How to Stay Productive?
I started a new job in December and it is transaction-based so work/hours vary week to week, day to day. But often, I will find myself with an hour, two hours, five hours, eight hours with nothing to do - no live deals, no emails, no chats from other analysts, no phone calls - and I just go from my chair to my bed every so often with BloombergTV playing in the background (don't want to distract myself with Netflix).
I'm not looking for advice on how to ask superiors for more work, I know that and have done that but deal flow is just slow across the board. Keep in mind, we've done this wfh thing for a year now, so I have already taught myself new skills almost a year ago when I had even MORE free time. I don't know how many more Udemy courses I can sit through.
What I'd like to know is what can I do during these bouts of time where I have literally accomplished zero? I like to stay by my desk in case there is a fire drill, but I need some ideas on how to pass this time. Exercising is the only thing I can think of but you can't do that all day. Maybe reading?
It really hit me today that we are a year into this madness and I honestly think I can feel the toll on my mental health now. Sitting in a solo apartment, with nothing to do but think and browse the internet for a years time certainly will do no one any good.
Has your company any research material? Like rating agencies or IBs reports? You could improve your knowledge and, why not, do a newsletter for your colleagues. This will be greatly appreciated and it is better to just sit over there imo. However, reading something on Financial News websites is ok too. Be always ready to stop this extra work if any fire drill will ring btw!
Cocaine
Stop looking for ways to increase your workload or improve skill set, and just focus on yourself and mental health imo. Go for walks, work out, etc
Contemplate leaving. If this has been going on for a while who’s to say you’re not getting fired?
^ echo the above. Maybe not fired, but like laid off? If the whole firm doesn't have deal flow, that's not a good sign... would definitely spend time networking/applying for something else (that could also solved your being bored/nothing to do problem!)
Depending on where you live, I'd recommend taking a short walk just to get some fresh air. I don't see any harm in taking a 15 min stroll near the house (in case there is a fire drill, you can get in quickly). This helped me a lot with mental health.
Also a big thing I've learned is that most of the time nobody needs everything instantly (unless it is clearly urgent). In most scenarios, I'll crank out some work then take 15 extra minutes before I send it over. Those 15 mins are game changing for my mental health since I don't have to stress about things.
Another cool thing you could try to do is pick up a few cool hobbies. I didn't know how to shuffle cards really well, but I have a deck of cards I practice with when I have free time. I learned how to juggle 3 tennis balls over the course of a week and now I can almost juggle 5 at a time. These are just examples, but I think you get the idea.
- Study for GMAT / GRE
- Research
- Tournament Poker
- Workout / Zwift (indoor cycling)
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