Slacking Issue I: How To Look Busy/Important At Work Pt. 1

I've been searching for something new, something fresh, yet something I am familiar with to start blogging about...as some of my regular readers have likely noticed my posting has tapered to a snail's pace for some time but it's because I've been trying to think of a few different topics to begin discussing on my blog in hopes to "freshen" it up a bit...and just this afternoon the inspiration came to me.  My home page is set to my.yahoo.com which will select "feature" stories and for the past few weeks I have gotten (recommended by Yahoo!) stories on how to conduct a proper job interview, what questions not to ask a potential employer, how to do your resume and so on.  But I've rarely seen posts on how some employees get away with doing little and yet keep their job ... so that is how I decided start giving some of my observations which can be used by anyone in their workplace to do less and yet seem to be integral to the business.  I've always have been a "go-getter" at my work places but then some employers, over the years, have ripped that spirit from me and turned me into a lazy employee.  I have had more than my fair of jobs ... up until the past 15 years, most were menial, low paying jobs and I have my share of "quitting" stories...but that is all background to my new series: Slacking.  And to be more specific, I think it to be more centered around slacking at the work place because over the years not only have I perfected some great slacking methods I also like to think that I am an "expert" in the field and would like to recognize and share other great slacking techniques...and so with that, here's my first installment...How to look busy or more important than what you are ... and I'll say part one because I am fairly confident I can discover more...

Here is a great slacker trick that I just discovered and I think it to be very effective.  If you ever think your co-workers think you don't do anything or you are just sitting around - and maybe it is because you do - but here is a great first step to reverse that impression from your coworkers and that is request a whiteboard and markers ... and the request is important for this process too... for you see, you want your employer to start to think...oh boy, this person looks like he is going to "get organized" and will promptly run to the office supply store and get a white board and markers for you.  Now there's a couple of key elements to this entire plan to make sure it works perfectly for you...the first is to then hang the white board in the most noticeable place for your coworkers to see it...exactly in line with your entrance to your office/cubicle/shop/what have you, so that a person, when entering, will see that white board.  The next part is fairly obvious...have stuff written on the white board and keep it updated.  What you have written on your white board is irrelevant and if you actually want to use it in a productive manner, more power to you.  But if you just want to "appear" busy and/or important then make sure you are just putting things on the white board and I think that the more gibberish the funnier ... yet have it "appear" as if it is some cryptic short-hand known only to you.  I would use common looking words for your workplace but remove all the vowels, put plenty of dates and or times on the white board and maybe a name or two... something like this would surely make you appear busy and important:

4/12 - mtng John w/GE
2:45 - mntnce vb
6/2 - Clear jmpst
4j-345 - invoice cp/dl
cpu wkshp
dl-fwd mit design

But make sure you change your white board on a regular basis...simply erasing a few lines and adding a few lines would make it appear as if your day is busy every day and what have you really done?  Nothing, just wrote some things on a white board...but it sure appears as if you are in the process of doing something.  As and added bonus, you can use the white board to get you out of work...if someone comes to you asking for help and you don't want to help, just simply look at the white board and say "I'd love to help you but my day and week (or month or year or life) is booked solid., look at this."  As you point to your cryptic whiteboard.

I think if you are looking to start slacking at your workplace adding a whiteboard is a great first step...

Happy Slacking!