What would you do at work if you had nothing to do?

[DancingTurtle]

This is me tomorrow, 9 'til 4. I have access to an office where I can be on my own and would have about 2 seconds warning of someone coming in.

I could fill my day easily. I would do…

Wordle
Strands
Read the Mail online

Make myself a nice coffee

Read mumsnet
Do online christmas shopping
Scroll Instagram

Make myself a tea

Checkout RightMove
Respond to any WhatsApps / Texts
Check Facebook

Make lunch or nip out

Might wrap presents if really bored
Listen to podcasts
Checkout my favourite brands for Black Friday deals
Paint nails
Scroll through Vinted

Stick an audio book on and do some black friday sale shopping online!

This would never, ever happen for me 😂. Always running around like an idiot with too much to do and not enough time. However, if it did happen I would do cpd of some sort and offer my help to a colleague.

I can't even imagine this. I always have at least twice as much work as I can possibly ever get done. The idea of being at work and having nothing to do... does not compute!

Just tell your boss you’ve got some spare time and is there anything you could help her with

I used to read free ebooks from the university of Adelaide - onscreen, they just look like walls of writing, so non suspect. Got through so many classics! This was when I had finished everything, asked around for extra work etc... I was on reception at the time, so sometimes they just wanted someone to sit there, looking professional.

This is what I can end up doing when I've decided on going to work all day at the weekend or in the holidays:
Put radio on. Switch between radio 6 and 4.
Scroll.
Read a bit.
Scroll.
Wander about a bit.
Wash up.
Scroll.
Vinted.
Suddenly decide I need new curtains and become obsessed with finding the perfect pair. Get bored. Decide ill look another time.
Read reviews of book/TV shows.
Read the news.
Get interested by random things and follow a trail usually leading somewhere mediaeval.
Suddenly start work around 4.

Oh! And I started researching all the countries in the world from A to Z, just for the criac. Capital city, main exports, cultural norms etc...

Sort out all my digital photos

This is actually my work life.

I watch shows I have downloaded
Read magazines
Go on Mumsnet!

Black Friday Christmas shopping?

Set up a new email address then enter loads of online competitions.

I would re-write the organisation’s strategy. Develop business cases for new lines of work or efficiency measures. Look at the business change due to take place over the next year and see how my objectives took this into account.

Why do you need to "look busy"? Just tell your manager you have nothing to do

Hell would freeze over before I would tackle anything on LinkedIn. Why is everyone on there such a giant arsehole.

I sometimes end up in this situation. Things I do include-

Tidying/reorganising office/files
Emails
Get ahead on planning events
Do some home admin - pay bills, food shop online etc
Plan /stratagise new business ideas

Wow I’ve got about 3 times amount of work as I do time so I’m quite jealous!
in your position I’d tidy up my inbox, make lists, guidance notes, online courses, read the intranet, read updates re my professionalism.

I think I'd get my Christmas shopping done

I realise the irony of my username, but I'd do work-related things.

I'd tidy my desk.
I'd tidy my emails, and deal with anything I could.
I'd catch up on my CPD.
I'd re-read some of the multiple complex technical documents that I use to do my role.
I'd catch up with any colleagues.
I'd start any pieces of work that I'd thought of and that could be beneficial to my department.
I'd start any pieces of work that could be beneficial to me.

I'd love this, but only for a day or two.

Tbh it depends how much I'm paid...

Play Candy Crush? You can easily lose seven hours there.

Call in sick?

Can you rig up some kind of pre-warning system? A mirror so that you can see anyone coming in before they see you? Something that makes a noise when someone's coming (like on I'm a Celebrity when someone got near to the junkyard?!). Then you can watch downloaded films on your phone, or read a book disguised in a ring binder etc etc!

Otherwise delete old emails, tidy up old files that kind of thing.

What line of work are you in?

What line of work are you in?

Yeah this is what I do. Or mess about with personal projects in InDesign (I'm a graphic designer.)

There's lots of waiting around in my job. Clients are often slow to send projects over or things will drop out last minute. If my colleagues don't need help and there's no training to be done I'm allowed to do as I please.