How to Look Busy At Work

By Joe Issid

As someone with first-hand experience in the matter, I can attest that there are few things more dispiriting and downright frustrating than having nothing to do at work. Minutes feel like hours, weeks feel like months when you don't have enough on your plate to keep you busy. And, over time, the crushing guilt can be almost too much to bear as your days march on with nothing to fill them. Of course, I would immediately advise you to raise this issue with your manager as it is entirely possible that they are not aware of the situation. Additionally, it may be that there has been a miscommunication or error somewhere upstream that has left you task-less. The longer you fail to say something, the harder it will be for you to remain blameless. But, having said that, it is sometimes possible that there is simply not enough work to go around and you are knowingly left alone without anything to do. So, what do you do when there is no work to complete but you still have to fill your day?

Ask around

I would find it hard to believe that there is literally nothing for you to do at work. Granted, there may not be any relevant work for you to complete but you should always be able to find a project that could be of benefit to someone around the office. While your manager may not have anything to assign to you there may be other managers in your company that are looking for help with their projects. Before you concede to the fact that you may not have the right skills to help them out, do yourself a favour and ask. It is entirely possible that, say, your accounting team needs some help with something that may have nothing to do with accounting. Spreading your wings a little could help make you more useful around the office.

Start a solo project

You may not have a clear directive to begin a new project but, in the absence of anything else, it is probably something worth trying. All workplaces have a backlog of low priority projects that have been collecting dust for a long time. Maybe your old paper filing systems need to be purged or you need new email templates for client-facing communications. Honestly, if you can't think of a useful project to fill your days, you are not trying hard enough.

Learn

Given the immense volume of free online learning resources, you should have no excuse for failing to learn new skills during a period of low work volume. If you spend your days sitting in front of a computer doing nothing, why not spend your time doing something that can benefit your career and/or your personal life? You'll feel so much more productive and fulfilled if you apply yourself towards learning a new skill or improving upon existing skills. You have been afforded the free time so why not put it to good use?

Freelance

Now, this may not be fully kosher with your employer so I would strongly encourage you to check with your manager before soliciting any freelance work. Personally, I have been allowed to perform freelance work while at a previous job but I was fully transparent about my intentions and never allowed my freelance work to take priority over my regular work. Not only did this allow me to stay busy during the day, it also allowed me to supplement my income and keep my skills sharp while waiting for new projects to come my way.

Time to reflect

If you have legitimately tried to find constructive ways to keep busy during the day yet have come up empty-handed, this may be a good time for you to take stock of your career and consider what options may be available to you. Look, this lull may be temporary and this period will soon be a distant memory. However, you may need to consider the possibility that you have ended up on the outside looking in and that change may be necessary to keep moving forward. I don't suggest you rush into anything but this quiet period may provide you with the time and serenity to evaluate things.