Slacker tip #9 - Use meetings as “me time”
If you work in an office, then you are probably accustomed to the best and most frequent way of wasting time that is actually condoned by the office. The meeting. I love meetings. Department meetings, staff meetings, all-employee meetings, committee meetings. Nothing like a bunch of self-important people gathering together in a room to make themselves feel important. Fortunately for us slackers, it is customary, even expected, to come into a meeting bearing pen and paper. So, under the guise of taking notes you can get away with doing other things. I like to think of meetings as “me time” on the company’s dime.
When I’m in a meeting I use that time to do things for me, like detailing my plan for world domination.
Forget paying attention to the hack reading the powerpoint presentation word-for-freaking-word.
I’m making a grocery list. Or doodling. Or trying to think up ideas that will enable me to sit at home and do nothing but rake in some mon-ay. Did I mention I love meetings?
In fact, I had an all-employee meeting today. It lasted an hour. An hour that I spent writing up this very post (well not this sentence but the rest of it for the most part). I also jotted down several ideas for articles on my new favorite money making site on the internet - associated content (see previous post and ferchrissakes use the link down there so this slacker can make some more cash).
Meetings are also a great place to daydream. Especially if there is a window in the room. Unless the meeting nazis have closed the blinds to prevent you from said daydreaming. Meeting with presentations are the best as they usually dim the lights, which means it is harder for the office busybody to try to catch a glimpse of what you are doing. Just remember to sit as far away from the meeting speaker/conductor as possible. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to do your own thing.
So, don’t look at meetings as something horrible. Yes, meetings take you away from playing Texas Hold’em on the internet and you can’t listen to your mp3 player in the meeting. But meetings are the only time at work where you are not expected to be sitting at your desk working! They actually want you in a room jotting down things in your notebook…..They never have to know what you are really writing in there.
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