How to cope with lazy days at work when you can't be bothered

Unless you're the secret love child of Bree Van der Kampf and Robocop, you're going to have days when you're not firing on all cylinders and you just can't be bothered. 

There's no point fighting them: can't-be-bothered days are perfectly normal, healthy and can be productive (sometimes our most brilliant ideas come at times when we're not doing anything much).

The problem: how do you get through an unproductive day without getting fired on the spot? 

The solution: Filing is the #1 time-killer and filler. It's mindless and requires very little brainpower. 

"Busy yourself organising all your files and paperwork," says our expert. "Remember that files and papers have a far greater chance of ending up in the right place if they take less than 5 gestures to put away." 

So chuck out your complicated ring folders and plastic wallets, and file your paperwork in plain carboard sleeves. The same goes for your inbox: limit your number of files you store e-mails in and get rid of anything that's not essential. Never have more than 4 sub-folders, or you'll never be able to remember where you've filed anything.

Once you've finished filing and thoroughly cleaned out your inbox, don't sit back and think of more things to waste time on. The whole point of mindless filing is to get you back into work mode, so once you've done a bit of blissful time-wasting, knuckle down. Don't con yourself into thinking you'll be raring to go after another coffee break or walk!

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