To most, a 40-hour work week is the standard for a traditional job, usually spent in an office-type setting.
However, if you’re anything like me, spending 40 hours in the same office, wearing uncomfortable-but-appropriate work attire and the promise of predictability can seem like the worst form of torture.
I have tried the office lifestyle — which did have some perks — but found that endless paperwork, constant phone calls and rigidity were not what I was looking for when I stepped into the professional world.
Basically, I cannot stand being caged into a stuffy office.
The variety and flexibility I have in my current job allow me to focus my creative energy on the things I truly enjoy doing or just simple responsibilities I need to tend to.
I can think of hundreds of activities or chores I could be doing — that are actually productive — than wasting my life in a tiny cubicle of fluorescent lights.
For now, here are 41 things I would rather be doing than wasting away in any office.
1. Organizing my closet...
Because just the thought of the ridiculous amount of clothing I own and need to toss actually weighs fairly heavily on my sanity.
2. Cleaning the basement in my house...
To make room for a real — and less stuffy — office space.
3. Teaching myself how to master the perfect croissant.
An odd goal of mine.
4. Snuggling with my cats.
(or just watch them chase red dots around)
5. Preparing and decorating the yard.
My boyfriend and I have our first house together and an awesome backyard that would be nice to take advantage of.
6. Binge watching everything.
7. Focus more on doing art.
Since I started drawing for fun, I have found a great release for my anxiety and have actually been finishing my work (which is a pretty big deal for me).
8. Learning how to cook...
...and not just using a microwave or living on salads.
9. Brush up on my French...
and maybe even get to the point that I can somewhat understand conversational French.
10. Write more.
Whether I am actually starting to formulate the book idea I have had simmering in my imagination, or just writing short articles like this one — I love writing and would like to put forth more energy into it.
11. Improving my latte art.
12. Facetiming my besties.
13. Doing more yoga...
Even if my flexibility is laughably non-existent.
14. Volunteering.
I hear that some animal shelters need people to play with the cats and that is a sacrifice I am extremely willing to make.
15. Eating.
If I learn how to cook and bake perfect croissants, then I also need time to indulge in my own creations.
16. Reading.
For some reason, I have not devoured a good book in quite some time and I would love to make up for that.
17. Exploring different workouts and classes.
(boxing classes are something I have always wanted to try but have been too nervous to actually do).
18. Getting my writing out there.
I thank Odyssey every day for the confidence and opportunities that I have gained from writing weekly articles, but I wouldn’t really mind getting my work out to other publications that I think my content would fit into.
19. Traveling.
Not even going to places that are super far away, maybe just taking day trips to new towns or cities. Travel is a necessity for me to remain positive, happy and sane.
20. Planning for my actual future.
This is a crazy concept for me, considering my planning abilities are almost nonexistent. I have bounced around the idea in my brain that I could go back to school for a Master’s or Doctorate level degree in a subject I am genuinely passionate about, or I have thought about what it must feel like to be completely financially secure.
21. Sending surprise care packages to my friends in different states.
There is just something so fun about finding random things to send to your long distance best friends and waiting for their excited text.
22. Napping.
23. Online shopping.
The reward without the risk (of interacting with humans in public).
24. Coffee shop hopping.
As a long-time coffee snob, I find enjoyment from discovering new shops in my area because I like to see what else the coffee world is coming up with.
25. Start an Instagram account for my cats.
26. Walk
Preferably at night during the Summer, to an ice cream shop.
27. Rearrange my closet.
Because I still have not found just the right setup for all of those clothes I don’t wear.
28. Research some new subscription box that may actually be worth my monthly payments...
And hopefully, make my life easier.
29. Catching up on my favorite podcasts.
30. Going on breakfast dates with Dom
Our favorite and rare weekend activity when I am not working Saturdays or Sundays.
31. Meal prepping.
Actually having an idea for dinner or dosing out quick smoothie portions really does make life easier... if only I could stick to it.
32. Going to music festivals.
Having an office job makes taking time off much more difficult and I do not like having to ask a boss for “permission” to gain approval. That makes planning and purchasing tickets much more expensive and difficult. Working at the coffee shop offers the ability to take off many days without really needing to ask in advance.
33. Take a class, just because.
I considered signing up to take a “master class” taught by a successful DJ to learn how to produce and create electronic tracks, not because I thought I would be good at it, but mainly because I am intrigued as to how some of these DJ's layer these sounds together to make music.
34. Rearranging my ridiculous Pinterest boards...
Having creative ideas and aspirations is neat, but am I really going to make that pallet furniture that says it is “easy” only to find it is actually very much the opposite?
35. Visiting used bookstores or second-hand shops.
This can be so fun and can really take up a lot of your day because you never really know what you could come across or what kind of history those books and objects have.
36. Planting flowers and making a point to actually keep them alive.
I love gardens and growing things, but I am much better at killing them and I’d like to fix that.
37. Train for some absurdly intense obstacle course or 5k run...
... not really because I want to, but more to say that I did and also because running sounds more bearable than wasting 40 hours of my life in an office.
38. Frame my favorite pictures.
I have boxes of pictures I love to look at but would probably find more enjoyment from displaying them so that I don’t have to dig for them.
39. Go to the movies.
Occasionally I get the urge to go see a movie alone (one that I know Dom will not see) and then I back out because I feel like I would seem weird, then I remember that I am weird and I don’t really care what people think I am.
40. Stare at the wall in silence.
I know I could do this in an office, as well, but if I am in my own home I would feel more comfortable. I know that staring at a wall in silence doesn’t sound like much fun, but I think that it would be more productive than pretending to do work at an office job. Plus, I think this activity could really improve my meditation abilities.
41. Literally, anything else that offers me some form of freedom.
An office feels like a prison full of lost souls that once had dreams and creative ideas but were forced to conform to a stable job for financial survival.
Some of this list may seem a bit dramatic, but I cannot express how painful it is to my soul and my sanity to be forced into a tiny square of misery. I want to live my life every day, not just during weekends. I have too many thoughts in my head to keep me focused on one type of job for 40 hours of my life — every. damn. week.
At least days are unpredictable at the coffee shop, along with the fact that I am constantly moving around and my hours allow me time to chill or get things done before or after work without being too mentally drained.
If you are not 100 percent happy with your current work environment, consider doing something more worthwhile because, honestly, money does not always have to be your number one priority.
I think happiness and feeling proud of yourself for pursuing your unconventional career goals is much more important than getting into the mundane 40-hour work week just to get a paycheck.
Think about it: those are 40 hours that you cannot get back. Once they are spent, they cannot be returned.
