Top 10: How to Make Your Job Less Boring aka More Exciting

It’s the last day of January – incidentally, this is also marks the third (full) month that we had no files to work on. Does this mean that I am going to be jobless soon? Maybe the next entry would be: “I hate being jobless” instead of “I hate my job” 😀

Anyway, 3 hours before our shift ended today (7 PM) I had nothing to do. And because we were not allowed to do non-work related internet searches, I was squeezing my brain of all possible creative whatevers to do. Also, with most of my friends gone due to the resignation epidemic, I didn’t have a lot of people to chat with {sigh}. Jeffy was chatting with me last night but because he had files today, I didn’t have a “chat” mate. So, with very few options, I decided to make my Top 10 things to do to make the job less boring – or maybe, more exciting. By “job” here, I meant the shift and not the actual job.

10. Read an interesting book. Yes, if they can’t let you read blogs online, at least you can read a book. Try Anne Rice or Stephen King {shivers}.

9. Research on subjects that seem to be work-related. For example, since I am a copyeditor of scientific/medical journals, health-related articles are safe for me. I also tried searching for planetary bodies and stars – maybe the powers-that-be at The Company can overlook that 😀

8. Coffee break. That sounds like a good advice but with a heart problem, I can’t possibly do that. So, I just let people go on a coffee break and I breathe the aroma of coffee 😀

7. Stretch/Exercise break. Hmmm it’s a good way to keep you from sleeping but might also catch your team leader’s attention. Make this discrete then.

6. Pretty break. This is something that I had observed of girls from Production. Well, it can’t hurt to be prettier/handsomer so you can go to the Comfort Room – comb your hair, brush your teeth, put on some light makeup, whatever.

5. Chat break. This is good if you have some friends who are not busy with their job, too. However, it is a very bad idea to interrupt what they are doing so that you can bug them or chat with them while they work.

4. Take a nap. Hmm seems to me that this is a sure way to get yourself a suspension but if you can do this as discretely as possible then maybe you can actually sleep until the shift eds. I actually get this done by wearing a jacket with a hood. And because I often use the hood, the others don’t notice that I am already asleep – although some do notice 😀

3. Try to find ways to improve your job. I am being a hypocrite here but this actually works. I had been doing some changes on my macros and copyediting tools so that I can copyedit files faster 😀 You can also do that to your job.

2. Eat. Now, this is perhaps the best and/or worst solution to your problem. Food is delicious and can keep you busy but you will also gain weight and lose some money. Still, eating is good when you are bored 😀

1. Blog. Well, if you can’t do the computer/online blog, take the good old paper and pen and write your blog or an outline of a blog – like what I just did. You can even plan on what you are going to blog about in the next couple of days.

There you have it – my top 10 things to make your job less boring. I know that you also have your own versions. Feel free to share them 😀