How To Pass Time At Work

Updated On: November 20, 2023

By Hope

Having a slow day at work? Maybe you've completed your tasks for the day, and have nothing else to do to?

Before we get into it... who am i?

Always good to put a name to a face, so firstly, my name is Hope!

Like you, I was stuck working 8-10 hour days building someone else’s dream.

I worked at one of those cool tech companies that has omelet stations for breakfast & craft beer on tap for after hours.

To a lot of people that’s a dream, but to me… something was missing.

All I really wanted, was to actually enjoy life – more vacations, less stress, buy myself nice things without worrying about the cost… but that was something my 9-5 couldn’t provide me.

That was until a few years ago when I discovered a way to make money online by actually helping real people. 

People in this case were local business owners across the US.

Me and My Puppy

The page above is an example of how I do it. That one-page site generates $1,500/mo and I haven’t even touched it since it was put up.

That’s an $18,000/year raise from just one page.

That’s why local lead generation is my #1 business recommendation for recurring, semi-passive income. If you want to learn about that business model, click here.

The page above is an example of how I do it. That one-page site generates $1,500/mo and I haven’t even touched it since it was put up.

That’s an $18,000/year raise from just one page.

That’s why local lead generation is my #1 business recommendation for recurring, semi-passive income. If you want to learn about that business model, click here.

They have no clue what it’s actually like to run the different types of businesses they write about.

I have absolutely no relationship with this program, so you can rest easy knowing I’m going to give you my honest opinion.

This review is written based on my own experiences with this business model.

All that being said, let’s jump into things.

Having a slow day at work?

Maybe you’ve completed your tasks for the day, and have nothing else to do to?

Are you just tired of your job?

You are in the right place.

Here are ten productive things that will help you pass the time at work and do it until the day’s end without losing your mind.

Ten Things To Do On A Slow Day to Kill Time

1. Start to Read up on work-related topics

One of the ways to kill time on a slow day at work without getting in trouble with your boss is to read up on all of the information, developments, and some latest articles about your job and company.

There is always something new to learn and advance your success at work. It may come from a blog post, article, book that you bring, or even links that you can access through the web-like Wikipedia.

One example is this, if you are an SEO specialist or a web developer, you could read all the latest SEO-related news, tips, and approaches and combine every learning in the office work, and even share your info with someone in the office.

Set up Google and Twitter notifications for specific keywords related to your job and company. Set up alerts for ‘SEO” and “Web Optimization,” and other keywords.

Once something gets published with the related keywords, you will be notified, which will update you on something connected to your industry. This is one of the ways to kill boredom at work.

2. Organize Your E-mail’s Inbox

You might find this as a dull and boring task. At the same time, someone could be satisfied with organizing something.

Suppose your job requires dealing with business partners and clients, and you are sending emails multiple times every day.

In that case, organizing your email’s inbox is the way forward to eliminate boredom. It will help you pass the time and make your inbox much easier to manage and access your emails.

You can keep your inbox neat, and you just have to set up dedicated folders for all the different topics and categories and create subfolders related to each folder. Through this, it’s easier to find anything in your emails.

3. Do Planning

Killing time at the office might be okay for some, though it accumulates when things have to have accomplished.

And considering your job is a good way to provide an everyday framework and, ultimately, boost your productivity. It will help to overcome boredom at work.

Purchase yourself a weekly table calendar or make your own homemade calendar. Even if you choose a digital platform, create an account holding a project management internet site as Trello, and design your goals, projects, and tasks for the week or even month ahead.

Begin by creating a listing of all your daily tasks. This might be checking emails, publishing to social networking, making phone calls, and attending team meetings.

Next, come up with its list of your upcoming and current projects and deadlines. When you’ve all this, you can begin setting up your work based on importance and urgency.

Being the organizational freak, you keep both a physical calendar and a Trello panel with all your ideas, projects, and tasks.

4. Entertain yourself

Overcome boredom by entertaining yourself, I do not imply wandering over to your colleagues’ desks and striking up an hour-long controversy on the latest soap opera… maybe just read some of your favorite articles on google.

The internet is a never-ending supply of entertainment, be it playing mind games like Sudoku, chuckling at memes on 9GAG, producing your blob opera on Google, or even watching ironic cat movies on YouTube.

A word to the smart, make sure you navigate the internet for entertainment purposes on business time without getting found! The very last thing you should do is get yourself fired.

5. Offer Some Help To Your Coworkers

Is your coworker is fighting to finish a project with a fast-approaching deadline?

Ask them in case they need a helping hand.

This will surely help many and reduce your boredom.

Even if they decline (since it is a one-person task, for example), they will definitely like the offer, and also, they will probably settle you in kindness the next time you are worrying over a looming deadline.

Your boss will take notice, and your willingness to assist others and become a team player will certainly be valued and sure to arise during your following performance review.

6. Declutter Your Work Area

If your workspace looks entirely messy, it may be the time to give it a much-needed spring clean. Life at work a lot easier tends to make by an uncluttered workspace.

You know precisely where everything is. You also spend much less time foraging mountainous heaps of documents for which you need to have one report, ultimately improving productivity and efficiency and lowering anxiety levels.

Additionally, you will learn about Marie Kondo, tidying author and guru of the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, proud. Kondo suggests first identifying the things you have to accomplish your job and locating a designated area for each one, such as a box, tray, or maybe pen holder. Get rid of whatever you do not need: put old documents through the paper shredder, reuse pens that do not work – you get the picture.

Next, put in one thing to your workspace that’ sparks joy.’ This may be a vase of newly cut flowers or maybe a family picture in a good picture frame – for me, it’s my LEGO brick calendar.

7. Improve Your Work Skills

There is always a place for honing your skills or even building brand new ones altogether . It must be considered a lifelong pursuit to continue learning.

All things considered, if you settle with everything you already know, you forget to develop, both on a private and a professional degree. When you dedicate yourself to constant learning, you can venture outside of your comfort zone with less difficulty as you boost your profile and stay relevant to the industry, doors open for you.

You will generally be in a position to locate classes, conferences, workshops, and local seminars on the industry-related subject matter, that most offer you the additional benefit of growing your professional network.

In case you cannot locate something locally, or maybe you do not wish to travel… consider taking your learning online with a side project, whether it is joining a webinar or even completing an internet program.

In case you cannot locate something appropriate locally or maybe you do not wish to travel, although, think about taking your learning online with a side project, whether it is joining a webinar or even completing an internet program.

Site link as Coursera, MasterClass, and Udemy tend to be excellent choices, and based on the course you’re taking, you will get certification upon completion.

On that note, ask your boss if they are ready to cover your education expense and at least offer monetary guidance. Odds are they will happily oblige, primarily in case it benefits the business.

A good business, which has purchased employee training, understands that a knowledgeable employee is undoubtedly a win. Improving your work skill is something that will help to defeat boredom.

8. Practice Doodle

Even though some people were fast to criticize Hillary Clinton for doodling on her speech paperwork during the UN General Assembly in 2012, it is in no way a terrible practice to have.

In reality, the study suggests that doodling is healthy for you: it enhances the focus of your and memory recollection, while it also fosters creativity and can also serve as a psychological pause.

Now you do not need to be Picasso or da Vinci to doodle. The entire point of doodling is relaxing for the creative juices of yours flowing, not to produce the Mona Lisa – although, in case you do: great for you! Have a pen or pencil to paper and begin aimlessly scribbling various styles, patterns, landscaping, caricatures – whatever comes to mind.

The great thing about doodling is you do not need to overthink it or be self-conscious of what you are drawing and just how great it is. Simply allow the movement to be fluid! Surely your boredom will end.

9. Try to do work with fun

When we do our routine every day at work, it is normal to lose the sense of purpose, feel motivated, and have some downtime. But people you can overcome this boredom by trying to do work that’s fun.

The best thing to do is by turning the work into games. Test yourself on how many emails you can respond to in 10 minutes or in one hour.

Imagine your co-workers or someone as a team member and you are protecting the planet by delivering the project on time. Do whatever makes your work much more fun and enjoyable.

You can also reward yourself for each task you have finished, such as a luscious treat or a short break. This will give you something to look ahead to.

You can check a blog post or open your social media account for five minutes after every part or activity you finished.

10. Look for a new job

If you regularly encounter boredom at the office, then maybe you don’t see your work as challenging and satisfying or, worse, you have the aftermath of burnout. Either way, they have the same remedy: Look for a new job.

Rather than resigning at the right away, it would help if you put in your mind to prepare for your next job. Start updating your CV or portfolio with all new skills and your newly acquired qualification since the last job search.

After this, start to access the internet to browse job boards for something that suits your expertise, then start sending out applications.

If you can’t wait for the weekends, even it’s Friday, you are indeed having a lazy day at work. Doing something that will make your time productive will make the day pass faster and feel accomplished for the day.

How do you pass time at work if you have nothing to do for the whole day?

Do you plan, offer help to someone, or find other things that will keep your mind from losing and make the day move faster?

How will you be filling your time productively will make the day pass faster? Leave a comment below!