What you do during your free time at work?

crazychrono100crazychrono100 Member Posts: 30 ■■□□□□□□□□
in IT Jobs / Degrees
Just wondering what you guys do when there is nothing much going on and you just sitting there by yourself at work?
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  • networker050184networker050184 Mod Posts: 11,962 Mod
    Surf the 'tubes. I read/study sometimes, but I usually don't have a long enough stretch of downtime to really benefit from it.
    An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made.
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  • apena7apena7 Member Posts: 351
    Document, document, document.
    Usus magister est optimus
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  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Check out the new posts on TE
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
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  • gosh1976gosh1976 Member Posts: 441
    I usually study. If I think I am going to have a good stint of free time I may watch a video. Otherwise, I will do some reading or work on a packet tracer lab.
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  • snokerpokersnokerpoker Member Posts: 661 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Read/study. Watch cbt's or train signal vids, check techspot and other news sites, browse this forum, and try to stay away from facebook and other crap sites that just waste time. :D
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  • PsoasmanPsoasman Member Posts: 2,687 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Work on my on-line classes, study for certs, browse TE, and watch movies if I need a study break.
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  • MechaniXMechaniX Member Posts: 14 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Read books while listening to/watching podcasts. Get my mind off work for a little bit.
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  • mikedisd2mikedisd2 Member Posts: 1,096 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Chat to the other guys at work.

    A brief blackjack game broke out the other week.
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Work. i have a nasty habbit of finding projects for my self. so I have yet to experincing running out of work. I always have side projects on the go. mostly where I see some thing that could be done better and go set about sorting it out. That and study, although most of my study is done at home. IT is like the best computer game out, always changing and always a new challange. I know I'M sad. ;)
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
    Linkin Profile - Blog: http://Devilwah.com
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  • apena7apena7 Member Posts: 351
    DevilWAH wrote: »
    IT is like the best computer game out, always changing and always a new challange. I know I'M sad. ;)

    I know, but it always seems like I can't level-up fast enough icon_lol.gif
    Usus magister est optimus
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  • PristonPriston Member Posts: 999 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Not too much free time when your a field tech installing network cable. When I do have a few extra minutes when i'm waiting on other people I like to hang out in the MDF closet and trace the wires from the Telco to all the different equipment.

    It makes me cry when I find a stack of 5+ switches unplugged collecting dust in all these different companies I go to.
    A.A.S. in Networking Technologies
    A+, Network+, CCNA
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  • IristheangelIristheangel Mod Posts: 4,133 Mod
    I study. I have at least one Sybex and one MS Press book on my desk at work right now and on my computer I have the PDF version of O'Reilly's MCSE Core Exams in a Nutshell (to keep my knowledge fresh).
    BS, MS, and CCIE #50931
    Blog: www.network-node.com
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  • cablegodcablegod Member Posts: 294
    I wish I had free time at work :) Always something going on or something productive to do these days.
    “Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure.” -Robert LeFevre
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  • blargoeblargoe Member Posts: 4,174 ■■■■■■■■■□
    No free time here, these days. Always head-down cranking out something productive. Closest thing I guess would be the passing-in-aisleway chit-chat on the way back to the desk.

    I guess that's one of the biggest reasons why I've hardly worked on certs in like 2-3 years.
    IT guy since 12/00

    Recent: 11/2019 - RHCSA (RHEL 7); 2/2019 - Updated VCP to 6.5 (just a few days before VMware discontinued the re-cert policy...)
    Working on: RHCE/Ansible
    Future: Probably continued Red Hat Immersion, Possibly VCAP Design, or maybe a completely different path. Depends on job demands...
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  • L0gicB0mb508L0gicB0mb508 Member Posts: 538
    I like to berate my coworkers. It makes for a much more dysfunctional work place.
    I bring nothing useful to the table...
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  • TurgonTurgon Banned Posts: 6,308 ■■■■■■■■■□
    No free time at work. Always something important I need to be working on.
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  • ConstantlyLearningConstantlyLearning Member Posts: 445
    crazychrono100 wrote: »
    when there is nothing much going on..

    Say what?

    :)
    "There are 3 types of people in this world, those who can count and those who can't"
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  • CountryboiCountryboi Member Posts: 44 ■■□□□□□□□□
    i spent a lot of time studying and surfing the net.....some days are so slow it would make your eyes bleed.....
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  • jeanathanjeanathan Member Posts: 163
    apena7 wrote: »
    Document, document, document.

    You have time to document? I take screen shots as I go when I can. Or do a summary into the voice recorder function of the iphone.
    Struggling through the re-certification process after 2 years of no OJT for the CCNP.
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    jeanathan wrote: »
    You have time to document? I take screen shots as I go when I can. Or do a summary into the voice recorder function of the iphone.

    Proper documentation is the most useful and underused tool in the box.

    Screen shots are great, but only for yourself. Proper documentation should take them screen shots and put them together in to something that someone else can use to see what you have done, and why it has been done.

    It takes 30min to do a decent write up, so the perfect thing to do in spare time. I always **** all the documentation, notes, screen shots for work I have done in to organised folders. Then either at the end of the project before I move on, or during spare time (often while eating lunch). Take one tidy it up, and publish the documentation in to the controlled document repository.

    Took me 3 years yo get on top of documentation, (playing catch up form the person I took over from). But once I had spent hours of my own time and was up to date. Keeping up to date is not hard and does not take hours. Just a consistent approach and not letting it build up.
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
    Linkin Profile - Blog: http://Devilwah.com
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  • RouteThisWayRouteThisWay Member Posts: 514
    TE, study, fantasy football lol.


    I don't consider documenting part of my down time, it is still part of my job. The guys I work with were all hired around the same time a couple yrs ago after a mass exodus of that Windows team. And no documentation left behind. We are still finding remnants of crap.

    We do strict documentation and keep everything organized in Sharepoint. If we were ever to leave, the people behind us would know exactly how everything was setup and why.

    My 2 cents....
    Screenshots are great for end user procedural documents (ie, how to's with VPN, OWA, etc), but I think they are a little hokey for admin documentation. I think a well organized digital filing system and well written docs work better than loading up screenshots in documentation that should be for other admins to follow, not your grandmother who has problems copying and pasting. Just saying lol. My 2 cents anyway.

    But yeah, I don't really have much "down time", always something to do.
    "Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture." ~ Vaclav Havel
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  • powerfoolpowerfool Member Posts: 1,666 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Walk and get a drink and/or go to the rest room to get rid of my last drink...
    2024 Renew: [ ] AZ-204 [ ] AZ-305 [ ] AZ-400 [ ] AZ-500 [ ] Vault Assoc.
    2024 New: [X] AWS SAP [ ] CKA [ ] Terraform Auth/Ops Pro
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  • PlantwizPlantwiz Mod Posts: 5,057 Mod
    DevilWAH wrote: »
    Work. i have a nasty habbit of finding projects for my self. so I have yet to experincing running out of work. I always have side projects on the go. mostly where I see some thing that could be done better and go set about sorting it out. That and study, although most of my study is done at home. IT is like the best computer game out, always changing and always a new challange. I know I'M sad. ;)

    I would like to experience 'running out of work' some day...well, maybe not :)

    There is ALWAYS something that can be done or done better!
    Plantwiz
    _____
    "Grammar and spelling aren't everything, but this is a forum, not a chat room. You have plenty of time to spell out the word "you", and look just a little bit smarter." by Phaideaux

    ***I'll add you can Capitalize the word 'I' to show a little respect for yourself too.

    'i' before 'e' except after 'c'.... weird?
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  • RomBUSRomBUS Member Posts: 699 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Browse these forums a lot lol

    If I have cases open and stuck on something I just research

    I wish there was a way I could study over here but I dont think there is unless I start bringing e-books on my flash
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  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    mikej412 wrote: »
    Check out the new posts on TE
    Since others have pointed out the lack of free time at work I guess I'll amend my post:

    When my eyes start to glaze over during the endless all day (or night) bridge calls and no one is speaking English, I check out the new posts on TE.

    Now if you'll excuse me I'm dropping off the call and running into work for a meeting.
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
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  • jayc71jayc71 Member Posts: 112 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I keep myself occupied pretty well for most of the day. If I'm not busy with a specific task at the office, I try to use my time to study or read various blogs that are security or virtualization related.

    I'm always trying to learn something :)
    CISSP, CCSP, CCSK, Sec+, AWS CSA/Developer/Sysops Admin Associate, AWS CSA Pro, AWS Security - Specialty, ITILv3, Scrummaster, MS, BS, AS, my head hurts.
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  • pitviperpitviper Member Posts: 1,376 ■■■■■■■□□□
    chatroulette...

















    j/k :P

    I gets me no free time - So I typically have to cram all of my slacking in on my lunch break :)
    CCNP:Collaboration, CCNP:R&S, CCNA:S, CCNA:V, CCNA, CCENT
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  • forkvoidforkvoid Member Posts: 317
    Browse TE, write documentation, study, work on non-ticket-related work such as pet projects(a lot of these could be classified as studying as well).
    The beginning of knowledge is understanding how little you actually know.
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  • AnonymouseAnonymouse Member Posts: 509 ■■■■□□□□□□
    My last job was a graveyard shift in a data center and I just browsed the internets, tried to find something to fix, cleaned up my lab, or took really long walks.

    My current job at a busy helpdesk means I have no free time and if there is then I'm busy following up with trouble tickets.
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  • QordQord Member Posts: 632 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Projects. Lots and lots of projects. Unfortunately, my down time usually only lasts me 5-10 minutes at a time, so it's hard get things done. Since that's the case, I usually have multiple windows with multiple tabs open and I do a lot of research (a little at a time)related to the projects. That way, when I have a good chunk of time to work with, I can really get something done.
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