HoW To KiLL TiME iN YouR oFFiCe?

“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.