Hi, I’m Relan, a software engineer at a big MNC. You know those mornings when you roll into the office, still half-asleep, only to find yourself sipping coffee after coffee, wondering why you’re even here? Well, welcome to my life this week.
It’s been five days since I submitted my tasks ahead of the deadline. While I should’ve been relieved and celebrating, my soul decided it was a great time to have an existential crisis. My third coffee in two hours didn’t help either.
Now, let me introduce you to Suchi, my colleague and the human embodiment of an alarm clock. She’s always ticking, always moving, always working. You’d think she’s being paid for every breath she takes. Me? I was pretending to work, typing random words on Notepad like it was some next-level code.
“Relan, are you done with your tasks?” Her voice cut through the air like a sharp knife. I nearly spilled my coffee.“Yes… I mean, almost.” I stammered, trying to act nonchalant.“The deadline is approaching,” she reminded me with that tone only a high school principal can master.“Oh really? When is it again?” I asked, knowing full well I’d already completed everything.Her eyes flared up. “How irresponsible are you? You don’t even know the deadline?”
I wanted to scream, “Who made you the boss of me?” but instead, I smiled sarcastically. “Suchi, we’re on the same level. I don’t owe you answers. Maybe focus on your work during daily standups?”
She huffed and walked away. I muttered under my breath, “Bitch.”
The day dragged on painfully, and by the next morning, I was back at it—pretending to work while scrolling Instagram.
It started innocently enough. I was scrolling through stories and reels, bored out of my mind, when I stumbled upon Tina’s profile. Tina—a college crush I could never muster the courage to talk to properly—had posted a picture at the beach. Her tanned skin gleamed in the sunlight, and the way her bikini hugged her curves sent my imagination into overdrive.
I clicked on her profile and started scrolling, looking at her older posts—vacation pics, gym selfies, even random mirror shots. I shouldn’t have, but I did. My eyes lingered on one particular post where she was sitting by a pool, her hair wet and clinging to her shoulders. I could almost feel the heat rising in the room.
And then, as if the universe decided to mess with me, a reel started autoplaying—a steamy clip from a Netflix show. My brain mixed Tina and the reel, and I got lost in a daydream that would’ve made HR fire me on the spot. Just as things were heating up in my head, Dave tapped my shoulder. “Lunch?”
I jumped like I’d been caught doing something illegal. “Yeah, sure,” I mumbled, quickly locking my phone.
After lunch, I thought I’d try being productive, so I opened my inbox. Of course, there was nothing. I refreshed it five times, hoping for a miracle, but all I got was the same old automated messages. With nothing else to do, I headed to the pantry for another coffee.
That’s when the startup idea hit me. “What if I create an app where you can rent a friend for an hour?” I thought. “Perfect for lonely days!” But a quick Google search crushed my excitement. Turns out, someone else had already beaten me to it.
Feeling defeated, I wandered back to my desk and spent the next 15 minutes rearranging my desktop icons. At one point, I even opened Excel, just to make it look like I was doing something important.
As the clock dragged on, I glanced at Suchi, who was furiously typing away. Against my better judgment, I walked over. “Need help with anything?”She raised an eyebrow, her expression dripping with sarcasm. “Help? From you? No thanks.”
Why Idle Time at Work Feels Awful
Let me be honest: being idle at work feels amazing for a day, but beyond that, it’s a trap. Here’s why:
It messes with your confidence. When you’re not contributing, you start doubting your worth. Even if you’ve been productive before, idle days make you feel lazy.
Overthinking takes over. When you have nothing to do, your brain finds ways to stress you out—about work, your future, or even that one awkward thing you said in college.
Time crawls. A 9-hour workday feels like 90 hours when you have nothing meaningful to do.
You lose momentum. Staying busy keeps you sharp. Long stretches of doing nothing make it harder to focus when the work finally comes.
Conclusion
Idle time at home is heaven. But in the office? It’s a special kind of torture. You feel stuck between boredom and guilt, wondering if this is what your career has come to. So, if you’ve got free time at work, try learning something new or helping a colleague (even if it’s Suchi). It’ll keep you sane—and who knows? You might even enjoy it.
What’s your go-to move when work slows down? Share in the comments below!
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