How to kill time when you're on the bench

[Mupps]

What's the best way to spend your time between contracts?

And, what's a usual amount of time to sit on the bench?

Basically, i'm at home and bored now...

[psychocandy]

What's the best way to spend your time between contracts?

And, what's a usual amount of time to sit on the bench?

Basically, i'm at home and bored now...

Deffo get the wanking spanners out.....

[fullyautomatix]

Hey Mupps

Got some beer for us ?

I usually spend time posting on CUK.

[DieScum]

How about the free online courses that are springing up from place like Standford, Princetion, etc.

Fascinating stuff covering all sorts of topics.

I'm working through a CS101 to learn python atm (udacity.com) but there is everything electronics, history, etc.

[MarillionFan]

What's the best way to spend your time between contracts?

And, what's a usual amount of time to sit on the bench?

Basically, i'm at home and bored now...

Pron
One Week

More than a week and you should probably consider topping yourself. Same goes if your bored of the pron.

[Zoiderman]

Pron
One Week

More than a week and you should probably consider topping yourself. Same goes if your bored of the pron.

How longs it been for you MF?

[Sands of Time]

Walking in the countryside
Cycling ditto
Jobserve etc
Linkedin
Travel - staying away free on my Hotel Inn points.
Meet previous clients for lunch
Do stuff around the house
Get accounts and stuff up to date
Seeing new bird for lunch etc...
My trainer visiting 3 times per week (I love it the way she stands over me and shouts when I'm doing press ups).

That's my list for the coming weeks...



Tone

[MarillionFan]

How longs it been for you MF?

I'm not benched. I'm working my notice period. And once finished I still won't be benched as I will have something in place.

I was last benched for a few weeks in 2009 and previous to that 2001.

You extrapolate worse than Scootscot with a spreadsheet.

[amcdonald]

Don't what ever you do repeatedly press F5 on Jobserve, you'll get depression

Set it up so you technical areas in the locations you want contracts trigger emails off to you from jobserve, get them sent to your phone. That way you only need to spend at most an hour a day hunting for a contract

Then spend the rest of your time in a mix of fun and productivity, the happier you are the more chance you have of sounding positive at an interview. Not worrying about your situation is really the best thing you can do to improve your chance of having another contract, next to keeping your skills up to date

Make sure at least some of it involves social activies, not being in work you life will suffer otherwise. By all means do some computer games, but they're no substitute for socialising in real life.

Learn a new technology, even something you just fancy doing rather than thinking of the next big thing commercially. Refresh your current knowledge by using technologies in your skillset to develop something that could have commercial potential, if it doesn't work out at least your skills will be fresh

Personally, I make a little beer money developing CMS for small businesses inbetween jobs, and do plan for places to visit to do photography as a creative outlet, and always go swimming at least once a week to keep myself occupied, YMMV

[Sysman]

Find a project to do, and/or as suggested above, get some training in.