We’ve all been there – staring at the clock, refreshing emails that aren’t coming, or finding ourselves with a rare pocket of downtime between meetings.
Instead of wasting time wandering around the office and watching the clock, why not use the slack time to your own advantage to become more professional and an asset to the business?
Whenever you find yourself bored at work, with ingenuity, you can actually use boredom to improve your skills and become more professional.
This article details the seven skill-developing things to do when bored at work that can convert your slow time to the most productive part of your day.
1. Update Your Professional Skills with a Microlearning Break
Microlearning, short, focused lessons that you can accomplish in 15 minutes or less, is the ideal method of staying sharp without having to step away from your workspace. Bite-sized studying is easy to incorporate into your day and can be used to continually reinforce your understanding.
McKinsey & Company discovered that employees who undergo microlearning sessions are 25% more productive.
Online platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and Khan Academy offer classes ranging from pragmatic ones, such as Excel, to more nuanced ones, like emotional intelligence programs. Try these quick ways of discovering new knowledge.
What to Do When You Are Bored at the Computer
Watch a 10-minute video tutorial or read the occasional blog post about your chosen field. It is an easy method to contribute incrementally to your career without being committed to long-form, formal course study.
According to 3-Minute eLearning author Ray Jimenez, microlearning enables just-in-time learning, and this maximizes the retention and applicability at the workplace.
Even taking just a few minutes each day to learn a new keyboard shortcut or communication tip can increase your efficiency and confidence. You would be amazed at the speed at which small lessons accumulate into tangible improvements.
2. Simplify Workflow and Streamline Work Tasks
Downtime is the best time to catch up on organizing. The more time you dedicate to your workspace and to-do list, the more concentrated you can become when business picks up again.
Use this time to find things to do at work when bored. Clean out your inbox, update your project boards, or organize that color-coded schedule you’ve been wanting to do. Keeping your work tasks organized is made easy through the use of services such as Trello, Asana, and Notion.
According to research carried out by the American Psychological Association, structured workers can reduce stress and increase the efficiency of work by up to 25%.
These small modifications not only put you more in charge but also increase your daily productivity. An organized workspace and an action plan can increase your energy and sense of accomplishment significantly.
3. Find a new Tech Tool or App
Knowing the current trending tools, including Slack integrations, Canva, or Notion, makes you more efficient at your job and conserves your time in the long run. Most people won’t learn new tools because they “don’t have time.” But if you’re bored at work, then this is your chance.
Whether it’s design, automation, or project tracking, taking the time to learn another system shows initiative and prepares you for future jobs. Skill stacking renders you irreplaceable, particularly where it includes devices others steer clear of.
Where to Start
Looking for YouTube tutorials or trying free modules in Skillshare or Coursera can be productive things to do when bored at work.
Twenty minutes working on the new dashboard can put you head and shoulders above your peers and provide you with the confidence to troubleshoot problems.
You don’t need to become an overnight guru. Experience gained through exposure can pave the path to future opportunities. Start with the lone application relevant to your professional or personal goal, and move stepwise.
4. Writing and Communication Skills
Communication is generally ranked among the highest of the soft skills required by employers. Having the capacity to express your ideas eloquently can differentiate you in the course of meetings, emails, and presentations.
Instead of zoning out, take 15 minutes to write a thoughtful LinkedIn post on something you have learned, or prep an outline for your next speech. You can also use the time to journal career development ideas or rehearse clearer, more concise emails.
Practicing written communication is arguably the most rewarding thing to do when you are bored, and it yields fruit rapidly. According to Grammarly, good writers among employees also save up to 8 hours of time per week on correcting miscommunication.
Some simple exercises to try:
- Make templates for your regular messages – They conserve your time and your future mental energy.
- Keep your own work journal – Document your achievements, your failures, and your ambitions to analyze and improve.
- Make thoughtful posts – Thoughtful posting makes you credible.
You can even use the time to update your resume or brainstorm article ideas. Every little step adds to better communication skills.
5. Offer to Help Another Employee or Follow Another Department
Wishing to up your role? Offer to help an overwhelmed colleague or inquire with your supervisor if you may spend an hour shadowing another department.
Cross-training makes you more flexible and gives you an overview of your company. And you’re developing relationships, an asset you can transfer to virtually any job.
According to Harvard Business Review, employees who span functions are 25% more likely to become higher-ups.
Concepts of cross-collaboration include many different aspects of coworking. Asking your supervisor if you can sit in on another department’s team meeting, volunteering to help organize a team-building event, or just helping a colleague organize work tasks.
Whether you’re helping Customer Service learn to handle queries or the marketing team get their content together, this project will make you more adaptable and less bored. This initiative context has the ability to bring more visibility, more trust, and even mentorship.
6. Clean Physical and Digital Workspaces
Ever experience the foggy, drowsy feeling at the workplace? Clutter is the culprit.
A 2019 study at Princeton University concluded that physical clutter competes for your attention, slowing down performance and increasing stress. Bending down to pick it up when you’re bored is not busywork, but rather it’s maintenance for your brain.
Quick declutter ideas for you:
- Shred or file outdated documents – Keep your space free from unnecessary paperwork.
- Clean your workspace or dust your keyboard – Everything is improved with a tidy space.
- Clean out your desktop and sort through your downloads folder – Wondering what to do on your computer when bored? Digital clutter counts, too, so get on it.
Not all productive things to accomplish when you are bored have to change the course of the earth. The occasional tidying up can actually redirect your attention and clear your head. You’ll face your next project with renewed enthusiasm for order and attention to detail.
7. Create Your Own Personal Brand or Online Presence
Among the wisest long-term decisions is to invest quiet time working to buff your personal brand.
Update your profile on LinkedIn, add new projects to your portfolio, or ask your colleague to endorse you. According to Zippia, 70 percent of companies use social media to screen applicants. Professional presence on the web is to your advantage.
Leverage this time to boost your exposure and make your LinkedIn headline more relevant to your current skills and career interests. Write a post about a recent project win. Show your thought process and results.
Enhance new credentials and/or skills. Keep the profile up to date and relevant. Even if you’re not actively searching for work now, having your profile refreshed is going to generate new leads, new partnerships, and new opportunities down the road.
Boosting Skills is the Most Important Aspect of Working
Boredom at the workplace is not the time to waste. Indeed, it is the most useful time of the day if directed with purpose, so those questions like “what to do when bored?” should never be on your mind.
From acquiring new things to practicing communication to simply taking time to put work-related items in order, there is no end to the list of work-related things to do when bored at work that increase your skill set and professional career.
Use the downtime and watch your little efforts become the great keys to success.
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