Things to Do When Bored at Work
Huge list of some great ideas to add to your things to do checklist

Everyone should make a list that you should set out to accomplish.
List of stuff to do
I love me some list of stuff to do. Life goes so quick but it is still a good idea to put together a list of fun stuff you want to accomplish. Here are some TThings to Do When Bored at Work items I have now:
- Check Your Daily Tasks
- Review your Investments
- You may find a few blog posts or resources that could jumpstart your own work and provide you with fresh ideas
- Improve Your Recall
- Make your LinkedIn summary more creative
- Record Those Business Cards
- Actually clean your laptop
- Read about how to build a more inclusive team, company, and workforce
- Starting a do-good program at your office is a great way to show you have management potential even if you're a manager—yet
- Reach out to some of those new contacts on LinkedIn about setting up a time
- Find someone who has an aspirational career and ask them what they think you should work on in your own career to climb the ladder
- Start by reading about what it's like to navigate white workplaces as a Black woman and what it's like to job search as a Black woman, and how you can support Black women leaders
- Regardless, shoot them an email and ask if they want to connect in the next few weeks
- Write some SMART goals for your career and life
- Max out your skills list
- Find More About Your Industry
- Download this skills sheet to add 50 of them to your profile ASAP
- Why not take advantage of this downtime to try a new to-do method?
- Consider our lists of the best self-help books
- Even if you’re an A-player (and how do you know, really? Is there an A-player test? (No, not “a player”
- Organize your files
- Pick a newsletter that you'll actually open, either specific to your industry or women-focused
- Start a recycling program at your office
- They love you
- Learn to Speed Read
- Then you’d have even more time on your hands to…read more things
- So why not do it at work? This doesn’t necessarily mean do all of your budgeting, but it could be a good time to review your investment options, your 401k plan or your overall savings
- Make Meal Plans and a Grocery List
- We have a list of our favorites leadership books here, but you can also find all sorts of options on Audible
- Take an online class or course
- Just ask them how everything's going
- Learn a new program / learn some new shortcuts in a program
- It’s the socially acceptable way to be like, “Look I’m wasting time but in a manner that makes me look like I’m doing something important
- Coming up with a few new ideas, even if they aren’t immediately put to use, shows initiative and a desire to contribute
- Watch a Ted Talk
- But we all had the same morning routine
- If you don't have one, find a mentor
- Take the time to be a mentor to another woman
- Organize Your Desk and Declutter
- Or consider moving your files to Dropbox
- 43, now's the time to start thinking about how and when you'll ask
- Make some quick profile updates that will improve your career
- Take a Walk
- Get more strategic about your social accounts
- It can help your motivation, enthusiasm and relieve stress even if you’re not at your top physical peak
- Reach out to someone you admire on social
- Now that you know what's in there, make a list of what you need
- We think they're brilliant
- Start preparing your ask for a raise
- Build a presentation for an idea you have to show in your next team meeting or one-on-one with your boss
- Don’t let your team down
- Organize your desk drawers
- The beauty of technology is that there are now tons of networking apps out there
- Update your passwords
- What’s one way to do that? Tell others what you know
- 7325% of the population hates working in Excel
- Or if you’re on that conference call and can leave the immediate area, do a few leg lifts or touch your toes
- Make a "to read" folder in your inbox
- Check in with your network
- Just hobbies
- Sort of like the point above, decluttering and cleaning up can help you focus, creates a positive team environment and not to mention looks good for any potential customers, clients or vendors who happen to be in the office that day
- 1 and write some notes as well? They’ll appreciate your thoughts
- Or just try this subtle to-do list tweak
- Download an audiobook to listen to later on your commute home
- So if you’re looking for something to do or pitch in, check your daily tasks in your project management software
- Delete anything personal from your work computer
- Swap out your LinkedIn headshot and cover image
- If not, it's still worth researching and maybe even pitching a great opportunity to your boss
- Read Something Important
- Write an email to your boss letting her know you want to discuss some new responsibilities
- Come up with a logical structure and clean it alllll up
- We'll wait
- But the trick is to also get strategic about engaging, commenting, and liking as well
- Delete any downloaded photos, notes, or emails
- Share some of the career-inspiring articles you read today on your LinkedIn
- Clean off your desk
- Upgrade your to-do lists
- Update your email signature
- Run all those updates
- Or start a women's group!
- Find some great books to inspire your career
- Do some research into conferences or professional development opportunities
- Follow their example, why don't ya?
- Mentoring other women is both essential and a great way to build skills as a leader
- Practice Your Current Skills
- Then go shopping for them this weekend
- Clean
- Better yet, subscribe to some career-inspiring YouTube channels
- Research your salary
- See, science
- You could use a sticky note or get organized with ClickUp (we prefer the latter!
- Or research a networking opportunity
- Take everything off of it, pull out the spray cleaner, and give the whole thing a nice wipe down
- Daydream
- Connect with professionals you admire
- Here’s a very official post on how walking improves your mind that explains it all if you’re not convinced
- These women-run podcasts are great, too
- Download one (or severalof our resources
- Go through your spam folder
- Think About Long-Term Strategy
- Seems worth it
- All good things for self-improvement
- Write Thank You Messages
- Journal
- And then, write an intimidation list
- We all deserve a little downtime
- Whatever it is you do, find a way to practice it when the pressure is not on
- Make a "to do someday" folder in your inbox
- Hence why you should try your own intimidation list
- Do the Dishes at Work
- Try a new email productivity method
- Download a professional networking app
- Email a colleague or mentor to ask what skills they think you should acquire
- Make it sparkle
- Read some articles on leadership tactics
- First up: Career Contessa's YouTube, duh
- Think of a new responsibility or project you want to tackle, then create a pitch to deliver
- Plan to master at least one new time management techniques
- Take this chance to prove yourself
- And then request some informational interviews
- Make sure to send a personalized message explaining why you're reaching out
- If you don't have a mentor currently, spend some time finding one
- And throw all those rogue Post-It note wrappers and half-used utensil packs away
- Or how to combat an innate hiring bias
- Make a list of all the hobbies you'd be curious to try
- The next time you're bored at work, you can open them up
- And better yet, do it by hand
- Research a new technique or approach you can use for your work
- Help Out Your Colleagues
- Whatever, just make sure you exercise and move around
- Here's a comprehensive guide to all of our own courses
- Subscribe to a new podcast
- Sometimes we just need to let loose
- Subscribe to a new industry-focused and/or women-focused newsletter
- Share Your Expertise
- Stop saying you don't have enough time
- Or maybe
- Organize Your Email
- Stretch or Exercise at Your Desk
- Commit to a new habit: cleaning up your desk every night before you leave
- Unsubscribe from 10 newsletters
- Request recommendations (and give some in return!
- We also have a LinkedIn-centric course that you might want to sign up for
- Edit your LinkedIn profile based on a recruiter's advice
- Well, now you have the free time, because you’re looking to be productive even in your boredom
- Then give it a hard reboot
- Review Your Schedule 2 to 3 Months Out
- Here are some exercises to help your brain
- And a list of what you want
- Meditate or Pray
- You need to stretch and move around a bit, even for 5 minutes
- And fostering team collaboration
- It’s the person who gets things done
- But I think you can handle it
- Think: email courses on content marketing or SEO
- How convenient
- This may trigger some other ideas to work on to be prepared or just help you start your to-do list
- There are lots of smart people talking on there
- Schedule Coffee with a Colleague
- Consider thinking of your "time" in weeks instead of days
- Anyway, don’t make the same mistake and carve out a few minutes to clean up
- Or your productivity via the Rule of 3
- The worst is impulse grocery buying because you’re hungry
- Learn a New Language
- Even the best have to keep their skills sharp to stay on top
- Watch some career-inspiring TED talks
- Follow some positive Instagram accounts
- Write to a professional contact to suggest a (virtualcoffee