Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

10 Things to Do When You Have Nothing to Do

by Rico on March 27th, 2007

Before I reach 30, I want to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of my youth. So I do as much as I can. But there will always be times when nothing’s on the agenda, when there’s nothing better to do than channel surf, follow links and take a nap. If you’re sick of that, you can always try these out:

1. Clean your equipment. Now it’s time to give your equipment a much-deserved rest and clean it up. Make sure to read the cleaning instructions!
2. Clean your room and/or work area. Finally, you can get rid of that mountain of dirty laundry that’s been gathering in that damp, dark corner. Or those pile of “old papers” that put landfills to shame.
3. Re-organize your stuff. This is when I make sure everything in my Inventory 2.0 is in the right place. And that all my files are in the right folders.
4. Get some exercise. Even if you already exercise regularly, here’s your chance to burn more calories. Nowadays, only atheletes can say they exercise too much.
5. Expand your skill set. You’re famous because of your Apple Web 2.0 inspired designs. Perhaps you should spend some time coming up with a new visual style. Who knows? It could be exactly what your next client’s looking for.
6. Do a mindless, repetitive task. Got a lot of business cards you want to encode for later use? You can watch your favorite TV show or movie while you’re at it.
7. Catch up with a friend. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve last talked to that old friend. Maybe it’s time to continue where you left off.
8. Spend time with the family. But make sure they get to do what they want. Sometimes, not making decisions is a great thing.
9. Talk to your contacts. Ask how they’re doing, chat them up, treat them out to lunch. Just remind them you exist!
10. Look for more work. You have nothing better to do right?

Yes, it’s unhealthy if you spend every second of your life doing something. But once you get bored of boredom, these ten tasks are worth considering.

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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer