Bored bored bored

[Wingedness]

So here's my problem.

I was promoted at work and it's terrible.

So instead of working 10 hours a week janitoring at night, I'm up to 35/week during the day with my own building.

I'm making almost double minimum wage here. The money is good; we really need it. But it's an incredibly easy, mind-numbingly boring job. I could finish my building in two or three hours, but I'm stuck here for six to eight hours depending on the day.

I'm planning on quitting eventually, but some current circumstances are keeping me here for the next few months (a disability, parents cutting me off financially for my life choices, haven't finished school, bills and fiancé's loans, blah blah boring life things).

I can't have headphones, i have to look busy, and I'm chained to the buildings the entire time.

It's my third week and I'm going stir crazy. I got excited when someone dropped their coffee on the floor yestersay. I memorized an Edgar Allan Poe poem and that helped a bit.

When I worked nights I listened to podcasts or music and everything was fine.

Anyone have any ideas? If just need to survive the next few months until I can find something else that pays equally well (or better?) and my boss can find someone to replace me.

 

[BigApplePi]

Can you have a radio, TV, a book? Can you have one earplug hooked to a device on he sly? What's outside? Can you tell your boss your problem? Can you ask for more work? Double up on buildings? Can you bring a pet? A friend? A hooker?

 

[Cognisant]

Daydream.

Try not to act it out.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Tell your boss and ask for more responsibility. Show them you have other useful skills. Your real goal here is to milk a positive recommendation out of him/her.

Also: dance. While working.

 

[Architect]

What if you can demonstrate that wearing headphones makes you more productive? Long shot I know.

Better solution is in your head. Give yourself a problem to solve every day, in your mind without paper, pencils, books or a computer. For instance, I would use that time to figure out problems in programming. Keep a cheat sheet in your pocket if you need it.

 

[BigApplePi]

This is an example of the imperfect job a Forum like this can do. People want to help. I wonder if Wingedness will let us know how he received it and if there is more he desires.

New thought. You need to connect up a laptop in your building so you can document the day to day status of building upkeep. A printer too for a copy to your boss. No surfing the web though. And no looking at the INTP Forum. You must concentrate on your job. That is what you are paid for.

 

[Steven Gerrard]

Write a comedy about someone in your situation. It can just be shots of you with someone filming, with you narrating about things like getting excited about someone spilling their coffee.

 

[pernoctator]

i have to look busy

What does that look like, when the building is clean?

 

[Base groove]

What does that look like, when the building is clean?

Damn you and your irrefutable logic.

 

[Spocksleftball]

Do they make bluetooth devices that tap into ipods? blue tooth borg implant in ear, ipod in pocket. problem solved.

 

[King_Be_Us]

Stretch enough to do a split. It won't give you money, but some stress relief. Plus, you can take stretching anywhere vs... Well, anything?

 

[Pyropyro]

Take night/ adult learning classes? I'm clocking 40 hours a week and I still have time for that.

It will help you exercise your mind, socialize with intelligent people and probably help you get a less boring job in the future.

 

[Grayman]

How to enjoy work.

1) Call your boss and Old Cow
2) Turn in someone for sexual harassment
3) Moon the CEO
4) Put all the toilet paper in everyones desks.
5) create a virus that is timed to wipe out the entire network at least one week after you are fired
6) cut the desks in half with a chain saw
7) Glue them back together
8) unplug the keyboards only slightly so it does not work but not enough to notice so that everyone searches for some time why their computers are not working.
9) find someone with OCD and mess up their desk
10) Put a dildo in the desk of a male and watch him when he opens the drawer.
11) put a dildo in a womans desk and compare the difference of facial features
12) Take notes and provide a thesis

 

[Pyropyro]

How to enjoy work.

1) Call your boss and Old Cow
2) Turn in someone for sexual harassment
3) Moon the CEO
4) Put all the toilet paper in everyones desks.
5) create a virus that is timed to wipe out the entire network at least one week after you are fired
6) cut the desks in half with a chain saw
7) Glue them back together
8) unplug the keyboards only slightly so it does not work but not enough to notice so that everyone searches for some time why their computers are not working.
9) find someone with OCD and mess up their desk
10) Put a dildo in the desk of a male and watch him when he opens the drawer.
11) put a dildo in a womans desk and compare the difference of facial features
12) Take notes and provide a thesis

Like a boss!

 

[Josteen]

How to enjoy work.

1) Call your boss and Old Cow
2) Turn in someone for sexual harassment
3) Moon the CEO
4) Put all the toilet paper in everyones desks.
5) create a virus that is timed to wipe out the entire network at least one week after you are fired
6) cut the desks in half with a chain saw
7) Glue them back together
8) unplug the keyboards only slightly so it does not work but not enough to notice so that everyone searches for some time why their computers are not working.
9) find someone with OCD and mess up their desk
10) Put a dildo in the desk of a male and watch him when he opens the drawer.
11) put a dildo in a womans desk and compare the difference of facial features
12) Take notes and provide a thesis

Nuff said, BAMF

 

[Happy]

What if you can demonstrate that wearing headphones makes you more productive? Long shot I know.

Better solution is in your head. Give yourself a problem to solve every day, in your mind without paper, pencils, books or a computer. For instance, I would use that time to figure out problems in programming. Keep a cheat sheet in your pocket if you need it.

I've found the headphone issue is generally related to safety. I'd just put one earphone in if I were you. Likely nobody will pull you up and if they do, either argue that it's not inhibiting your perception or just start doing it only when you can get privacy to do so.

I agree strongly that giving yourself a problem to solve every day is ideal. I used to work on a production line and the only way I could get through the day without falling asleep on the conveyor belt (this happened more than once) was to keep my mind active with problems to solve. I was about to go into an architecture degree at the time, so design problems were what kept me going.

An alternative to problem solving is to think of creative outlets. I thought up heaps of woodwork designs and painting ideas when I had nothing better to occupy my time with.

Another thing you can do is try to get to know every single person in your building. You never know - that might even be your way out of that job...

EDIT: If you manage to find a way to have earphones in at work, I suggest picking a language and listening to audio lessons (download them online). It'll confuse you enough that you'l have something to think about for the rest of the day.