Lighter Workload at Work Today? Here are the Best Ways to Utilize Your Time 👇
These types of workdays are the best days to explore, learn, and get ahead
Welcome to the 18 new “In-Between‘s” who have joined us since last time! Join the 523 others by subscribing here if you haven’t already 📩:
Taking a Deep Breath
We have all experienced those days at work, no matter what field you are in, where you sit for a second and take a deep breath and think, “Hmmm, what should I do next?”
Those days might come around more often or less often depending on your daily responsibilities, but nevertheless, they happen to everyone. This can feel like a blessing but can also be a curse. Why? Because most people do not take advantage of their time when this happens.
This article provides a list of activities you should do with your time when you have a lighter workload. Anything from resting, to getting organized, to getting ahead. Everyone should be using this time a different way, based on their needs/wants.
Now, in the spirit of not wasting free time, let’s jump right in!
Top 5 List 👇
Organize Your Space
Ever heard of spring cleaning? Well, spring cleaning should not just happen once a year. When you have any free time, it is always a good idea to get your work area tidied up. I talk about the importance of a neat workspace in previous article, and about how a clean space equals a happy face. As your work areas piles up, it can cause you to feel bogged down and overwhelmed. This is why I am a huge advocate of keeping a well-organized, clean space to relieve you of that feeling. You will find most of the items in your workspace or on your computer are not needed, so clean them out.
Remember when we used to take notes in school? The teachers would always tell us to not write down every little thing, but to only write the important bullets. Channel your inner middle schooler as you clean your space!
Address What Has Been on Hold
Now that everything is organized, you may suddenly realize you had multiple projects or tasks on hold that you totally forgot about! This free time is perfect for you to re-open those projects and get them completed (or maybe just started). These are usually smaller tasks that you can crank out, so try to get a few of them done. There is no better feeling than checking something off of a check list.
Also, I bet someone at work was waiting on those tasks, so they are going to be just as hyped when you let them know they are completed!
Learn, Develop, & Train
This is where most people do not take advantage of these lighter days at work. There is so much potential career boosting in any job. What do I mean by that?
I mean, there are trainings out there you can do in your given field, shadowing a coworker, check-ins with your boss to review your performance, and many more things you can do to keep upping your skills. Below is a full list of examples:
Employer promoted trainings
Learn tasks from a co-worker in the position above you
Check-in meeting with boss about development
Study industry you work in
Brainstorm ideas to help grow business
Put together extra work for your business/clients/customers
See if anyone needs help around the office
Go Above & Beyond
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Anytime there is some free time in your job, look for ways you can stand out and do the extra work. This will not only make you feel good about how you utilized the lighter workload time, but it will also look really good to your boss.
The ones who get ahead are the ones who never stop moving and developing. Most of you are early on in your careers, so I cannot stress this enough. The ones who get the reps in the most and push to go above and beyond, get rewarded, no matter the industry.
Rest & Recover
Are you feeling burnt out? Did you just finish a big push at work the past month? Rest may be what you need during down time at work. This has not been as openly talked about the last few decades, but with a lot more focus and care for the employee in today’s workforce, it is being proven that taking breaks is crucial to avoid burn out.
Another school reference, remember when you stayed up all night for a week studying for that test? Remember how you ended up doing poorly on it – not because you did not know the material – but because you were exhausted? This phenomenon applies to work as well!
Your employers want you in your tip top shape, so they will want you to take the brain breaks when you need them (if they are good employers).
Hydrate, sleep, workout, look away from a screen. Do what you need to do to be able to come back better as ever no matter the duration of the break.
The Grind
Work is a grind. However, it can ebb and flow when it comes to workload. When it does, there is so much you can do to either develop more, rest up, or get organized.
The next time you are feeling this way at work, pull up this article and come up with a game plan. Your future-self will thank you later.
Cheers!
Want more?
Follow my Twitter page as well for daily tweets and more content. Join the 1,104 followers! 👇:
Follow the In-Between Instagram page as well for all the latest updates. Join the 294 followers! 📲:
Announcement⤵️
I have turned on paid subscriptions! But its not what you think.
All of my content will remain free and accessible to you at no extra charge, so do not worry that this is suddenly going to start costing you money. I have turned on paid subscriptions solely to give my readers the ability to financially support the newsletter. A paid subscription is completely optional, but to anyone who chooses to support me and this passion project in that way, I sincerely thank you for supporting! There will be no change in content whether you set up a subscription or not, but if you are feeling generous, and just love The In-Between Newsletter THAT much, I would deeply appreciate the support.
You can set up your paid subscription: Here
You can either sign up for an annual subscription: $50/year (saves you $10)
Or you can sign up for a monthly subscription: $5/month ($60 annually)
Again, thank you so much to everyone who may choose to sign up, and a huge thank you to those of you who have already signed up for paid subscriptions, it means so much. When I started this newsletter two years ago, I never knew it would grow to the heights it has today, and it is all thanks to my amazing readers!
You Should Definitely Share: The In-Between Newsletter
This newsletter has been growing so much since I started it in August 2020! We are already up to 523 subscribers. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Like I said above, I feel like the public school system does not always teach us some of the most important information we need to be ready for the real world. And so, The In-Between Newsletter was born. I write about topics ranging from career, finances, personal development, and everything else in between that I think everyone would benefit from.
So, if you know anyone that would benefit from a weekly newsletter written by a great, humorous, overall exceptional writer, then share the link and just put in an email!
I appreciate all the endless support and look forward to growing this thing even bigger.