Eight Things To Do Around The Office When You're Bored

The majority of people get to work from home, but I have to go into the office to do … nothing. I literally have nothing to do, absolutely nothing, but management requires a warm body to be there. Yes, that's how they put it … a warm body.

With nothing to do I was climbing the walls until I figured out a way to keep busy. I thought I'd share these activities with you in case you're also bored at your office. If my list of activities overwhelms you, not to worry, you don't have to do it all in one day, you can do this whenever the boredom gets to you.

Clean your desk

Start by cleaning the top. Remove every single item from its surface and give it a thorough clean. Soap and water if you can, if not Lysol wipes. If you have a wooden desk, wiped it down with a damp cloth and polish it with Pledge. Not only will your desk be clean but sport a nice shine.

Move on to the inside of your desk. Don't just shuffle things around, but remove everything from your drawers. Sift through the content for what you need and don't need. You might be surprised at the amount of junk you keep in your desk or find a few long-forgotten items. Whatever you want to keep, put it all back in a nice and organized way.

Clean the stationery cabinet

If your stationery cabinet is like most cabinets in the office, it's a mess. People generally look for what they need, rummage around, and leave it topsy turvy. Up to you to straighten it out. Stack the writing pads, file folders, packets of A-Z or 1–20 tabs, and envelopes. Organize message pads, Post-It notes, and pens. Once you get going and see cabinet take shape, you might get a few ideas of your own. It might be a good idea to take a before and after picture.

Clean the kitchen cabinets

At first glance, the kitchen cabinets might look clean and organized, but are they? The cleaning staff usually only does a light clean of the outer surfaces, but you could do so much more. Take everything out of the cabinets and wipe the shelves with Lysol wipes. Then put everything back in an organized way. The cups, the plates, glasses and plastic boxes. You might want to take a closer look at the outside of the cabinets too. Could they do with a good clean?

Clean the fridge

Oh dear, the fridge. Most companies have a fridge cleaning day, but that only means that certain things get throw away if not removed by the owner. When last did the fridge get a real cleaning? If you feel up to it, take everything out of the fridge, including the shelves. Clean the walls of the fridge, wash the shelves with soap and water, and clean or organize the content. Do the same with the door. Take everything out, clean the spaces in the door, and then return what needs to be returned.

Clean the storage room

Does your company have a storage room? A room where paper, toner, marketing materials, and Christmas stuff is kept? Make it your business to organize that chaos.

Clean the boardroom

Cleaning the boardroom is generally a task that people neglect. When the meeting is finished everyone leaves without a backward glance. You could give the table a good clean and polish, neatly arrange the chairs around the table, and clean the whiteboard. Perhaps your company has several whiteboards. Grab an eraser and clean those whiteboards. If ink remains on the boards, there is a special spritz cleaner that has them looking like new.

Organize your computer

If you're tired and need a sit-down, but still would like to do something, organize your computer. Your desktop might be full of icons. Create files within your computer and move all those desktop icons to folders. Go through your computer folders and see what might be deleted.

Entertain yourself

Sure why not? When all the cleaning is done and everything is neat and tidy, you deserve some time to enjoy yourself. Online you can find all kinds of entertaining games. If you like card games, there's Solitaire, Spades and Gin Rummy and others. If you like building things there City Ville, or you could play Bingo or Scrabble.

If you like to read, you can either read a book, download a book on your phone or tablet, or listen to an audio book.

If you like to draw, bring a pad and pencils to work and set your creativity free.