Thanks! I Know Youre Bored but I Leave for Work in 2 Hours Cant You Hold Off Till the Girls Leave

81 Productive Things to Practice When Y'all're Bored

Boredom happens at piece of work and everywhere else. Hither are eighty+ ways to turn your boredom upside-down. We included everything from updating your LinkedIn profile to making a living room pillow fort, so there'due south something for everyone.

OMG, I'1000 and so bored. What tin can I do?

And often, feeling bored is okay, really. Despite that saying, beingness bored does non make you boring.

Just then there are the days when you're looking at the clock, and 2:42 PM is staring back at you. 2:42 PM, and you lot've already finished your to-do list and you lot're staring at your chipped nail smooth, considering whether to spend the next 12 minutes picking it off.

When used correctly, boredom at work doesn't have to be a negative thing at all. Forbes explains that up to 90 percent of all American adults bargain with boredom. It's a mutual phenomenon—and one that creates a natural ebb to the flow of your workday. This ebb of boredom creates an open up space for you that can inspire creativity, motivate you to incite alter, and allow you the time to create that change.

It's time to apply your boredom to practise something challenging. Something peradventure (dare we say it?) a lilliputian fun. You with united states of america? Nifty. Here are 70 options that volition fill your time and ameliorate your career.

There are lots of ideas on this list. Want to jump ahead? These links will take y'all to the specific section y'all're looking for.

• Email Edition
• The Great Laptop Cleanup
• The Office Makeover
• Cocky-Improvement Tactics
• Skills-Building
• Leadership Strategy
• Finances
• LinkedIn
• Social Media Strategy
• Productivity Tactics

What to Practice When You're Bored: Clean Up Your E-mail

Does your inbox need a lilliputian...help? Yes, ours too. From organizing your folders to updating your signature, apply an afternoon where you lot'd normally feel bored to give your inbox a glow-up.

These activities offer the added benefit of making yous more productive—no more wasted fourth dimension searching for specific emails or deleting the ones you lot never read.

1. Go through your spam folder.

Seriously, when was the last time you did that?

2. Unsubscribe from x newsletters.

You've gotten used to ignoring them, right? Well, now'southward the fourth dimension.

3. Subscribe to a new industry-focused and/or women-focused newsletter.

You know when you clean out your closet to sell your clothes, and you become to treat yourself to a new item with the money y'all make? Practise the same here. Selection a newsletter that yous'll actually open, either specific to your manufacture or women-focused. Psst, we actually take a pretty great newsletter.

4. Endeavour a new electronic mail productivity method.

Practice you actually need to be keeping a constant eye on your email box? Consider batching your emails—and spending a dedicated hour or and then thoughtfully responding to each one.

v. Write to a professional contact to suggest a (virtual) java.

Maybe it'due south your sometime boss or one of your current colleagues who yous'd like to become to know better. Regardless, shoot them an e-mail and enquire if they want to connect in the adjacent few weeks.

six. Update your email signature.

No, actually—when was the last time you looked at it? Is information technology even authentic? Could it be more pleasing?

seven. Check in with your network.

Shoot a quick e-mail to a few erstwhile colleagues yous haven't spoken to in awhile. Just ask them how everything's going. The signal is: small hellos keep your network from getting cold. And here are some free networking templates to get you started.

eight. Make a "to read" folder in your inbox.

You know those newsletters in your inbox that youswantto read, but they're besides long to read right now? Set up this folder now to throw them all into. The next time you're bored at piece of work, you can open up them upward.

9. Make a "to do someday" folder in your inbox.

Yous know those tasks you accept that are constantly on the back burner? Put those in their ain folder every bit well, so you lot tin refer dorsum to them for inspiration down the line.

Think: email courses on content marketing or SEO.

10. Write an email to your dominate letting her know y'all want to hash out some new responsibilities.

Look, if you're this bored, is there something new yous could be learning or doing? Spend some fourth dimension thinking today about what new projects you'd similar to tackle at work to grow your career, then ask your boss for what you want.

What to Do When You're Bored: The Great Laptop Cleanup

Non much feels better than when you lot know yous're organized. (Is that just us?) Accept advantage of your colorlessness to do a deep clean (literally) of your calculator—both inside and out.

Delete your screenshots. Make clean out your trash bin. Organize your files. Update your software. By the stop, you'll feel better (and your calculator will too).

eleven. Clean. Up. Your. Desktop.

You know, the place where screenshots go to die. Make information technology sparkle.

12. Run all those updates.

Aye, the ones you've been clicking "remind me tomorrow" on for two years.

13. Organize your files.

The way your folders are set upwards right now probably leaves something to be desired. Come upwardly with a logical structure and clean it alllll up.

xiv. Or consider moving your files to Dropbox.

Or whatever cloud service you prefer (although we really, really similar Dropbox). It will salvage your figurer bandwidth, and it makes it easier to access your stuff from anywhere, including your phone when y'all're stuck in traffic and realize that your boss needs that Excel file, like, right now. (...Speaking for a friend.)

15. Delete anything personal from your piece of work figurer.

Look, these things happen, only information technology's just good manners. Delete whatever downloaded photos, notes, or emails.

16. Update your passwords.

Have nosotros really go desensitized to getting "information alienation" emails? Change all of your passwords.

17. Actually make clean your laptop.

Keyboard, screen, the whole shebang. We'll wait.

18. So requite it a difficult reboot.

If you somehow miraculously didn't take to restart your computer when updating your programs, give it a restart now. We all deserve a little downtime.

What to Do When You're Bored: Give Your Space a Makeover

At present that your computer is sparkling from the inside out, exercise the aforementioned for the space effectually you. Studies testify that if your environment is uncluttered, you're more than likely to feel inspired and motivated. Who knows? Possibly this will keep you from feeling bored today—and give y'all the feeling of a fresh showtime for tomorrow.

19. Clean off your desk-bound.

Don't just shuffle everything effectually. Take everything off of information technology, pull out the spray cleaner, and requite the whole thing a dainty wipe downward. Looks dainty, correct? Which brings united states of america to our next point:

20. Commit to a new habit: cleaning upwards your desk every night before yous leave.

Seriously, it changeseverythingwhen you go to arrive to a perfectly organized desk each morning.

21. Organize your desk-bound drawers.

Yes, all of them. And throw all those rogue Post-It note wrappers and one-half-used utensil packs away.

22. At present that you know what's in there, make a listing of what you need.

How long have you been using that crappy pen because it'south the only i yous take? How oft have you been starving at your desk and made bad vending car choices? Make a list of part supplies, snacks, whatsoever that you'd like to have. And so go shopping for them this weekend.

23. And a list of what yousdesire.

A desk plant? (Fun fact: they make you more productive.) Maybe a vision board on your wall? A calendar, planner, or whiteboard? What are some ways you lot could make this space more useful? You're less probable to feel bored at piece of work if you have enough of stuff to inspire.

What to Do When You lot're Bored: Self-Improvement Tactics

Why not spend some of your downtime on cocky-improvement?

Read career articles, research networking events, or mind to a podcast on career advice. Take in some inspiration that breathes new life into your routine. This might await similar setting a new personal goal or creating a plan for an exciting side hustle. No matter what you decide to focus on, nosotros tin can promise yous'll benefit from taking the time for yourself.

24. Notice some great books to inspire your career.

25. Watch some career-inspiring TED talks.

26. Better yet, subscribe to some career-inspiring YouTube channels.

The best ones are updated every week, which means the next time yous're bored at the role, y'all tin head direct there. First up: Career Contessa'south YouTube, duh.

27. Write some SMART goals for your career and life.

We love SMART goals because they help y'all break downward the big motion-picture show into smaller, more manageable parts—the ideal style to make the most of a slow menses at piece of work.

28. And then, write an intimidation list.

Sometimes, facing your fears starts with actually acknowledging them. Hence why y'all should effort your own intimidation list.

29. Subscribe to a new podcast.

xxx. Download a professional person networking app.

Networking is hard, peculiarly if you're an introvert. The beauty of technology is that in that location are now tons of networking apps out there. We similar Bumble Bizz.

31. Or research a networking opportunity.

It'due south i of the all-time things you can practice to meet new professional contacts, just information technology will also assistance you get better at delivering your personal pitch and speaking to strangers. All good things for self-improvement.

32. Endeavor meditation or visualization techniques

If y'all've never meditated before, yous tin employ guided meditation from apps like Headspace or Calm.

Visualizing and using visualization techniques are also actually skillful means to start manifesting your biggest hopes and dreams. Transform your biggest goals into reality.

What to Do When You're Bored: Learn Something New

In short, choose a skill to strengthen (or a completely new skill to build) and go for information technology! Plus, there's the added do good of adding information technology to your resume when you're finished.

32. Practise some research into conferences or professional person development opportunities.

If your office offers support for conferences or courses, now's a good time to research what your adjacent pick will be. If not, it's still worth researching and mayhap even pitching a neat opportunity to your boss.

33. Have an online class or course.

These range from the expensive but exhaustive to the totally gratis (ahem, YouTube). Here's a comprehensive guide to all of our ain courses.

You can also endeavor learning something from the masters of their craft at MasterClass. Yous can larn everything from negotiation tactics to playing basketball.

34. Research a new technique or approach you can utilize for your work.

Make plans for how you can better your public speaking skills. Or your productivity via the Rule of 3. Or research new techniques in your industry (scrum meetings, the latest marketing trends, new platforms to use for project direction, etc.).

35. Download 1 (or several) of our resources.

They're complimentary. We think they're brilliant. There'south probably a good one for you lot in our library.

36. Email a colleague or mentor to enquire what skills they think you should acquire.

Your boss qualifies, too. Observe someone who has an aspirational career and ask them what they recollect you should work on in your own career to climb the ladder.

37. Make a list of all the hobbies you'd be curious to try.

Aye, hobbies.Justhobbies. Sometimes, the best skills-based learning is the blazon that has nothing to exercise with your work. (You'd be surprised how often a piece of work idea pops into your head while y'all're, say, watercoloring.)

Here are another ideas for hobbies to learn (and potentially master?)

• crochet or knitting
• embroidery
• chess
• poker
• roller skating or rollerblading
• guitar, keyboard, or another instrument
• calligraphy

38. Learn a new program / learn some new shortcuts in a program.

Fact: 99.7325% of the population hates working in Excel. Okay, maybe we can't cite our sources on this, but you know what we mean. The signal is: almost every career uses Excel at one point or some other.

Why don't you spend an hour learning how to utilise it meliorate? Same goes for things like learning Photoshop keyboard shortcuts, watching tutorials on how to design in Keynote, etc. Maybe only beginning by watching i of our webinar replays.

What to Do When Y'all're Bored: Be Silly

Yep, we're taking a little pause here to encourage you to let loose, shake it off, and accept cues from kids.

Recall how you used to combat boredom equally a kid. You may have picked up your favorite volume to escape. Yous may accept held an impromptu dance party in your living room (followed by a pillow fort using every 1 of your blankets, manifestly!)

The best part is that you lot won't grab any flack from your parents nearly dirtying every blanket in your house, simply you might accept to launder them yourself.

Our next few ideas draw inspiration from leaning into fun activities that kids main every day—and how we tin do them to milk shake free from colorlessness.

39. Take a bubble bathroom.

When was the concluding time you poured one-half of your shampoo bottle into the tub and let the bubbles get off? Try information technology. Queue upwardly your favorite podcast or tv bear witness and have a good soak.

40. Acquire a new hairstyle

If you've ever entered the braids hole of Instagram, you know that there are some pretty incredible braids that you're hait is dying to exist twirled into! Endeavor it out!

41. Lookout man your favorite babyhood film.

An important disclaimer: your favorite childhood movie...might not concur upwards, but that is sort of half the fun. Popular your favorite Disney pic or Nickelodeon Boob tube testify from growing up and reminisce on your childhood.

42.  Go a coloring book.

Adult coloring books are amazing. Get yourself a few and color away to relieve stress, anxiety, and boredom.

43. Make something delicious.

Call your mom and go her recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Or effort a new recipe and bake cookies for your own kids. You lot might detect a new favorite!

44. Write to a pen pal.

OMG, remember pen pals? It'due south nonetheless and so heady to get a handwritten letter in the mail. Consider writing a paper note to your best friend (covered in stickers, if possible) and get a pen pal state of affairs going.

45. Go through quondam photograph albums.

Whether your memories are captured in digital class or in advisedly crafted photo albums, take a stroll down memory lane. Take some laughs and snap some pics of pics to send to your babyhood best friend.

46. Take a movie night or a game night.

Create an event, even if you're the sole attendee! If you have others around, it's the perfect time to play some of your favorite childhood board games similar Inkling or (if you have many hours to spare) Monopoly.

What to Do When You're Bored: Hone Your Leadership Skills

This doesn't only look like taking leadership classes (though we recall that's a groovy idea too). Leadership can mean a lot of things: starting a company volume club on women'due south career books, offer to mentor a colleague, or just learning most experiences that are different from your own.

Hither are some of our favorite ways to strengthen your leadership muscle.

47. Download an audiobook to listen to later on your commute home.

It tin exist difficult to motivate to read leadership books after a long day at the office, only your commute is a great time to tackle them. We have a listing of our favorite leadership books here, but yous can likewise observe all sorts of options on Aural.

48. Build a presentation for an idea you take to show in your next squad meeting or 1-on-1 with your boss.

Sometimes the best way to gain leadership skills is to create opportunities. Think of a new responsibility or project you lot desire to tackle, then create a pitch to deliver. It's a smashing way to exercise your presentation skills, go over your fearfulness of public speaking, and of form, the art of the sell. All leadership musts.

49. Showtime a recycling program at your role.

If you're feeling like there aren't a lot of opportunities to expand your leadership skills in your current role, consider taking a lateral approach. Starting a do-good program at your role is a groovy fashion to show yous have management potential fifty-fifty if you're not a manager—yet.

50. Or start a women's group!

Starting a women's committee is a peachy way to brand sure more than women's voices are heard in your office and the workforce in general.

51. If you don't take one, find a mentor.

Smashing leaders acquire from bully leaders. If you don't have a mentor currently, spend some time finding ane. Think about who you admire in your company or field and shoot them an email to get the ball rolling. Or effort reaching out to someone y'all don't know via an informational interview. Or head to our Rent a Mentor service to book a session with a woman who'southward been there and successfully washed that.

52. Take the time to exist a mentor to another adult female.

Call up near someone who's younger in your role and send them an email about having coffee. Mentoring other women is both essential and a smashing way to build skills as a leader.

53. Read some manufactures on leadership tactics.

54. Read about how to build a more than inclusive team, company, and workforce.

Learn how to gainsay mansplaining and other casual sexism in meetings. Take into account that women are more probable to bang-up women professionally than they are men and make it a point to do the opposite as an ally. Recollect about ageism, too. It'southward a big, complicated, problematic world out there and the best leaders are willing to face that every day.

What to Exercise When You're Bored at Work: Finances

Dealing with finances can be a fourth dimension-consuming procedure. If you're facing some downtime, use it to methodically go through your finances. Spend some fourth dimension really studying your spending habits, do some research on your credit score, or create a upkeep that you tin can truly stick to.

Knowledge is ability! Y'all'll feel better merely gaining an understanding of your electric current situation.

55. Enquiry loftier yield savings options.

There's no amend fourth dimension to start saving than now. Figure out the all-time plan for saving and ready it up—regularly putting away even a small amount is all the same very worth it.

56. Inquiry your salary.

Make sure you know what you should exist making, so you're staying on summit of your own professional and fiscal growth. Start by joining The Salary Project™, then try these salary tools that help yous inquiry trends in your industry.

57. Start preparing your ask for a enhance.

If you've wanted to ask for a raise for a while (and you've confirmed a new target number via tip #48), now's the fourth dimension to showtime thinking about how and when you'll ask. Recall through your strategy—Is your work anniversary coming up? Are you turning in a large project shortly?—and start preparing your pitch via our GIMME raise template.

58. Create a budget.

59. Read up on actionable financial advice.

If yous find financial communication overwhelming, y'all're not alone. Take charge of your financial future by learning the nuts. Starting time here with a breakdown of commonly-used fiscal lingo.

60. Lay out a plan to save $1,000 this month.

61. Take a good look at your company's financial benefits.

Lots of companies offer a 401(one thousand) match, which is additional money if you lot're contributing a certain amount. Nosotros'd recommend checking into this and taking reward if you can. Companies too ordinarily offer credits for continuing education or incentives for participating in wellness challenges.

If your workplace does this, accept your downtime to sign up. It's a win-win.

62. Get into your own financial adulting.

You know the budget you lot've been wanting to build or the savings account y'all've been meaning to open? Do it. Learn more than most how to financially developed—and do it. Information technology may audio boring, just hey, you're bored, right?

What to Do When You're Bored at Work: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is powerful—there's no dubiety about it. If your LinkedIn contour leaves a trivial something to be desired, apply your downtime to upgrade and update it. We've got lots of resources about taking advantage of LinkedIn. Update your profile and then commencement making those connections!

63. Edit your LinkedIn profile based on a recruiter's advice.

64. Bandy out your LinkedIn headshot and cover image.

When was the final time y'all did that? Years ago? If you have a new great photo of yourself on hand, go ahead and upload it.

65. Max out your skills listing.

Information technology tin can increase your LinkedIn profile views by 300%. Read this skills list and start calculation to your contour ASAP.

66. Request recommendations (and requite some in return!)

You're bored at work—could in that location ever be a better time?

67. Connect with professionals you admire.

Look for women and men working at companies you love or in the roles you aspire to, then asking to connect. Make sure to send a personalized message explaining why you're reaching out.

60. And and then request some informational interviews.

68. Brand your LinkedIn summary more creative.

Nosotros've rounded up artistic LinkedIn summaries from the women who exercise it best. Follow their case, why don't ya?

Have your scrolling from doom to boom (too much?). We've all been victim to the Instragram and/or TikTok time suck.

Instead, be strategic almost your social media usage. Unfollow any accounts that don't inspire yous. Remember about archiving some photos that may seem less than professional. It tin be fun to make your online presence sing a little more. Here'south how.

69. Follow some positive Instagram accounts.

70. Unfollow the accounts or people who don't serve you.

Unflood your feed with shopping temptation, complainers, and other toxicity that you only don't need.

71. Get more than strategic about your social accounts.

Did you know you tin can use social media to find a job? Even if yous're non interested in going that route (because hey, being bored at work doesn't mean you desire to get out), now's a nifty fourth dimension to follow thought leaders on LinkedIn and Twitter, clean up your accounts, and and then on. Only the trick is to also get strategic most engaging, commenting, and liking too. So get chatting.

72. Share some of the career-inspiring manufactures you read today on your LinkedIn.

There'due south no improve way to show how much you care almost the piece of work yous're doing.

73. Brand some quick profile updates that volition ameliorate your career.

Maybe yous don't need those photos from all those higher parties lurking deep in your feed. Hither's how to make clean your social media accounts + refine your personal brand.

74. Reach out to someone you lot admire on social.

Nosotros talk near informational interviews and LinkedIn a lot, but remember about whether there'south someone yous admire on Instagram or Twitter. Chances are they don't get asked often to take a coffee or phone chat, so why non requite it a go by sliding into their DMs?

What to Do When You lot're Bored at Piece of work: Productivity Tactics

At its worst, colorlessness can brand you lot feel unproductive and unmotivated. If you lot're feeling that style, try to turn it on its head. What tactics tin y'all employ that might inspire productivity? A to-do listing change? A fourth dimension management adjustment? Taking some time to decompress? Here are some other ideas.

75. Upgrade your to-do lists.

Not all to-practise lists are created equal. Why not take advantage of this reanimation to try a new to-do method?

76. Or just try this subtle to-do list tweak.

Information technology was a total productivity a-ha moment for us.

77. Beginning a journal

Continue a journal or planner in order to keep track of everything. Check out how to utilize a bullet journal to keep track of all of your progress in your career and your personal life. If y'all're stressed, you lot might fifty-fifty beginning a worry journal to give your worries and anxieties a place to go.

78. Plan to principal at least one new time management technique.

Here are 15 that you should have mastered by 30 (don't worry—they're still good to learn even if you're 83 years former).

79. Cease saying you lot don't have enough fourth dimension.

If you just got all the fashion to bespeak 64 here, you might have a piffling time. Consider thinking of your "time" in weeks instead of days. It makes a huge difference.

fourscore. Start a journal

Go along a periodical or planner in order to proceed rails of everything. Check out how to employ a bullet journal to go along rail of all of your progress in your career and your personal life. If you're stressed, yous might even offset a worry periodical to requite your worries and anxieties a place to go.

81. Or maybe...you should just do nothing.

Because sometimes, embracing your reanimation is really the best thing you tin can exercise to detect new inspiration. And on that annotation—over and out.

Sometimes, our boredom is really burnout in disguise. If you need to take the time to binge Netflix, true criminal offence, or watch Gilmore Girls for the billionth time, exercise information technology. It's not a guilty pleasance and it doesn't make you "lazy".

It's but taking time to refresh and relax.

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Source: https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/bored-at-work/