Whether you work at an office or not, every type of employee experiences slow days. These extreme ways of passing time will leave you wondering how you'll ever be productive again...
Celebrity Shrine
When you work a boring 9-5, what else are you suppose to do except Xerox a bunch of photos of Leonardo DiCaprio and paper your cubicle with them? Or better yet, your least favorite coworker's wall? I'm sure if Leo is ever in need of photocopies, he'll come to you.
Hope You Didn't Those
This is a prank that not even Jim Halpert would attempt. 7/10 for effort, 2/10 for creativity. Hopefully whoever needs the wire cutters next won't figure out that they can pretty easily snap that tie off.
Creative Caution Sign
The janitor at this office probably had a little too much free time on their hands. Looking out for the safety of the other employees shouldn't come without a little creativity, right? The warning is one that shouldn't be taken lightly, either.
Is There a Charger For This?
When the office says they're upgrading all your devices, and then the manager slaps one of these on your desk. Is this a first or second-generation? Does it come with a charger? Good luck connecting to the WiFi!
No Such Thing As Personal Space
Redecorating can come in many forms. This one pokes fun at you while you're in the restroom. I mean, anything to lighten company morale, right?
Content header
Assuming they meant lab mice and not computer mice, it would be funny to stick these on everyone's desktop computers. Real mice also pose their own difficulties to contain, so maybe keeping them where they belong is best for the entire lab.
It's The Little Things
Anyone who's ever worked in food service can relate to this. Daily step by step reminders to get you through each order are one thing, but the existential prison sentence at the end is definitely enough to quell any potential sense of meaning while on the job. Just a reminder: the service industry is forever.
Jim Was Here
This is a Jim Hapert-approved prank. Staying extra hours to tediously wrap your least favorite coworker's things in tinfoil just to watch them walk in with a sigh of frustration is sometimes all that gets you through a tough work day. Making someone else's life marginally harder for the sake of a laugh is free here.
When Labeling Doesn't Work
To the coworker who constantly steals your food in the fridge might need an extra hint that what's yours is not also theirs. The only issue you might have is if you ever lose the key...but everyone will defintely get the point you're trying to make.
Maximum Productivity
We all have a coworker who does the most, but have you ever seen anything like this? What sort of desk job requires this many screens? No desk job that I can think of. I hope whoever did this stole other people's monitors.
Obvious Warning
Just in case you get any ideas about ending it all while at your boring job, think again. This would be the least efficient way to cut your job short and guarantee immediate embarassment. Thankfully that sign is there to remind you to do otherwise.
Boredom Labels
When your job is incredibly mind-numbing, sometimes even the most menial tasks become fun. The process of typing out and sticking labels to everything is an easy way to waste 20 minutes. "Coworker on my right" can definitely attest to that.
Bathroom Attendant
This is the easiest way to guarantee a heart attack while on your break. Mr. Bean does not need to be stationed in the office restroom, but he is. Anyone who walks in there and doesn't know he's waiting by the door is surely in for a surprise.
Delivery Drama
Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to, Brad. Though this box definitely doesn't contain anything as unsightly as the movie Seven did, if you need some way to spice up your work day deliveries, why not try adding a little cinematic tension to the situation? The delivery guy has probably heard the joke too many times, though.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
HR probably wouldn't even think to question this excuse. How could you blame them? Even if it was a lie, it's still the most creative reason for missing a shift they've probably ever heard.
Local Bagpiper
Whatever, and I mean whatever, it takes to boost office morale, right? Let the bagpiper play! If watching him from the window for 10 minutes each day is what gets the employees through their shift, then by all means let him stay.
Desk Toys
When the day is slow, why not get creative and see what you can make with objects lying around your desk? These cute animal creations are definitely worthless and a waste of time, but they were probably at least kind of fun to put together for thirty minutes.
Lunch Break Art
Think twice before you throw away that bagged lunch. See if your takeout plastics can be used in other ways, like creating lame but kind of entertaining sculptures that will sit on your desk for a week too long.
The Finest of Lines
This drawing definitely just started out as a bunch of scribbles and then eventually turned into the perfect time-waster. Can you count how many individual lines there are here? Do you want to? Probably not, and that's the point.
Art is Everywhere
When you're truly that bored, you start to find art in nearly everything. The work days are long, but somehow the endless supply of dumb ideas never seems to run out.
Kitchen Meme
How would you like to walk into your work's kitchen and find the troll face staring back at you from the countertop? How long do you think it took to expertly place those spices there? The correct answer is: too long.
Robot Employee
The other cashier was on his lunch break, so this guy is taking over for the next thirty minutes. He's not very good at counting change, but he can explain how batteries and things work, which is valuable, right? He's also pretty shy, so don't ask too many questions.
Up Stream Without a Paddle
Whether he was recreating Washington's crossing of the Delaware or Tom Sawyer's famous river getaway, the boredom on his face couldn't be more apparent. However, it does look like a lot of effort went into crafting that canoe, which is honestly pretty cool.
Mission: Impossible Could Never
This straight out of a spy movie. The teacher who did this on their break probably had fun putting this together, but they're going to regret taking it apart. Not even Tom Cruise would risk descending from the ceiling over this death trap.
Neverending Windows
Screenshot-ception isn't as fun as you'd think. Are you getting a headache looking at this? Same. Which window is the real desktop?
Sticky Note Rubix Art
This wouldn't just take a few minutes. This probably took hours, or at least several folding sessions spread out over a couple days. I can't imagine the intricacy or patience it took, but this Post-It note art definitely isn't useless, it's a cute addition to any desk.
Halogen Christmas
The product of a bored science teacher, a room full of halogen bulbs, and an impending Christmas break means only one thing: the semi-creative yet still educational construction of a Christmas tree. It's highly breakable, of course, but I'm sure the nerd behind this was proud of their work.
Woodshop Theory
If you work with the proper tools, why not kill time at your day job with a little woodworking? This was probably a slow-going project, but look at those results. If you need a way to easily kill 20 minutes a day, here you go!
Tough Crowd
If your jokes in the breakroom ever seem to fall short, a small peanut gallery would surely help lighten the mood. Look at those glassy eyes, that unwavering smile. They'd probably laugh at paint drying, so eve if your jokes aren't funny, you can count on them.
Mo Money Mo Problems
This stylish fiver knows how to dress. Can you imagine how bored you'd have to be to origami fold four or five different dollar bills just to make this? And then if you need something from the vending machine you'll just have to unfold your handiwork.
Dollar Origami
Another take on the classic paper folding art. The person in this one is missing some essential body parts, and the dog is definitely unsightly, but if it wasted like thirty minutes then it did the job.
Spoon Characters
When the takeout orders slow down, it only makes sense to draw your favorite kitchen characters onto the back of to-go utensils. The cast of Bob's Burgers looks great in pen and ink. Hopefully they don't accidentally get put into someone's order.
Paperclip Art
Do people still have paperclips anymore? If so, why aren't they doing this with them more? Imagine the attention to detail and patience it took to twist all these individual paperclips into art. If you ever need to fasten some paper together, though, you might want to ask a coworker for a paperclip.
White Out
Do you know how pointless this is? How bored you must be to sit at your desk and white out your belongings instead of just doing your work? We've all been there, you can't say you haven't.
Post-It Art
This is either a great way to brighten someone's day, or a huge annoyance. It just depends on the work environment and whether or not your coworkers enjoy...fun. This is a pretty cute touch of office decor if you can overlook the fac that even the monitor is covered in paper.
Winter Is Coming
Fellow office Game of Thrones fans will love this techy take on the iron throne. Whether or not this was a safe thing to do is debatable, but as long as he didn't break any of the computers, I'm sure it's fine. It's all for a photo-op anyways.
Clip Art
A physical take on Microsoft's clip art! This creature looks menacing with those stapler-removing teeth and binder clip limbs. One wrong move and the whole thing will definitely snap your fingers.
Ketchup-Walker
You've seen Star Wars, remember these things? The AT-AT's must have gotten smaller over the years. When things on the fast-food front are slow, why not see what you can make out of sauce containers? This is creative for sure.
Post-It Nyan Cat
Something to literally brighten the mood! Fans of this meme will instantly recognize Nyan Cat's smiling face. Whether or not everyone is appreciative of the windows being blocked or not, it's still a simple way to make the office feel a little more inviting.
Balancing Act
This is one of the most difficult, mindless tasks ever. Balancing coins on their sides is nearly impossible, but if you're determined to waste time, you'll find a way to make this happen. Maybe you can beat this record and stack four.
Let It Snow
This is likely the product of a bored elementary school teacher on their lunch break. Stormtrooper snowflakes are a cute and creative way to spice up the classroom decor. Students who love Star Wars will definitely appreciate the extra effort.
Rubberband Victim
Sit across from your boredest coworker at your own risk. You will get pelted with rubberbands or pieces of paper when the grind slows down. Whenever there's a lull, annoying another person is typically the go-to.
Power Meeting
If you ever wanted to really boost your authority in the workplace, make you and your fellow execs come in dressed as superheros. It's a guaranteed way to both boost morale and make yourselves feel more productive, even if you do look ridiculous.
Ink Illusions
It's hard to tell where this drawing starts and ends, which was definitely the point. Mapping out unsolvable mazes and staring at them until your eyes hurt is a guaranteed way to waste time. If you ever feel like you're going crazy from staring at screens all day, try staring at this instead.
Balancing Act
This photo defies gravity, but when you have so much time to kill this is one project that you will find a way to solve. I don't even want to know how long this took, or how frustrated they were when someone had to buy a pack, but I can imagine this was a day's worth of work.
Watercolor Turtle
Assuming your art teacher ever has down time, they are certainly entitled to work on their own projects. I'd like to imagine this is a glorified self-portrait of their pet tortoise made to look like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
DIY Christmas Decor
When the office is lacking that holiday spirit, there are so many easy ways to spice up the Christmas cheer. This DIY cardboard box fireplace probably took no time to put together and makes the break room look instantly more cozy and inviting during the winter months.
Balancing Bowls
If you've ever worked in food service, you've probably pushed the limits similarly to this as well. Any way to occupy your mind while you're not serving is reason enough to recklessly rearrange the china. If you're lucky enough to not get caught while doing it, more power to you.
Fly On The Wall
Creativity can truly come from anywhere, even from dead flies you've collected. This is unfortunately both hilarious and disgusting, but I wouldn't want to get near any dead bugs for the sake of artwork.
Excel Fun
Mike Tyson encourages you to waste time and color in his muscles in your Excel spreadsheet. Are you telling me you've never thought to waste time this way? It's like a corporate version of paint by number.
Perfect Produce
The attention to detail in this produce section is truly mindblowing. This might be the only productive example of boredom at work. I'd love to see this type of organization at my local market.
Nightmarish White Board
I'd never want to erase this simply because I'd feel guilty for the amount of time it took to create this senseless drawing. The attention to detail within each face is insane, and from a distance it actually does look really pleasing.
When Your Coworkers Get Along
This is one of those rare situations where you and your coworkers are all so bored at the same time that it actually forces you to get along with each other. Funny photo ops are some of the easiest ways to break the ice and kill time.
More Fun With Post-Its
It doesn't matter what kind of comapny you work for. Everyone loves fun Nintendo characters, and if you take the time to actually create artwork out of Post-It notes, it will definitely be appreciated by someone.
Is This iRobot?
Okay this guy's pretty cute. When boredom strikes at the garage, what else are you supposed to do except create a fun little assistant? He's doing the most work!
Lab Art
How can you make use of unused petri dishes than with some fun Pokemon art? Slide it under a microscope to see what kind of organisms they used in the details for a fun surprise. You'll surely catch them all.
The Doctor Will See You Now
This is either a ploy to get this dog adopted, or he really is the on call physician at the vet. Either way, I would both take him home and trust him with my life. 10/10 costume fitting, too.
New 'Do
Looks like Bob Marley decided to grow out his hair. Walking past this in the supply closet would definitely get a laugh from at least a few well-versed, musically inclined coworkers.
Fun With Cubicles
The feeling after you get a raise over your coworkers, right? If you feel like the highest up in the office, your desk has to reflect that, even if it does annoy your deskmate.
Construction Worker Bling
When everyone on the job needs to know that you're married. Every office has someone like this, but to take it so far as to redesign a part of your uniform to reflect your new relationship status is a little much.