What are good tasks for "not enough time to start on something big" moments?

Question

It happens fairly frequently that I'll finish up a big project or get done with a meeting around 30-45 minutes before my time to go home. There are usually things that need to be done, but it usually isn't worth it to start on those projects with only 30-45 minutes to go.

What are some good things to spend that time doing?

Answer 1

Project Euler. Easy way to burn that 30-45 minutes without committing to something big. Plus, you're working on problem solving, algorithms, and sometimes even learning new features of your language while doing the problems.

Answer 2

Answer a few questions on SO.

Answer 3

Here are a few ideas.

1. Check StackOverflow.
2. Check RSS feeds.
3. Handle and delete three email messages.
4. Write a couple unit tests.
5. Put a few comments in your code.
6. Delete old files and defrag your hard disk.
7. Take a look at your calendar and to do list.
8. Write someone an email thanking them for something.
9. Build a project you haven't touched in a while to make sure you still can.
10. Browse through the documentation for some software you use frequently.

Answer 4

Make a to-do list for tomorrow.

Cleanup some code formatting.

Answer 5

Write yourself a note about what you accomplished today and what you hope to accomplish tomorrow.

Answer 6

These are precisely the times I spend updating documentation (i.e., wiki/knowledgebase documentation, not to be confused with inline comments). I don't want to write any code with only 30 minutes to spare, but I can put together a nice knowledgebase section or article in that much time.

Answer 7

Go over your day's notes, talks, discussions and ideas and see what should be saved before the post-it notes and whatever gets thrown away. File it in tasks, the calendar, or your todo.txt file. Reflect on what you did well, and what you could do better.

Answer 8

Start a small project in a new technology (something you may use later) or a new approach to something that may replace something else later.

Answer 9

Go through your todo list for some quick work to do.

Answer 10

When I have a chunk of time that's just too small to do anything really complex or intensive with I will try to do one of a few things:

• Catch up with any outstanding communications (reply to emails or voicemail) or check up on people that I'm waiting to hear back from.
• Make any adjustments to design documentation to reflect changes that were made in the day
• Cleanup my work environment - I end up with a lot of temporary files and such that need to be pruned or removed on a regular basis
• Try out some idea or thought that I've got in a scratch project that I don't want to interrupt me while I'm actually "getting stuff done" as it just might not work.

Overall I just try to do things that either require less investment or are easy to step out of.

Answer 11

Start a chat with some of your friends. After all some other things should be done also apart from work.

Answer 12

Flirt with the receptionist, then slink away in abject failure.

Answer 13

Two suggestions...

1. Post questions/answers on stack overflow.
2. A nice book and a 45 minute bathroom break!

Answer 14

Start on something big that you know you don't have time to finish. Leaving it incomplete (and, ideally, in a marginally 'broken' state) will give you something specific to do when you get back the next day, which makes it easier for many (most?) people to get back into the groove quickly.

Answer 15

Go through your GTD system, sorting out of your inbox and updating your "someday" bucket.

Or just grab something small out of your "someday" bucket.

Answer 16

Invest this kind of time in small things that will help pay off later.

• Write some bash scripts that automate things you often repeat
• Learn some more Vim or Emacs shortcuts
• Tidy up code (fix indentation, remove unneeded commented-out code, add useful comments)
• Write test cases
• Take a walk and stretch, your hands and back will thank you later

Answer 17

Refactor something small. There are always bits of code that, 5 minutes after I'm done, I realize I could have taken a slightly different approach that would have been "better" in some way.

Answer 18

• Start learning something you don't know but find very cool.
• Help your friends to finish up their work, so you all can go a get a beer together.

Answer 19

Implement a small feature/improvement that you've had in your head for a while.