The Ultimate Cure for Boredom at Work

For all the salaried individuals of the world, it's surely a stressful thing to get up at 6:30, put on the business casual attire, and make the drive into town everyday for work. And once you're there, things become even more hectic. However, I'm not talking about getting paperwork done or answering the screaming phone calls. I'm talking about the time in between. How does one fill the time where they're caught up on their work but still want to appear busy in front of the computer monitor? Goodbye are the days of Solitaire and Tetris. That was yesterday. Now there are an arsenal of fun and useful ways to kill the two hours that seem to drag by like a Jennifer Lopez movie. Filling your time can be a scientific method, and when planned carefully you'll be begging for 5:00 to never come.

Use these instructions and you'll never be the same.

If you've never heard of Myspace then you stop reading this and go directly there now! No, just joking. Myspace is the perfect website for the bored people in the world, in fact I believe it's sole existence is based on helping those who need something to do at work. For those who don't know Myspace, it is an interactive website that allows users to create a profile and add friends. In the profile you can write a brief bio and inform other users on some of your favorite things including movies, music, and television shows. The reason I love it so much is I spend countless hours looking up old friends that I haven't seen or talked to in years. For example, if you click on a friend that you know, that could lead you to one of their friends that you recognize, and that could you lead you to someone else, and so on. And the avalanche starts. Old friends you always thought would be CEO's of large corporations you suddenly find out that they are working at a Dunkin Donuts. You can leave messages on their profile, post funny pictures, or there's even an instant messenger feature. A great thing about Myspace is that many bands have profiles and it's a great way to discovering new, local talent. It's the most addicting website on the Internet. Estimated time used: 1 hour.

Dry erase boards are never out of style. In my corner cubicle, I have a large dry erase board that many fellow employees stop by and leave creative, most of the time obscene, notes for me to find. For instance, just last week someone left the note, "Ben, I didn't know your favorite movie was Brokeback Mountain?" In return, I'll skip on over to their cubicle and repay with my own message. This allows you to walk around and get some exercise, while playing office pranks on one another at the same time. Estimated time used: 15 minutes.

Why play Monday morning quarterback when you can play it every day? Sports websites are the best. For instance, I am a huge Carolina Tarheels fan. My favorite true blue website, InsideCarolina.com, has interactive forums as well as bulletin forums. Some of the various topics you can find on InsideCarolina.com are, "Top reasons you hate Duke" or "What was the best Carolina basketball season?" You can log on, give your two cents worth, and entertain yourself for a while. The interactive forums allow you to talk with other Tarheels fans and confess your love together for the team. If you're a big NFL fan then you may want to try any Football Fantasy website. Estimated time used: 1 hour.

To fulfill the competitive nature in you, organize a group of four of five co-workers to play in an online poker game. There are several free, no money needed pickup games you can join in such as PartyPoker.com. You must disable your cookies in order to do this, and once you get started you should coordinate your co-workers to get in on the same table. Texas Hold'Em is the preferred game. You'll be able to show off your poker skills, as well as get any in-office bragging rights for winning the grand pot. Be careful for any management walking through the office and it's always a wise idea to have a backup website you can maximize in the event someone peeks into your cubicle. Estimated time used: 1 hour

If you've got fifteen minutes until the clock strikes five, then a quick boredom fix is playing with the intercom system. It's easy. Simply dial a co-workers extension and make farting noises, or other crude noises while they are making a sales call or doing something important. It's better to do this in an area that you can see the co-worker so you can see the smile on their face trying not to break out in laughter. This also works with any joke. If you really want to take it to the next level then if you know your co-worker is on the phone with their significant other, then make moaning sounds so that they're left explaining what's going on at work to their husband or wife. It's a little immature, I know, but hey 5:00 is already here and you're on your way out to the car. Estimated time used: 15 minutes.

So there you go. I've given you the tools you need in order to make your day go by quicker. There are various other ways to fill your time but these are just a few that I use. Good luck in your battle to fight boredom!