How to Appear Busy While Using a Computer: 5 Steps

How to Appear Busy While Using a Computer: 5 Steps

For people in school/work who use a computer on a daily/hourly basis, this is a guide to looking productive while actually not doing anything.

Steps

1. If you have a scheduled assignment. keep it in the task bar and prepare to fastclick to it at a second's notice.

2. Intersperse work with downtime by working for a few moments followed by IMing, Facebooking, Googling, or whatever thing you do. This way you relax and do your job at the same time.

3. Write a Wikihow on something you know. It looks like work, and takes a good amount of typing to do. It's a perfect cover.

4. If you're at home with a laptop then try sitting with your back to a wall. Then no one can see what you're doing. Do a lot of typing that looks productive.

5. Make sure that even if you aren't doing much work, have something that looks like work open, such as an end of quarter PowerPoint or something of the sort.

Tips

• You can always keep open a work file. For instance: If you're on myspace, or email when you should be writing a paper, keep the paper opened but minimized.
• If you're working online and using a tabbed web browser, it's simple to do anything you want in one tab while doing work in another. Or, try installing a remote access software such as LogMeIn on your computer, which is accessible by browser, so you can access your home computer and do stuff from anywhere.
• It's easier to appear busy if you actually are busy! Play a game or go on wikihow, it's more fun than just sitting there.
• Using a proxy can usually bypass filters/blocking software, but it can get you in trouble with the school IT director, so try to avoid it if you can
• Turn down/off the volume of the computer, as the bleeps and bloops of IM and other messengers will tip you off.
• In Windows, hitting the Windows and the D key simultaneously will take you to your Desktop instantly.
• If you get caught, be prepared with an excuse. Keep it real!
• If you are at work, a library, or any other public place, it may be a good idea to strategically place open books, folders, or papers on and around your desk or table. Be sure to turn the pages once in a while, or pretend to read them, to increase believability.
• When somebody tells you something, don't answer immediately and say, 'Shhh! Can't you see I'm busy? I can't focus both at you and at what I'm doing now!'
• Practice using the Alt-Tab strategy. You can immediately switch to another open program without using the mouse.
• Don't spend the whole period doing this. You need to do your work; this is just for little breaks you might need.

Warnings

• Don't appear to be too interested, that is a sign that you're not doing work.
• Don't play Solitaire/Minesweeper/any other silly game if you want to appear busy. Being caught doing something as trivial as that only shows how bored you really are.
• Don't click out of something fast, that will draw a teacher or professors attention. Just calmly click into another page or always go to Yahoo.com or Google!
• You might get caught, be alert at all times.