The idea of having free time at work may be as elusive as the unicorn, but there are those rare moments of bliss when you’ve been a superstar, you’ve turned in all your action items, heaped the praise from the boss, or simply because your boss isn’t around breathing down your neck is letting you have some sweet time to yourself.
While the idea of beating it and scooting home and jumping straight into that comfortable, fluffy bed over some soul-enriching home food may sound like actionable bliss, or just spending hours on the internet doing nothing productive, this time could be invaluable.
So, while you’re jailed at work and find yourself without work, here’s top productive things to do on a a free day in office.
1. Take a leisurely walk around the office
Did you just spot a room in your office you didn’t know existed? Next time you’re scheduled for a meeting in the room, you won’t be fumbling around to locate it. And oh turn a corner and there’s the poster for a cool event, facilities forgot to stick on your floor. This walk may not be only good exercise but also familiarize you with some hidden gems in the office. Make use of the free day at office by simply going on an office tour!
2. Say hi to a colleague or two
While during the busier days you’d avoid human contact like death and prefer to be holed up behind your desktop, here’s the rare chance to go say hi to that cute chick or the dude who’s try to bro friend you many times. Office connections are good and it’s important to have friends at work. So, what’s better than turning that free day at work into a socialising opportunity.
3.Do the dreaded paperwork
On the day you’re not inundated with office work, use the free day to finish YOUR person work. Nearing Income Tax submission deadline? Have to renew passport? Now’s a good time to take copies of all your documents, back them up, fill those forms, send those emails. Not that we’re encouraging you to help yourself indiscriminately to office facilities, but hey a few photocopies and printouts never killed anyone.
4. Read up
Sometimes being at office prods you to spend all your time behind the monitor, ensuring you read some content, and not just be drifted by the TV. Use this time well to read, research and look like the boss in your next time when you bounce those cool stats from a recent Forbes report. You’ll thank yourself later.
5. Clean your desk
Your desk looks like plane wreckage. A mess generously contributed by leftover food that could make Somalia envious, piles of files, random paper and scraps that’d put your kabaadi to shame, not to mention half of your life hiding beneath those. Now’s a good time to clean up the mess and reclaim your desk!
6. Use the office gym
Remember those days before you joined where one of the big draws for this company was an in-house gym. Also remember how you never got around to moving a muscle in the said gym. Now’s a good time to check out the facility and run a mile or so and realise how even the dreary office can be a fun place if you tried enough.
7. Just observe
Busy running in the corporate rat race, sometimes you just stop admiring all the little things around you. Just sit at a vantage point, plug your headphones and observe all the things around you. The dedication with which a colleague is typing away at his system, how rhythmically the other dude is snoring on his desk, how someone has been at someone else’s desk for hours now. It’ll all look like a giant pandemonium. Have a chuckle.
8. Turn into Mr Green thumbs
If your office happens to be one of those eco-friendly places with greens all around, take some time to observe them, identify them and if needed even water them.
9. Turn a good deed
Everyone could do with help at times, Mary Jane in Superman 3 said this.
Even that <Perfect employee>. Maybe you know excel like the alphabet or someone somewhere is struggling with a system freeze and all you do just slide in there and save the day. A good penny also returns.
10. Write
Now that you’re all calm, desk looks all clean, and are loaded with a fresh insight on the universe of your workplace, jot down these thoughts.
Someday, on a busier day maybe, you’d come across that and realise how your job’s not always been the monster you think it is.
