9. Blog. Blogging has helped me make it through hours upon hours of work. Not in my current position, but definitely in the past. This is great when some asinine event occurs, and one is compelled to share it.
8. www.facebook.com... read the status updates and hit refresh. Wait 1 minute, and refresh. This is a far more tedious method of passing an hour, but in a pinch it will work.
7. Mundane quality of work health tasks. These include, but are not limited too... using the restroom, getting a drink of water, making coffee, reheating coffee, eating a snack, washing hands, flossing teeth, brushing teeth, turning on a heater, turning on a fan, turning off a heater, turning off a fan, filling a water bottle, washing dishes, blowing nose, stretching, quick phone calls...
6. Quick looks at funny websites (thechive, d-listed, cracked, funny or die, etc). These must be strategic and short lived, but the comedy relief and mental checkout that these moments provide, seem to make the slow moving hours bearable.
5. CNN.com - Few people can look upon you condescendingly when you are perusing this legitimate news source. It makes you look intelligent and in the know. You can also use the excuse, "I was looking up information about _____" or Did you know that (insert Bill Gates or Steve Jobs) is now doing ______." Between the two of them, one of them is always doing something, and whatever they are doing is always relevant to something going on in your work life.
4. Long drawn out conversations with co-workers about people or things that are mutually or collectively loathed. Ask an instigating question and the chatter will begin. A few well timed questions or comments can often make this method last upwards of 45 minutes or more! **Note, this method can only be used twice per week. Any more than that, and the topic gets beaten like a dead horse.
3. Bob and Sheri. No pair can make 4 hours seem like 2 quite like Bob and Sheri. Their podcasts are best paired with boring, mind numbing work. Beware of working on important emails while listening to Bob and Sheri lest you insert phrases like, "the cone of safety," or "first time caller".
2. Please refer back to 7 and 8. Number 2 is a combination of both.
1. The best way to whittle away an hour at work. Why talking to your Twinkie of course! A good IM conversation involving the previous evening's activities, recipe discussions, a little gossip, and of course a healthy dose of twin-doting can make an hour pass like 20 minutes.
