How to Kill Time at Work

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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Let's face it. Work can be boring. Work can be stressful. You cannot expect to spend all 8 to 9 hours a day killing yourself on the job. Sometimes, you need to take a breather, and I'm not just talking about those allocated 10 to 15 minute time slots or that hour-long lunch break where, in many cases, you're still confined to your building because it would take you an hour just to drive several blocks in traffic.Sometimes, all it takes is some light reading online to refresh your mind and calm you down. Sometimes, all you need is a change of scenery, if not for five minutes. Here are some ways to kill time at work.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

The internet

Stop. Breathe. Refresh your mind.

Step1

Exercise! Sitting on a cramped chair at a desk all day is as healthy as sitting in the sardine boxes they call airplane seats. You have to move to get your circulation going or you'll develop cramps -- or even worse -- blood clots! Get up and step away from your desk! Now talk a walk. Even a short walk around your floor, or to your kitchen for some coffee or better yet -- outside -- will do your mind wonders. You will come back more energetic and refreshed.

Step2

Read up on current events by scouring news Web sites and blogs. It is important to know what is going on around you and around the world. This will make you a better rounded person and therefore a more productive employee. That is also what you should prepare to tell your boss, should he or she ask why you have Vanity Fair on your desktop. You are, after all, telling the truth.

Step3

Read your company's intranet -- that means internal internet portal, which likely contains your company's employee handbook, human resources-related material or even online training courses. You will learn something new about your company and impress your superiors by doing so.

Step4

Participate in online conference chats with other employees and brainstorm work-related ideas. Not only does this kill time, but it builds employee relations, builds trust, opens communication and if you get your boss to participate, will likely score you some brownie points by showing you are motivated.

Step5

Handle your banking, investments, 401k, health benefits, insurance issues or other personal finances if you have time. In the older days, when the internet did not exist, employees did this on lunch breaks, which they prolonged in order to take care of such business, much of which was directly related to their jobs. Nowadays, most financial actions such as these can be done with a series of mouse clicks.

Tips & Warnings

Do not slack off on your work -- you don't want to miss deadlines or let your assignments pile up. Only do these things if you know you will be able to make up the time effortlessly, or if you have finished your work for the day and have to appear busy.