Remember how you used to feel stuck quarantined indoors with nothing much to do? Time seemed to drag on and on, as you waited desperately for the day to end.
Well, there’s nothing worse than sitting around bored or with nothing to do, waiting out the clock.
Whether you’re in a meeting that’s bored you to the bones or in the office with no mood to work, you’ll find yourself looking at the clock, counting every passing second, but time just seems like it’s dragging on and on. This sensation of time drag can be exacerbated by negative feelings and stress. If you’re having a slow day at work and wondering how to make time go faster, this post is for you. We will share:
- Why time feels like it’s going slowly or faster at work
- Insanely effective tips to make time go by faster
Why Does Time Feel Slow or Faster at Work?
Consider these three scenarios:
- “It’s already Friday? This week flew by!”
- “Oh no, the party’s already over?”
- “It’s Wednesday? This week is dragging!”
The first and second occur when you’re busiest, and your mind is occupied by work or fun, and time feels like it’s moving faster. The second is when you have a day that drags, a boring job, or your productivity levels have plummeted.
The interesting thing about time is that it doesn’t actually change speed. Time is constant, relatively speaking. When it comes to how you feel about it, it’s all about our perception.
According to scientists, the perception of time speeds up or slows down depending on what else is going on around you. When you’re having fun, you’re so preoccupied that you don’t realize the passing of time. On the flip side, when you have nothing to do, “time can dilate and actually feel it has been a lot longer in duration,” states neuroscientist Muireann Irish from the University of Sydney.
Marc Wittman, a German psychologist, adds that who we are influences our perception of time. According to evidence from his experiments, our level of sensing time accurately becomes fuzzy after five seconds.
In one experiment, Wittman asked people to sit in a room without doing anything for 7.5 minutes. Some thought they had stayed for 2.5 minutes, while the impulsive type felt like it was 20 minutes.
Concentrating on time can create a sense that it is moving slower, particularly when impatience sets in. Constantly checking the clock reinforces the perception of slow passage of time, much like the saying “a watched kettle never boils.”
Now we know why:
- Time seems to be moving faster when our minds are occupied and busy, with a limited amount of attention to the clock.
- Time seems to be particularly slow when you’re waiting for something, like kids waiting to open their Christmas gifts or a weekend trip that you’re looking forward to next month.
- Your mind may perceive time as going slower when you experience stress. Time also seems to go in slow motion when you have to participate in a meeting with boring presentations.
Other things that might contribute to the feeling that your workday is sluggish include:
- Poor work-life balance
- Procrastination
- Inability to focus at work
- Burnout
- Lack of purpose
How to Make Time Go Faster at Work
When you’re bored, it can be tempting to get distracted. However, you can take actionable steps to make work go by faster by engaging in activities that make you more productive.
Engage in Mental Challenges
Incorporating brain teasers into your day can help you stay engaged and make time seem to move faster. Solving puzzles promotes focus and concentration, allowing you to immerse yourself in problem-solving and overcoming obstacles.
1. Avoid staring at the clock and counting the minutes
As inevitable as it sounds, trying not to stare at your watch every five seconds will reduce the level of disappointment when you realize very little time has passed by. The more you direct your attention to the clock, the less time will appear to have gone by, creating a sense that it is barely moving.
Your best option is to direct your attention to something else entirely. And trust us when we say, there are plenty of things you can do to kill time at work.
2. Take initiative
Say you complete a task early and have several hours left on your workday. Instead of sitting there, twiddling your thumbs, consider taking on more responsibility. Approach your boss/supervisor or chat them up (if you work remotely) and ask if there’s something you can do. Taking initiative to complete the least pleasant tasks can help make time go faster.
One study by Udemy indicates that 43 percent of US employees feel bored or disengaged at work – making them 2x more likely to quit their jobs. 30 percent of these workers cite not having enough work to do as the top reason for feeling boredom at work.
Instead of complaining about how you don’t have enough to do, how about letting your team leader know when your workload isn’t enough to keep you busy?
Not only does taking initiative prove your value to the company and makes you an asset, it will also keep you engaged and invested in your job.
Think of things you can do to improve your work or become more helpful. List them and ask your manager for approval.
3. Or look for a new job
You may have reached a point where you find your job less challenging or interesting. Or you could be struggling with poor life-work balance and burnout. In such cases, finding a new job can be a more effective way of using time.
To be clear, we aren’t advocating job hunting on company time. Your company is likely using employee monitoring software, and the chances of getting caught and fired are high. If you’re allowed to use your personal laptop or smartphone at work, you can search for jobs during your lunch break.
It might also be a great time to update your resume with new skills and qualifications, along with achievements you’ve accomplished along the way.
4. Get up and walk
Sometimes, all you need to renew your energy is stepping outside the office for a short walk. If you work from home, you may take a walk by the river or beach, in the park, or go grocery shopping. Pay attention to your body moving, focusing on the physical sensations as you walk, like the breeze against your skin and the rhythm of your steps.
Alternatively, you can visit a coworker or work buddy for a quick chat (as long as you’re not interrupting their work, of course).
5. Find a time management technique that works for you
When thinking of ways to make work go by faster, managing your time well probably comes to mind. Time management techniques help you organize your day and work smarter instead of harder. For example:
- Time blocking involves dividing your workday into smaller blocks of time. You then specify tasks to focus on during each block of time. During this time, you don’t allow any interruptions or disruptions. Time blocking pushes you to achieve results faster by single-tasking. Choose a time block technique that works best for you. You could start with the Pomodoro technique, where you alternate 20-minute work sessions with 5-minute breaks.
- Task batching is another efficient time management technique. It entails grouping similar tasks and using time blocks to accomplish them.
- Eat the Frog Technique is especially effective for overcoming procrastination. With this time management method, you tackle the most important tasks first. So, you begin by prioritizing tasks, starting with the hardest, biggest, or most important. Accomplishing these tasks early in the day creates a feeling of accomplishment and motivates you to handle the least important or easiest tasks later in the day.
- Setting a time limit for tasks can create a sense of urgency and enhance focus, helping you immerse yourself in the task and minimize distractions.
These are just some of the time management techniques you can implement to keep your workday organized and your time properly utilized.
6. Keep a to-do list
Most people create to-do lists to help them plan their workdays better. To-do lists create a roadmap of how your day looks and might be an effective way to manage time and prevent tasks from slipping your mind. A packed schedule can help make time go faster by keeping you busy and focused.
Researchers E.J. Masicampo and Roy F. Baumeister talk about the psychology behind to-do lists in detail. According to their research, once a person commits to a specific plan of action to complete a task, they tend to think less about that task. So, by creating a roadmap to guide us to attain our goals, we are more likely to focus on those areas that will get us there.
Of course, to-do lists don’t go far enough toward committing you to perform the tasks. That takes discipline. However, they are beneficial: First, to-do lists serve as reminders for things you need to accomplish. Second, they force you to come up with a plan of what actions need to be taken and when to complete those tasks.
It’s also worth noting that creating a to-do list is effortful, meaning it will demand more focus, and thus stop you from obsessing over time.
7. Put on some favorite tunes
There’s something about music that influences brain functionality. According to the journal Scientific Reports, music helps inspire a different state of mind. The researchers found that listening to music you like improves emotional adjustments and lessens anxiety and depression.
So, when you’re feeling like the day is dragging on, what better way to speed up time than to listen to music you enjoy? Additionally, consider listening to video game soundtracks as they are designed to maintain concentration and help you focus on your tasks.
8. Practice Deep Work
Time does always seem to fly when you’re focused on something, doesn’t it? That’s the benefit of deep work.
Deep work is that state of peak concentration where you focus on demanding tasks. This skill teaches you to focus in a distraction-free environment to produce better quality work quickly.
When you are completely immersed in a task, time seems to go faster, making it easier to maintain focus and productivity. Deep work can help you significantly maximize your output in less time. It builds momentum and enables you to get into the flow state or “in the zone” to reach your peak performance of achieving a specific task, and nothing else.
The last thing on your mind will be to check what time it is. Before you know it, you’ll be winding up your day.
9. Switch up your day
When your day feels slow, and you’re bored to death, think of innovative ways to work. For example, if you work from home, you can get out of the house and work from a coworking space.
You could also use this time to evaluate your time usage. If you use time-tracking software, you can easily retrieve data showing how much time you’ve been spending on meetings, emails, time-wasting apps and websites, projects, and tasks.
Analyze these reports and start making adjustments to your schedule for improved efficiency. Maybe you can save some time by delegating or automating specific tasks, like emails. Or, you can outsource certain work activities to reliable partners. Additionally, consider learning a new language as a productive way to use your time and make it go faster.
10. Catch up or get ahead
Slow days provide the perfect opportunity to tackle the personal tasks you’ve been putting off. Since you can’t normally handle them during the workweek, you can start working on them after you complete a day’s tasks. Additionally, consider using the time after completing everyday tasks to engage in productive activities, such as skill development or exploring new interests.
Likewise, if you have a bigger project with a longer timeline, now’s the time to chip away at the segments of the project. Giving a future project a head start means you’ll have less work when it becomes a high priority and the deadline is looming.
11. Develop your skills
Self-improvement habits can change your life and make you more valuable to your employers or clients. One such habit to improve yourself is to learn. There are so many ways to develop your skills. The easiest is to take advantage of self-improvement resources, such as reading a book, listening to podcasts and Ted Talks, watching educational videos on YouTube, and so on. Developing these skills not only contributes to your personal growth but also makes time go faster as you fully engage in the learning process.
You can learn news and insights related to your industry, or you could look for bizarre talks to entertain your brain.
Even better, sign up for an online course on sites like Udemy, MasterClass, or Coursera where you receive certification upon completion. Consider asking your employer if they are willing to cover the cost of your training or at least offer financial assistance. Most employers understand the value of investing in employee training and might oblige.
12. Stick a motivational quote on your desk
Did you know that we work harder when we are happy? One research from the University of Warwick found that happiness made employees 12 percent more productive at work. Happiness leads to workplace satisfaction, and when you enjoy doing your work, you won’t be bored while wondering how to make time go faster. Engaging in meaningful activities, such as hobbies or social interactions, can also enhance your workplace satisfaction and make time feel more enjoyable.
So, find motivational quotes to inspire you and stick a few on your desk. They might prove helpful during slow days at work.
13. Learn new shortcuts
You can improve your work efficiency by learning a few shortcuts. For example, pro Linux users work better by mastering the terminal shortcuts. Most of the productivity tools you use support the usage of keyboard shortcuts that can save you hundreds of hours every year.
Terminal commands like ‘cd’ for navigation or ‘grep’ for searching are particularly helpful. If you get a terminal zsh permission denied error, it’s likely due to insufficient permissions. Fix it by adjusting file permissions or using ‘sudo’ for elevated privileges.
Learning shortcuts can help you achieve flow, making time go faster as you become fully immersed in your tasks. Try to learn a few each time you feel bored or while waiting for the workday to end.
Creating a Productive Environment
A well-organized and clutter-free workspace can significantly contribute to increased productivity and a sense of calm. Factors such as natural light, comfortable seating, and minimal distractions can help individuals stay focused and motivated. Incorporating elements such as plants, artwork, or inspirational quotes can also enhance the work environment and promote a positive mental state.
Moreover, establishing a regular routine and sticking to it can help individuals develop a sense of discipline and responsibility. A productive environment can also be created by minimizing clock watching and focusing on the task at hand, rather than the time passing.
By designing a workspace that promotes productivity and well-being, individuals can optimize their work experience and make the most of their time. Furthermore, a productive environment can also have a positive impact on mental health, as it provides a sense of control and agency over one’s work and life.
Making Your Workday Fly By
Beyond the essential strategies we’ve explored for making your workday go faster, here are four additional habits worth incorporating into your routine. These supplementary techniques work wonderfully alongside our main recommendations, giving you even more tools to combat those slow-moving hours.
While mastering time management and deep work remain foundational, these extra practices can provide quick wins when you need an immediate boost to your productivity and perception of time. Consider adding these simple yet effective approaches to your professional toolkit for those moments when you need to make the clock move a little faster.
Take Breaks
Taking regular breaks is essential for maintaining productivity. During your break time, consider engaging in fun activities such as chatting with colleagues or watching lighthearted videos to make time go faster.
Set Small Goals
Breaking down your tasks into smaller, manageable goals can make your workday feel more achievable and less overwhelming.
Listen to Music
Listening to your favorite tunes can help you stay focused and make the time pass more quickly.
Change Your Environment
Sometimes, a change of scenery can do wonders for your productivity. Consider visiting a coffee shop as an alternative place to work. The new environment can bring excitement and stimulate creativity in your work routine.
Make Time Work for You Using Traqq
Scheduling your workday gives you more control over your time. Knowing exactly how and where to spend your time will save you from procrastination, which usually ends up in time wastage.
By tracking the time you spend working, you’ll be able to monitor your time usage habits and devise ways to be more efficient. Traqq is one of the best time trackers to monitor your work activities and eliminate time wastage. It’s simple to use and comes loaded with all the features you need to improve your time management skills and boost your productivity. Using Traqq can help time pass faster by minimizing distractions and enhancing focus, making your workday more efficient.
