Looking Busy at Work

[Adm_Hawthorne]

You know what I hate? I hate having to look busy when I have little to nothing to really do.

I've come to learn it's, in fact, a fine art to look busy when you have little to nothing to do. In fact, I feel someone should write a book about it. (Okay, how about a blog. We all blog now, right?)

There are clear guidelines.

1. Always have something out on your desk
2. Always have something on your desk you write on so you can look studious
3. Have multiple windows up on your screen
4. If possible, have an Excel sheet of some time up on the screen
5. Occasionally get up from your desk and go somewhere with something in your hand; try to look like you're serious about whatever it is
6. Throughout the day, type something up. It doesn't really matter what as long as the sound of typing comes from your cubical
7. Try to make random phone calls throughout the day. Checking the time is an excellent way of doing this.
8. Sometimes, look annoyed or irritated when the boss walks by
9. Never be caught with Facebook or a BBS up
10. Set your news gathering hub as your homepage so you can claim you were just opening your browser if caught looking at, say, Yahoo news

If you follows these 10 things, you, too, can look busy at work when you have little to nothing to do.

How do the rest of you look busy when you're not? I'm running out of ideas...

 

[Gryffindorian]

Oftentimes I just read my e-mail and pretend and I'm actually replying to someone or writing a message. Then I type lyrics of a song.

 

[John Picard]

When I was in the Navy, one way to appear busy (while walking around the carrier) was to carry a clipboard. It's almost an old George Costanza trick (where he'd act upset like he was looking for something on his desk, appearing flustered) as no one will ask what you're doing.

I used to take a few able-bodied seamen to Hanger Bay 3, where there were unattended pallets of supplies, act like I was writing something down, and have them carry off 5-gallon cans of wax and floor stripper

 

[LitmusDragon]

If I may use this opportunity to make a couple of Seinfeld references

8. Sometimes, look annoyed or irritated when the boss walks by

Approves.

George (paraphrased): "One should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy."

I also like to call this kind of looking-busy-while-not-actually-doing-anything kind of work "Penske filing" which is another Seinfeld reference.

 

[RoJoHen]

I never pretend to look busy. If I'm busy, I'm busy. If I'm not, I eat...or watch TV...or play on the jukebox.

 

[Kirby]

I never pretend to look busy. If I'm busy, I'm busy. If I'm not, I eat...or watch TV...or play on the jukebox.

"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean" - That's what I learned from working in restaurants in High School.

 

[John Picard]

I never pretend to look busy. If I'm busy, I'm busy. If I'm not, I eat...or watch TV...or play on the jukebox.

"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean" - That's what I learned from working in restaurants in High School.

*BINGO* That, and while mess cranking in the Navy.

 

[RoJoHen]

I never pretend to look busy. If I'm busy, I'm busy. If I'm not, I eat...or watch TV...or play on the jukebox.

"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean" - That's what I learned from working in restaurants in High School.

Oh yes, I know, but if I can get away with not cleaning, I'm gonna do it.

 

[john titor]

When I was in the Navy, one way to appear busy (while walking around the carrier) was to carry a clipboard. It's almost an old George Costanza trick (where he'd act upset like he was looking for something on his desk, appearing flustered) as no one will ask what you're doing.

I used to take a few able-bodied seamen to Hanger Bay 3, where there were unattended pallets of supplies, act like I was writing something down, and have them carry off 5-gallon cans of wax and floor stripper

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I'm too busy at work to be bothered about looking busy at work.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Exactly what I'm doing now, typing meaningless stuff so my boss thinks I'm actually typing something - though she pays me no attention since she's playing scrabble or catching up with work as she's trying to run three businesses at the same time.

I usually work on my novel or something, that way I'm always typing something.

 

[Warp Coil]

There are clear guidelines.

1. Always have something out on your desk
2. Always have something on your desk you write on so you can look studious
3. Have multiple windows up on your screen
4. If possible, have an Excel sheet of some time up on the screen
5. Occasionally get up from your desk and go somewhere with something in your hand; try to look like you're serious about whatever it is
6. Throughout the day, type something up. It doesn't really matter what as long as the sound of typing comes from your cubical
7. Try to make random phone calls throughout the day. Checking the time is an excellent way of doing this.
8. Sometimes, look annoyed or irritated when the boss walks by
9. Never be caught with Facebook or a BBS up
10. Set your news gathering hub as your homepage so you can claim you were just opening your browser if caught looking at, say, Yahoo news

If you follows these 10 things, you, too, can look busy at work when you have little to nothing to do.

How do the rest of you look busy when you're not? I'm running out of ideas...

I tend to have no problem following these. I typically have videotapes sitting on my desk, waiting for me to do something with them. I use Excel spreadsheets throughout the day so I can simply open one and pretend to be looking at something relevant. I end up walking back and forth between a few different parts of the building throughout the day, so again, no problem getting up and walking somewhere.

I actually share an office with my direct boss, and she can see what's on my computer from where she sits at her desk. But my boss is awesome, so she doesn't really care if I'm surfing the web (she's guilty of it, too) so long as I also get my work done. But if someone else walks into the office, I wouldn't want to get caught looking at Facebook or whatever.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Oftentimes I just read my e-mail and pretend and I'm actually replying to someone or writing a message. Then I type lyrics of a song.

I love it!!!!

 

[Holdfast]

I don't have to bother pretending to be busy, thankfully. As long as the work gets done well and safely, my current immediate boss operates a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on what I'm actually doing over the course of the day. Most (not all, admittedly) of my direct superiors have taken a similar attitude over the years. Still, having said that, I still don't like technically not being in charge of my time, so I do want to get out of the system.

Anyway, if I'm not working, I might check out the news or stock quotes on the net, or shoot the breeze with colleagues or go out for a coffee, or long lunch or whatever.

 

[trampledamage]

I usually work on my novel or something, that way I'm always typing something.

That's what I used to do when I was working on a client-site and had nothing to do. I'd use my Palm Vx's to-do list program so it'd look like I was writing an important list of tasks.

I had novels on there too, and this was back in the day when most people didn't know about e-books so I could get away with making that look work related too!

 

[Australis]

When I wanted to go for a walk from my desk, but didn't have a real reason, I used to taker a couple of sheets of paper with me, as if on my way somewhere. No one asked what I was doing. Never failed.

 

[KiraDax]

My constant dilemma.

I'm generally alone in our department for half a day. Some days it's go, go, go, some days I'm finished with everything (including cleaning) in half the shift time.

While I'm alone and of course therefore attempted to just make a nest and nap, I can't, because there's always the possibility a Big Boss will walk through. While they don't seem to mind other people walking around with iPhones in hand and drool coming out of their mouths, our department gets no such slack.

And I really, really hate being bored, so sometimes it's truly hell.

I tend to stand around and shuffle papers a lot, or stand in front of our labeling machine and randomly hit buttons, or...anything i can find that looks like work.

 

[backstept]

the place I used to work at used a system called Trac which is an open source project tracking system with wiki and subversion integration
anyway . . . it would have all our current projects listed and I'd just have that open looking at a ticket, or my ticket list, and then have trekbbs or google reader open in another tab. I got really good at listening for footsteps and hitting ctrl+w

the annoying part came when I had to track my time . . .

 

[Gryffindorian]

Oftentimes I just read my e-mail and pretend and I'm actually replying to someone or writing a message. Then I type lyrics of a song.

I love it!!!!

I'm glad I could provide some creative input.

 

[Bisz]

I've given up on the idea of looking busy at work. Thankfully my coworkers are onboard with me. We play Pocket Tanks.