Yesterday we finally hammered together the application the way the client (hopefully) wanted it, and today, early in the morning, the manager came and said that the software in being tested and it is ok to not to be doing anything while we wait for the bugs to be found. Now I have this weird feeling of emptiness and lack of purpose assaulting me. Does everyone experience similar things?
+2
A:
If the app is going through testing then think of it as the calm before the storm!!!
Sean
2008-10-08 16:31:02
Seriously. Minesweeper is awesome.
eyelidlessness
2008-10-08 16:51:08
+5
A:
Use this time for learning, and a feeling of lack of purpose will dissolve.
akalenuk
2008-10-08 16:32:11
+6
A:
Emptiness? I wish I could get paid to surf StackOverflow all day.
..
wait...
Erik Forbes
2008-10-08 16:33:17
+1
A:
Go out and take a coffe... take your laptop with you and answer some questions on stackoverflow.
levhita
2008-10-08 16:35:54
Ah, there's no better answer than the voice of your own experience. Don't make up stuff or regurgitate a web-opinion, but speak plainly about what worked for you. Besides, it's not a competition, really. If you put real experience, you'll get rep points...
Christopher Mahan
2008-10-08 16:45:59
+3
A:
"The soldier does not wait for war to prepare for battle."
I would say use the down time to research things you are interesting in that you may have to use in a future product. Get a jump on what you will be doing next.
Slapout
2008-10-08 16:37:33
+2
A:
If you have been working hard for a deadline having a rest makes sense. Sometimes you just need to do nothing and recover from the marathon length sprints.
On a similar, but not quite identical note, Tom De Marco wrote an interesting book: "Slack". It is very important to have some time to do nothing because that is where organisations get interesting benefits.
janm
2008-10-08 16:39:16
A:
Maximize your 20% time - think of it as career investment time.
It is not enough to just read - make it actionable e.g. read then prototype, or contribute to another project in your company or a shared-source initiative.
stephbu
2008-10-08 16:43:50
A:
If my boss told me I didn't have to do anything, I would ask him if I could take my work home with me for the day and leave.
Dana
2008-10-08 16:44:14
+1
A:
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to work on that side project you've always wanted to write.
We call them "skunkworks" projects. The last one I wrote was a web site to track and coordinate all the vacations within our department. Once management saw it, they asked me to make it flexible enough for deployment in other departments. Turned out to be a nice accomplishment on my yearly review.
BoltBait
2008-10-08 16:48:37
A:
I used to feel dirty with my calm in the storm - because you're still braced for the storm, and the bugs will come, or the inevitable client-side "Oh we forgot this requirement" or "We liked this one process better the old way" modifications - but then I realized it was my desk... my desk was really dirty.
Clean your desk. Move all those coffee mugs to the sink. Archive all your customer communications, then empty your inbox. Change your screen display. Breathe. Look out the window (or go outside and walk around the block). Throw a koosh at someone (your fellow relieved drone, not your boss... your boss will give you something more to do if you do that).
aesdanae
2008-10-08 16:52:38
A:
Aren't you using a bug-tracking software? If not, it's time to set it up, because you're going to need it.
On my project, we (sadly) have so many open issues, that our work is never done. So enjoy the calm while you can.
Alan
2008-10-13 02:33:11