If you think that your regular 8-hour shift in your office space in the Philippines is already hard enough, then how would it feel if we add the stress of working the midnight shift or being required to do hours of OT?
But don’t you worry because there are things you can do to survive the long and boring hours. What you need is to do some planning ahead to make the shift less tiring, stressful, or boring.
Without further ado, here are some things you can do to make things a breeze in the office:
Get on with the Tasks You’ve Always Set Aside for Later
After getting those deadlines and important tasks out of the way, the next thing for you to do is to take on some mindless tasks to keep you occupied instead of bored. Go and organize your desk. Answer those emails. Clean your inbox. Soon you’ll discover that the shift is almost over.
A long, boring day in the office is the ideal time to get these simple but time-consuming tasks out of the way.
Start with Easy-to-Accomplish to Keep the Ball Rolling.
Send email to design team, create business plan, organize meeting, anything to get you into the zone of work and build the momentum. It’s also one way of ticking completed tasks from the list. Though some of them may look trivial, getting them out of the way will help slowly get the hang of it and then jump into more important and difficult tasks.
Break Tasks into Hour Increments.
Long tasks are hard to get into. It would feel like it all needs to get done. So set a timeline and break it into Hour 1, 2, 3… and so on. It’s easy to get lost in focus but use these time constraints to set your mind into getting work done. Turn the page on yesterday and only ever think about today and tomorrow.
Plan an Awesome Meal You’d Have After Work
Just like how those after shift get-togethers give you something to look forward to at the end of the week, so will a hearty dinner at your favorite resto. Motivate yourself that if you get through a certain number of hours and finish a certain amount of tasks, you’ll go treat yourself to that ramen you’ve been craving. Or, if you have to do overtime, chip in with some workmates and have food delivered. Believe me, food makes even the worst shifts feel a bit better.
Get a reminder app for everything.
Kill time by testing apps that help keep on top of things. Work your way through each app and find the best suitable for you. Do not trust your own brain for your memory. Human as we are, we have times that we slip up and miss deadlines. Once you have found the right app, integrate all things that need to be done. And isn’t this a good start to set the mood for work? And if you still have remaining time.
Stretch that Weary Body.
No matter what you have to do, never ever spend a very long shift glued to your seat. Not only will it make the grind feel physically tiring, but it’s simply not a healthy idea to be sedentary.
Feel free to move and go stretch those sore and tired muscles. When you’ve been sitting for quite a while, getting up and moving will make you feel a whole lot better.
Remember, by being active, keeping yourself occupied, and getting regular breaks, you can survive a long tiring shift and make it to the weekend.
Good luck.
