important things in life - like maybe the kid’s college fund, retirement savings or maybe that solo weekend getaway.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile
Yeah, your LinkedIn profile photo is way old now. When was the last time you updated your mugshot and profile?
Admit it - it’s been years.
If you need a refresher on getting set up, check out our article on LinkedIn for beginners for more tips.
In the meantime, find a recent photo of yourself that’s business appropriate, not the bathroom selfie, and upload it to your profile.
Next, take a look at your work history background. This is essentially your online resume. Fill it out with as much detail as you can while highlighting key achievements.
This is important because it makes you more likely to be identified through the platform’s algorithms and recruiters will start knocking on your virtual door. And when they do, don’t ignore them.
Admit it - it’s been years.
If you need a refresher on getting set up, check out our article on LinkedIn for beginners for more tips.
In the meantime, find a recent photo of yourself that’s business appropriate, not the bathroom selfie, and upload it to your profile.
Next, take a look at your work history background. This is essentially your online resume. Fill it out with as much detail as you can while highlighting key achievements.
This is important because it makes you more likely to be identified through the platform’s algorithms and recruiters will start knocking on your virtual door. And when they do, don’t ignore them.
Reach Out To Your Network & Say Hi
You know when somebody you haven’t interacted with in years starts contacting you via LinkedIn, it’s most likely that they just got laid off and they’re looking for a job.
It’s hard to find a job when you’re out of a job because you haven’t kept up with your network. Job opportunities don’t just pop up the moment you get laid off. It doesn’t work that way.
The best opportunities are the hidden ones that your network of contacts knows about. The ones that haven’t been publicly posted yet.
What you need to do is send a message to your key contacts and just say hi and check-in with them every now and then. Or, reply to one of their posts. See what they’re up to and share what’s happening in your life.
This is like gardening. You need to nurture your relationships so that they bear fruit later on. It’s a simple way to prepare for job loss later on - a “just in case thing.”
It’s hard to find a job when you’re out of a job because you haven’t kept up with your network. Job opportunities don’t just pop up the moment you get laid off. It doesn’t work that way.
The best opportunities are the hidden ones that your network of contacts knows about. The ones that haven’t been publicly posted yet.
What you need to do is send a message to your key contacts and just say hi and check-in with them every now and then. Or, reply to one of their posts. See what they’re up to and share what’s happening in your life.
This is like gardening. You need to nurture your relationships so that they bear fruit later on. It’s a simple way to prepare for job loss later on - a “just in case thing.”
Plan And Do A Side Gig Job
Having a bit of extra cash every month is a very good thing. But, it doesn’t come easily. You need to have a side hustle to bring in some extra income.
Take the time to plan out some side hustle micro jobs that you can do while you’re working from home, at the office during lunch or on the weekends.
The key thing to remember is that it can’t and shouldn’t interfere with your job. Your job is your main income source, so don’t take any chances of fucking it up and getting your ass shit-canned.
Just know that these side gigs aren’t going to make you a millionaire, but they’ll help pay for some of your rent, bills or even just give you some more weekend play money.
Who knows. Maybe it’ll turn into something more substantial.
And when you spot the warning signs of layoffs, you won’t be worried but excited about getting severance and striking out on your own.
Take the time to plan out some side hustle micro jobs that you can do while you’re working from home, at the office during lunch or on the weekends.
The key thing to remember is that it can’t and shouldn’t interfere with your job. Your job is your main income source, so don’t take any chances of fucking it up and getting your ass shit-canned.
Just know that these side gigs aren’t going to make you a millionaire, but they’ll help pay for some of your rent, bills or even just give you some more weekend play money.
Who knows. Maybe it’ll turn into something more substantial.
And when you spot the warning signs of layoffs, you won’t be worried but excited about getting severance and striking out on your own.
Prep For Your Annual Review Early
Going through annual performance reviews is a bit of a pain in the ass because these days, it’s you that’s creating all the information. Back in the old days, your boss would just sit you down and go through what you did the past year.
Now, it’s the other way around. You’re putting together your own review and in some cases, you’re also rating yourself too.
This is a good thing - if you prepare ahead of time.
Think about your last review, you probably put it off until the last minute and suffered the crushing effects of procrastination. You scrambled to get everything done and the work was half-assed.
The result was that you didn’t put your best foot forward.
Don’t sell yourself short.
Open up a blank Word doc and start listing all of the key projects and tasks that you completed. This is one of the key things you can do as part of a 30-day plan to ace your annual review.
When you can show and prove how much you’ve accomplished for the company, that bonus, pay raise or promotion is more likely to happen.
Now, it’s the other way around. You’re putting together your own review and in some cases, you’re also rating yourself too.
This is a good thing - if you prepare ahead of time.
Think about your last review, you probably put it off until the last minute and suffered the crushing effects of procrastination. You scrambled to get everything done and the work was half-assed.
The result was that you didn’t put your best foot forward.
Don’t sell yourself short.
Open up a blank Word doc and start listing all of the key projects and tasks that you completed. This is one of the key things you can do as part of a 30-day plan to ace your annual review.
When you can show and prove how much you’ve accomplished for the company, that bonus, pay raise or promotion is more likely to happen.
Build Karma By Helping Others That Are Overloaded
You’ve heard this saying countless times, “What goes around comes around.”
And, it’s even more pronounced at work because you’re interacting with the same group of people all the time.
If you know that one of your team members or work BFF is overloaded with work projects, offer to help them out on some of the more simple but time-consuming tasks. The kinds that don’t require you to be the subject matter expert. You’re just a task helper.
This can be things like cleaning up the formatting on a presentation, proof-reading a report or even more simply, getting a sandwich for them if they can’t leave their desk during lunch.
When you do things like this, you’re building up your karma points with others. So, when the shit hits the fan and you’re slammed, there’s a much better chance that they’ll give you a helping hand.
And, it’s even more pronounced at work because you’re interacting with the same group of people all the time.
If you know that one of your team members or work BFF is overloaded with work projects, offer to help them out on some of the more simple but time-consuming tasks. The kinds that don’t require you to be the subject matter expert. You’re just a task helper.
This can be things like cleaning up the formatting on a presentation, proof-reading a report or even more simply, getting a sandwich for them if they can’t leave their desk during lunch.
When you do things like this, you’re building up your karma points with others. So, when the shit hits the fan and you’re slammed, there’s a much better chance that they’ll give you a helping hand.
Ask Your Boss What Else You Can Help With
It’s not just your teammates that could use your help sometimes. Your boss could definitely use the help too because they’ve got more projects to oversee and manage.
However, you gotta be smart about this.
Make sure that you’re taking care of all your responsibilities first, including any “get ahead” tasks. You don’t want to over-extend yourself on tasks or projects that will negatively impact your ability to take care of your main responsibilities.
It’s only when you truly have the capacity to help out that you should reach out to your boss and ask if there’s anything that you can help out with. Be specific and ask if there have been any developments related to your projects that you should be aware of and get started on.
Being in middle management, your boss has more visibility of strategic plans from higher up in the organization than you do. So, there’s a good possibility that there are other tasks coming down to you that your boss hasn’t had a chance to explain yet.
However, you gotta be smart about this.
Make sure that you’re taking care of all your responsibilities first, including any “get ahead” tasks. You don’t want to over-extend yourself on tasks or projects that will negatively impact your ability to take care of your main responsibilities.
It’s only when you truly have the capacity to help out that you should reach out to your boss and ask if there’s anything that you can help out with. Be specific and ask if there have been any developments related to your projects that you should be aware of and get started on.
Being in middle management, your boss has more visibility of strategic plans from higher up in the organization than you do. So, there’s a good possibility that there are other tasks coming down to you that your boss hasn’t had a chance to explain yet.
Do Some Micro Exercises
For the typical normal office worker, the average number of hours per day spent sitting is 15 hours - crazy, right?
This includes the time spent sitting at your desk, in meetings, during the commute and at home watching TV.
According to this study from the Heart and Diabetic Institute, sitting for long periods of time puts you at greater risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.
The message here - you need to get off your effin’ ass and do micro-exercises to keep your body moving during the day.
This doesn’t mean that you need to be a marathon runner. All it means is that you should get up and take a walk outside periodically during the day.
It’ll take care of that dead butt syndrome and also give your eyes a break from all the digital eye strain.
This includes the time spent sitting at your desk, in meetings, during the commute and at home watching TV.
According to this study from the Heart and Diabetic Institute, sitting for long periods of time puts you at greater risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.
The message here - you need to get off your effin’ ass and do micro-exercises to keep your body moving during the day.
This doesn’t mean that you need to be a marathon runner. All it means is that you should get up and take a walk outside periodically during the day.
It’ll take care of that dead butt syndrome and also give your eyes a break from all the digital eye strain.
Take Advantage Of WFH Boredom & Make Yourself Better
There will definitely be some days when you’re working from home and things are really slow - like watching the clock slow.
But instead of getting frustrated with the boredom, see it as an opportunity to do other things that will benefit your future workload, career and/or health. Do things that will make you better.
Never complain about being bored ‘cause life has a way of fixing that by sending more bullshit your way.
And, don’t lose sight of the fact that you have a job and an employer that allows you to work remotely from home.
There are tons of people that would kill to be in your position. So, be grateful - it’s the secret to triggering happiness and squashing any feelings of boredom anxiety.
So, when the digital production line starts slowing down, fill the void with activities that get you ahead professionally and personally.
Be productive and happy!
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
But instead of getting frustrated with the boredom, see it as an opportunity to do other things that will benefit your future workload, career and/or health. Do things that will make you better.
Never complain about being bored ‘cause life has a way of fixing that by sending more bullshit your way.
And, don’t lose sight of the fact that you have a job and an employer that allows you to work remotely from home.
There are tons of people that would kill to be in your position. So, be grateful - it’s the secret to triggering happiness and squashing any feelings of boredom anxiety.
So, when the digital production line starts slowing down, fill the void with activities that get you ahead professionally and personally.
Be productive and happy!
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]