Sure, it’s Friday and we are super duper glad and TGIFing everyone sometimes as early as Thursday. But, sometimes, those last few hours of work make the best day of the work week, downright painful. Here are 5 ways to survive a boring Friday afternoon at work.
1. Leave the Fun Tasks for the Afternoon
According to Lifehacker, you should stick to “interesting to-dos” for the afternoon, but if you happen to work somewhere that actually has fun tasks, save those for the afternoon instead. If you don’t work somewhere with fun tasks, save the interesting ones, and if you don’t have interesting tasks to save for the afternoon, well, just make sure you have something to do. Part of what causes Friday afternoon boredom is having nothing to do but watch the clock tick really slowly until quitting time.
2. Learn Something New
A lot of times, the new projects are started and completed before you even get to Friday. Most people don’t start new projects on Friday afternoons, because… Friday. This is a good time to try to learn something new, even if it means sitting through a boring class. At least by the end of the day, you will have learned something and in the meantime, will have made it successfully through the last few hours of the day without falling asleep.
3. Unless Napping Is Acceptable
Speaking of sleeping, if you are permitted to do so, take a nap. It isn’t acceptable in all work environments but there have been studies that show napping as a productivity booster. Not only can this recharge your afternoon but you may also be able to leave work, ready for whatever weekend activities you have planned. Try to keep it down to 15 to 20 minutes though. Sleeping the entire afternoon could end up being counterproductive, and possibly not sit well with management. Not having a job at all is probably worse than trying to survive a boring Friday at work.
4. Exercise or Take a Walk Around the Building
Get away from your cubicle, stop staring at the clock on the wall, do some jumping jacks. Changing the scenery a bit does wonders for getting through boring days. The most difficult part of working inside when it’s nice outside, is staring out a window, wishing you were outside. If you can, take a walk around the parking lot or building. The combination of fresh air, sun, and temporary change of environment, as well as the exercise, could be just enough to get you through the rest of the day. If you go outside though, just make sure you return to work.
5. Get Monday’s Work Out of the Way
One of the reasons Mondays are so awful, is because we spend Fridays TGIFing instead of getting work done, which is left over the weekend to torture us upon our return. If you have nothing to do, work on tasks that you would normally leave for Monday – your boring Friday afternoon will slip by, and your Monday will start out less stressful.
Most importantly, stay busy. Nothing makes the day more boring than having absolutely nothing to do. Keep yourself occupied and the last part of your work week might pass quickly.
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