Boredom Busters for Work
If you’re like me and periodically experience slumps at work, where you have to sit there doing nothing for hours on end in case someone suddenly needs you to do something and also because you’re still tied to that stinkin’ paycheck, you reach the end of your rope with:
- how many gossip columns you can read (People, Wonderwall),
- how much more bad news or spin you can tolerate reading (CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, truthout, New Yorker)
- how many creative or food blogs you can browse (AngryChicken, SimpleMom, NotMartha, UndertheHighChair, to name a few)
before you sort of go numb from it all.
I mean, these people are being productive after all, but you are just sitting there feeling aimless, counterproductive even. You could distract yourself with occasional tweets and Facebook posts if you’re able and not under the watchful eye of your company (which I am). You could even spend time playing any number of on-line games, none of which ever appeal to me, but apparently appeal to the masses in general. My dad even plays solitaire sometimes to break up the monotony of work.
Or, you could be like my husband and get lost on Reddit or Chowhound. You may even have started perusing smaller news outlets (Highlander, Columbia Tribune, Billings Gazette) in hopes for a different viewpoint. You’d be surprised how many exciting things happen in a small town. And, somehow, the fact that these things happen in a small town makes them all the more intriguing.
Yet there is still something missing from your day. So, what are you going to do about it?
Here are some suggestions:
1) Connect with other people in your office or in a similar field as you. You’d be surprised how the simplest exchanges can refocus your energy and put you on a path to a better day.
2) Listen to NPR or put on some music. There’s nothing like hearing other people discuss news, music, or art to distract you from the humdrum; and music alone can transport you to new emotional landscapes with relatively little effort.
3) Make plans to volunteer in your community. Giving back to others is a great way to improve your sense of well being.
4) Exercise. The release of endorphins might inspire you or at least put an extra oomph in your step.
5) Call your mom or best friend. A chat with someone you love can always boost your outlook on life.
6) Draw pictures for your kids so that they can see you think about them during the day. They draw pictures for you, after all. (This probably only works when your children are younger than 12 years of age, though.)
If all else fails, try to find time at some point during the week to do something you love. It’s a start. The journey of 1,000 miles always begins with a step.