Sometimes it's a real bitch to try and do ACTUAL work at work. Especially on Mondays. Especially when it's raining. And especially when you're still hungover from the weekend.
If today's one of those days then don't sweat it champ. There's nothing that needs to be done today that can be put off until tomorrow instead (that's the official procrastination motto BTW). Give youself the day off. The only thing to deal with though, if how to make your boss think you're still being productive. Here's how.
Get more desk stuff
Like another wallet. And a coat or a jumper. Leave these on your desk while you go for a long walk outside. You wouldn't have left the office without your wallet right? Nah. Obviously you're just in a meeting.
Look for cover up websites
This website is Reddit, but redesigned to look like Microsoft Outlook so, rather than your boss knowing that you're reading a really long thread about how a bunch of people embarassed themselves when they got drunk, it actually looks like you're reading an email from Michelle in marketing. Ditto for HardlyWork.In; which seems to be down today but normally makes your Facebook feed or Twitter feed look like an Excel sheet.
Make a decoy screen
Open up all the applications you'd normally have going, check you can't see anything sketchy then take yourself a screenshot (ctrl, cmd, 3 for a Mac, the 'Print Screen' key on a PC) then save that as your destop background. Every time your boss walks past just minimize all your windows and it'll look like you're still trucking along, punching numbers and busting balls.
Can't You See I'm Busy?
This website is excellent if you would rather be playing Candy Crush. And work a lot with Excel documents. Can't You See I'm Busy has created four different games that are housed on a website that boasts that it's teaching you how to be more productive. The games look, to the untrained eye, like boring old Microsoft Office documents when really, you're moving around Excel cells to try and match up colours or moving a teeny tiny rocket ship up a boring looking graph.
The Email Game
Excellent for killing all those rubbish emails in your inbox dead. Especially the ones you've been putting off for months and month and months. This website turns clearing your inbox into a game with a countdown timer which forces to you make snap decisions about what to do with each email. Even better, each email looks like it does in your inbox meaning it LOOKS like you're doing work. Excellent stuff.
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Picture: Ada Hamza
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.