Countdown to 5 o'clock

Due to the poor economy, many of us are now stuck in jobs we do not enjoy. Even if we once liked our jobs, the economy has made many jobs overwhelming. Plenty of people have more job duties or more hours, but less pay. It can be terribly frustrating. You might be sitting at your computer at work right now reading this hub and wondering how you will get through the day.

I've decided it is time to create a fun countdown for your workday. If you start at 8 or 9 in the morning, and you begin wishing 5 o'clock was already here, the day is going to be really challenging for you. However, why not make it a countdown? If you have something to look forward to for each hour, it will make your day go by ever so much faster.

So to my friends online that have been frustated with their jobs lately, let the countdown begin!

Looking to kill some time at 9 AM? Well, this is the perfect time to grab a cup of coffee. What better way to stay awake?

Why not make it a goal to try a new flavor today? How about trying a new flavor each day this week if you have that option? Have you had an eye on that new coconut flavor in the work kitchen? Well, my friend, today is the day. Have a great coffee break!

Does you chair squeak just a little when you move to the right? Does your co-worker hate it when you chew your kettle chips too loud? How about chewing gum when you talk to your co-worker? If any of these things annoy your co-worker, go for it!

It is easy to find a fun and amusing way to annoy your co-worker while you are still working. To make things interesting, try to find new ways to annoy a different co-worker each day at 10 AM.

Do you need to use the bathroom? No? Well, whatever. Get up and take a break anyway. You can check out the wallpaper or see if they finally refilled the soap dispenser. You may actually need to use the bathroom, but you've been holding it all morning because the phone won't stop ringing. Go ahead and take your bathroom break during this hour.

Noon is about the time I start to tell myself the day if practically over. Even if it isn't, it helps to be reassured that it will all end soon. Usually this is a good time to be thankful you have a job at all, and try to hold out as long as possible before going to lunch. If you go to lunch now, you will come back and have to suffer through 4 more hours of work. So hold out and go to lunch at 1 if you can.

Also, this is a great time to start thinking about lunch. Maybe you brought a boring tuna sandwich and you don't want to give it a second thought. Well, you can sit there and think about dinner instead for a moment. You can even reply to an email or do some data entry while thinking about your dinner. That is called multi-tasking.

Ah, it's the most wonderful time of the day! It is time to go to lunch. Sure, half of us really don't even get to have lunch. We have to instead run a bunch of errands because we never get to take off from work to do any important personal activities. So what if maybe you run around for an hour only to sit down at 2 to eat your lunch? You got away from the desk and that is most important.

This is the time of day when you actually eat your lunch or finish your lunch while working. If you got to finish your lunch on your break, you can take this time to appreciate your food and consider tomorrow's lunch menu. If you have the chance, you can also visit the snack machine to reward yourself for still being awake at this point in the afternoon.

3 o'clock is about the time when everyone is running on empty. People would much rather curl up under their desks to take a nap than do any work. Instead of snoozing on the job, it is time to go on YouTube to enjoy a video. Sure, your work may block that type of thing. If this is the case, your company is a total party pooper! Maybe you have your phone or your MP3 player and you can watch a video or at least listen to a song. Geez... everyone should get to have a 3 minute break here and there!

While on YouTube, make sure to check out something that makes you happy. An uplifting music video, perhaps one about vacations or not working, is always a good option. If you are not in the mood for music, give Charlie the Unicorn a try. That always makes me happy.

Now is a good time to pick a co-worker with a sense of humor, and give them a prank call. You can call them back at their cubicle and give them a good laugh. There are a number of options with this one depending on how your company runs.

Maybe you can call and tell them someone is at the office to see them. When they go to the lobby, of course, no one is there. Is there a person or customer that co-worker always tries to avoid? Give them a call and say that person is on the way to their desk.

You can also make random calls from your cell phone so they won't see the caller ID. Call them and try to order a pizza. Of course, this isn't funny if you are actually working at a pizza parlor, but you get the idea. Loads of office fun awaits you!

Yes, it is that glorious moment when you finally get to go home. Unless you are of course working overtime, but then, hey, you should be too busy to read this in the first place so none of this applies to you. 5 o'clock has finally arrived and it is time to go. Freedom at last has arrived and nothing is better. Of course, there is always tomorrow and it all begins again, but let's not ruin the moment. Go out and enjoy what is left of your day!