By Laura Vanderkam | August 15, 2011
Photo courtesy flickr user, Jayegirl99
Image via WikipediaOn my “Crock Pot” post last week, I suggested ordering groceries online during boring conference calls. A few readers asked for a list of other things you can do during boring conference calls to pass the minutes and hours when you only need to pay a little bit of attention (like if someone says your name).… I have mixed feelings about writing such a post. Because fundamentally, if you repeatedly experience conference calls that require so little attention that you can multi-task, then why are you on them? The most productive use of your time and energy is to figure out a way to kill such calls, or pare down the invite list to only those folks who need to be there. You can also ask to shorten the time frame. Negotiate down to half an hour from an hour, and watch your life improve.
Image via CrunchBase… If you’re not going to be able to change your glut of conference calls without making choices you don’t wish to make, then here are some other ways to pass the time in a mildly productive fashion without checking Facebook (not that there’s anything wrong with that):1. Read a novel in bite size chunks at DailyLit.com
2. Write a love letter to your spouse
3. Look at photos of major art works at Metmuseum.org
4. Schedule a mole check or other health maintenance appointment you’ve been avoiding at ZocDoc.com
5. Knit
6. Doodle
Image via CrunchBase7. Make a photo book at Shutterfly or another major photo site8. Cross off a major financial housekeeping task (like setting up automatic transfers from checking to savings)
9. Pace — it burns more calories than sitting there!
10. Do sit-ups or push-ups, or at least contract your abs
11. Challenge your notions of the universe by reading a political blog that represents views that are the polar
opposite of yours
12. Read the website of a daily newspaper in a random small town you’ve never visited
13. Watch a video from the Khan Academy on a math or science topic that’s long confused you (as long as you’ve got your phone call on mute)
Image via Wikipedia14. Brush up on history by reading a document you haven’t looked at since civics class (do you know what’s in the Declaration of Independence?)15. Read poetry at the Poetry Foundation’s website
16. Send an email to an old friend asking how he’s doing
17. Clean your desk
18. Plan how you can knock an item off your List of 100 Dreams this weekend
19. Send a thank you note to someone who’s done something good for the world. Not necessarily someone famous; an under-appreciated volunteer at your church would be a good start.
20. Explore a subculture that’s completely foreign to you. I spent some time earlier this spring reading posts on chicken-raising forums. Did you know a rooster was called a “roo”?
21. Via Alice.com, make sure you never run out of toilet paper again
22. Get started on your Christmas shopping, or pick out items and cards for birthdays and schedule deliveries in advance
How do you pass the time during long conference calls? Help me get to at least 25!
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