Bored at work - what do do?

[Former Member]

There are times when I have to work with a new technical topic and I am unsure and have to google for help and need the full time (or more) which is assigned to a work package.

But very often I have more time available than I need (or as it happened with another client: I had to wait for full SAP authorizations a whole week) and wonder what to do.

I could go through my work over and over again and search for the last errors. I agree that in theory that is one of the right solutions.

I could tell my team lead and he will give me more work, eventually the work of my collegues and nobody will thank me or remember that and I am not sure if this is a smart approach. Of course in theory that is also one of the right solutions.

I could surf through SAP Community Network and reply to some discussions. This is something I was doing very often in the last time.

I could surf through the internet which is even more interesting but forbidden.

I could look for a more demanding job but I am a fully trained and experienced technical SAP consultant and this is not the first position where I got bored frequently.

I could wonder if I should do a doctorate to get more interesting work. I have already opened another SCN discussion for that (while I was bored).

I could look outside through the window, to the sky, fetch one coffee after another or do similar things. But after a while that too gets very boring.

Have you been in similar situations or what are your ideas?

[Lukas_Weigelt · Accepted solution]

Not bored, but a few minutes of spare time here and there:

• answering questions
• ranting
• reading blogs
• more ranting

works out pretty well for me 😆

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Ranting sounds cool. They will love mo for that. lol.

Reading interesting blogs on SCN is an option as SCN should be an allowed internet site even if internet usage is monitored by the evil client but it can get boring of the blogs are too long.

Thomas

[former_member182421 · Accepted solution]

- Write blogs.

- Eat cookies.

- Have long conversations with yourself (Hello Thomas!, Hi Thomas!, How are you today?).

- Design a plan to conquer the world, yes you can include ABAP on that.

- Clean the workspace, those IT guys...

- Observe your colleagues and try to find out if there's any affair on the office

- Open SAP Incidents like crazy

Look for another job before you become like me

[Steffi_Warnecke · Accepted solution]

but it can get boring of the blogs are too long.

Thomas

It's not the length, that makes a blog boring, but the content and/or presentation style. ^^

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Ok. Agreed.

Thomas

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Cookies are an option. They sell them in the cafeteria, but I have a weight problem. I already wrote a number of discussions in the past, for blogs I did not have enough phantasy yet but I work on that. I will think about the thing with the conversations. Unfortunately I am doing so much with ABAP that I don't want to do even more. My desk is fairly clean. [Dreaming]All the beautiful girls already have affairs with me[/Dreaming]. I can't afford to be on the black list of SAP support (which still can happen because of one of my recent discussions in the Coffee Corner but today I openend a ticket in the clients ticket system to get an own phone and I also made a suggestion for improvment that there will be a nice parking lot in front of the building and nice coffee machines everywhere (at this client we have to buy coffee in the cafeteria for 60 Euro-cent). Looking for another job is an option but I am afraid the situation is everywhere the same. I try to convince my boss to promote me to technical architect although.

Thanks a lot for your reply, Luis.

Thomas

[former_member182421 · Accepted solution]

If you are so lucky to share space with beautiful girls, you have lot of time to invest there, Be the SAP Knight with the shining orange armour, who brings them flowers and early coffee! (psssst don't forget about the cookies omomomomom)

[Former Member]

On last friday we did a brainstorming with two groups internally (not at the customer). The group I was in finished a lot earlier (also because I took a little bit the initiative and wrote down a few things on the flipchart). We then waited a while and then showed the results of our group to the manager and were allowed to go home and enjoy the weekend while the other group was still brainstorming. That was fair.

Thomas

[RafkeMagic]

What I try do is read up (either on SAP stuff or on other stuff that interests you)... get something in pdf format, so you can read it from your pc screen (don't like that myself actually, but then it "looks" like you're busy). You could even follow an OpenSAP course (if that website is allowed and if you are allowed to wear headphones).

Sometimes when I'm too restricted... I just "invent" programs that make my work easier. Then again, if you're really bored for a long time, you end up with way too many programs

[Former Member]

Hello Raf,

OpenSAP-courses are very interesting. I did not do many but at least my third at the moment. But only when being at home or in my own office but at least with writing it down as internal work. I don't want to use headphones for one or two hours. If I would then radio would be an option with my company laptop (see below).

SAP stuff with pdf-documents and own ABAP-programs are nice but I do SAP stuff only for business purposes. It doesn't interest me enough (any more) to do it for fun purposes.

What is good is that I have my own company laptop with me with a mobile phone modem in (not always connection in office buildings although) which I use for one reason or the other.

Best regards,

Thomas

[RafkeMagic]

Those pdf's don't necessarily have to be SAP related... it can be anything you're interested in (music, soccer, cooking, "how to be noticed by those beautiful women in your office", ...).

I know the feeling... on some projects there are too many procedures which basically slow me down (enormously) so I end up being bored (or waiting). At the moment there aren't too many restrictions (internetwise), but I can't work with my own laptop. On my previous project, it was the other way around.