30 Things to do on a Boring Conference Call: Home Office Edition

When we first launched One Thing New, we ran a story called 24 Things to Do on a Boring Conference Call. We quickly realized two things. One, lots of people are bored on conference calls. More than we suspected. Two, the amount you can accomplish during a dull call depends on how much privacy you have. We like to think we came up with some good ideas for the office-bound, but if you're working from home and have a solid command of the mute button, the sky's the limit. A few suggestions to inspire you:

1. Get outside. As far as I'm concerned, everything else pales in comparison to this. Yes, you can fold laundry, empty the litter box or even watch Downton Abbey as your boss rattles on, but in the long run, getting outside always does more for my sanity. Watch the joggers and bicyclists, root for the squirrels in their constant battle against the bluejays, or just stare at the sky as the clouds go by.

2. Pull weeds. This is "get outside" for the type A's among us (like me). So satisfying!

3. Buy gifts, send flowers. This is the perfect time to take care of the baby gift, the wedding gift, whatever. Buy it online and have it gift wrapped and shipped to the recipient. Done.

4. Fold laundry. This has the advantage of being practically silent.

5. Organize your money. Set up online bill-paying, change your 401(k) contributions, make sure you're automatically getting money into your savings account each month.

6. Sweep.

7. Engage your core. We have a friend who does balancing exercises during her conference calls. Brilliant. If you're feeling more ambitious, you can do some real exercise.

8. Chop an onion. I know this sounds weird. But half of all dinner recipes known to man start with a diced onion. So chop one during the call, and put it in Tupperware in the fridge. You just saved five minutes for when it really counts – when the kids are home, cranky, and want to eat.

9. Plan your next vacation. Book it. Begin daydreaming. 

10. Water your plants.

11. Cull your kids' artwork.

12. Scan listings of nearby art galleries and museums. Make a list of the shows you really want to see.

13. Tweet. Like. Share. Yes, you can look at your friends' kids on Facebook all day long. But if your job involves any sort of social media duty, this is the perfect time to get it done.

14. Throw stuff in the slow cooker. What to cook? Some suggestions from Mark Bittman; a few more.

15. Fill out paperwork for your health insurance. It seems like I am always dealing with a bill that is incorrect or some screw-up on my flexible spending account. Now's the time to fix it, or at least try. 

16. Change the bed sheets. Throw them in the wash.

17. Make a photobook on Snapfish, Blurb, or Shutterfly. These are surprisingly time-consuming, but it won't seem half so bad with one of your colleagues droning on in the background. 

18. Knit. Crochet. Hand-tie a quilt. Heck, whittle.

19. Scrub the kids' crayon marks off the walls. Give up. Paint over them.

20. Clean out your wallet or handbag. Who needs all those crushed-up receipts?

21. Play sudoku online. Billions (yes, billions) of free puzzles. If you're not sudoku literate, here's a quick guide on how to solve them.

22. Clean out the medicine cabinet.

23. Make oatmeal. Generally, I don't cook during conference calls. Too unpredictable. But oatmeal isn't cooking – it's stirring. With dried cranberries, a chopped apple, and a few chocolate chips, it's my favorite snack when I hit the 3 pm lull.

24. Clean the top of your desk. Hit the mute button when the shredder goes on. Feel super-productive.

25. Make all your doctor's appointments for the year. If you've got kids, get their appointments set up, too.

26. Sort your clothes, or the kids' clothes. It's still cold out. Do you really need those floaty sundresses staring at you every morning? Make a bag full of stuff to go to charity.

27. Let your computer do all those software updates you're always postponing.

28. Clean out the refrigerator and/or set your stove to clean.

29. Go to Benneton play and play.

30. Watch Downton Abbey online with the volume off and the subtitles on (it's the CC -close captioning button on the bottom right of the window after the video starts).  If you're already a fan, check out this amazingly funny parody — Uptown Downstairs Abbey — that was put together to support a British charity effort called Red Nose Day. The cast includes Ab Fab favorites Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, among others. Then watch the second part. — KW

Have some great ideas we missed, either in this story or the earlier one? Email us at more@onethingnew or '@' us on twitter at @onethingnew. We're not above doing a follow-up!