“Life was going smoothly for the past few months, loads of work in the office, the late night client calls, the early morning client calls. I didn’t even notice go by in the office and then all of a sudden, the project ended. As abruptly as it started. That was when the void in my life started”
--Sumesh, an IT employee
“With the project ending, I feel like going to office these
days. I smile more often. I feel alive. A whole new world of possibilities has
opened in front of me”
--Rakesh, another IT employee
The
ending of a project and the endless free time that follows (until the next one
strikes you) can mean different things to different people. While for some it
is heaven, earning bucks for doing nothing, for others it brings anxiety.
Whatever your response might be there are always things that can be done to
kill time in your office when you’re jobless. Sorry free in the office.
Ø
Gossip with colleagues: This is one of the oldest method to kill time
in the office. You could gossip over a wide range of topics. If it’s an
all-male segregation, you could talk of girls, girls et al. When in a mixed
group, there is always something trending, like the rift in AAP or BJP’s
performance so far or India’s performance in the World cup. Now if you’re not into
all these, there’s Bollywood, Tollywood and the other woods. Then there are
exotic topics like hiking, trekking, in the Himalayas. Some could send a chill
down your spine like how Google is spying on us, how the US Military is
expanding its base and might conquer the world one day, about the possibility
of extra-terrestrial life and how they might in fact be controlling us. The
mother of all topics: Abusing and making fun of your respective bosses. Please
make sure your boss isn’t around when you’re attempting to do this.
Tip:
When there’s no topic to discuss and there’s a deathly silence, you could
become the hero of the day by pitching in a topic about which you had surfed on
the internet the day before and therefore have full knowledge about. More about
how to kill time by surfing on the net would be dealt with the below sections.
Ø
Learning a new skill; Technical or otherwise: If you have the guts, the patience and the motivation to
learn a new technical skill or language, then you are blessed and are among the
1% of the free people in the office who can do this. Go ahead. No one’s going
to stop you. For
the other 99% of Janta, pick up your smart phone, start off with a new game and
be a master at that. If your boss is around, open a tab that has an interesting
and trending article pertaining to what your company is doing. Keep staring at
the screen and lose yourself in your dreamland. There, you’ve learnt the art of
day dreaming. These
effects would in fact be amplified with happy leaves J
Ø
Talk to old friends: This
is my favorite. Pick up the phone and call the first name that strikes your
mind. In this fast paced life, you’ll miss out on old friends and would want to
catch up with them. True, there’s WhatsApp and the enormous groups, but talking
to them is something on a different level altogether. You could also call your
grandparents and talk to them. Believe me, calling them in a time when they’re
least expecting your call, they’ll be really happy.
Ø
Then the more widespread WhatsApp: You
can suddenly become active in your friends group and start poking everyone ‘Aur
Bhai! Kya haal hai?’
Ø
Take Breaks:
This must be something you’ve always
dreamt about while working in a project. You could take a pre-lunch break for
appetizers, a long lunch break and a post lunch break for lassi, ice cream or
pan. You could follow these breaks with innumerable tea breaks and gossip
(refer to I section) with friends.
Ø
Power Nap:
It
seems that a power nap of twenty minutes would increase your concentration by
25%. So what are you waiting for? Lean back in your chair, rest your head on
your hands or just sit erect and let the sweet sleep engulf you. Now that
you’re more alert and focused, get back to doing any of the things discussed to
kill time.
Ø
E Shopping:
If you have access to shopping sites and
your boss isn’t around, you could be on the lookout for deals. You could buy
something completely unnecessary to you at 70% discount and pat yourself on the
back. You have been a clever customer and have saved yourself a lot of money.
Ø
Plan for a trip:
Start planning for the trip that you’ve
always wanted to take. You might not be taking the trip as then but planning
the itinerary and fantasizing yourself there, that’s a lot of fun.
Ø
Surf for anything on the internet: You could surf for anything of the internet, starting
from ‘Water on Mars’ to ‘Sunny Leone’s saree avtar’, anything that has amazed
you, awed you or made you curious these days.
Ø
Plan for your Startup: Maybe this is what is
destiny is telling you. The universe has given you free time so that you build
on the idea that you always wanted to work on and take the big leap.
Ø
Flirt with your crush in office: You’d
be a nuisance if she’s busy so make sure your timing’s right. Who knows he/she
might even come down to the cafeteria with you for a cup of coffee ( To kill
the boredom, of course)
Ø
Lastly you could write something like me: By
writing, you are talking with your heart and are giving vent to your feelings.
