How to kill time when you're on the bench

[nomadd]

...and it's too sodding wet to go play outside.

Not for me.

I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain..


(Ps. It's a glorious feeling and I'm happy again. )

[psychocandy]

How about claiming JSA and wasting time down the job centre?

[BlasterBates]

Get up a bit later, drink gallons of coffee, surf the internet, looking for jobs reading the gossip, then go out for lunch somewhere. Afternoon, go for a bike ride, or go to the Gym or go for a walk. Meet up with some pals in the evening.

Main thing is not to worry.....the best 4 months over the last 10 years of contracting were the 4 months I spent on the bench.

Was also a gr8 summer....2004

Every afternoon in the swimming pool. Didn't look too hard until about September.

I got a contract in October, but 18 months later as that contract came to an end unfortunately I tried too hard and got an immediate contract. I've learnt my lesson, the next time I get benched I'm going to do nothing for months...

If I have a regret, it is that I didn't spend long enough on the bench......seriously!!

[Mupps]

Sounds like great advice. I've got too used to working all the time. My last contract was 4 years of 50 weeks a year working and virtually zero time off so i've come to define myself too much by work. Also, the wife is not used to me not working so is hassling me all the time and making me worry about money when i should be enjoying the absence of office life for a few weeks.

I like Psychocandy's idea of going to the Job Centre though, just to see the look on their face when i say i want a job paying £xxx per day!

[OwlHoot]

Don't what ever you do repeatedly press F5 on Jobserve, you'll get depression

Set it up so you technical areas in the locations you want contracts trigger emails off to you from jobserve, get them sent to your phone. That way you only need to spend at most an hour a day hunting for a contract

Then spend the rest of your time in a mix of fun and productivity, the happier you are the more chance you have of sounding positive at an interview. Not worrying about your situation is really the best thing you can do to improve your chance of having another contract, next to keeping your skills up to date

Make sure at least some of it involves social activies, not being in work you life will suffer otherwise. By all means do some computer games, but they're no substitute for socialising in real life.

Learn a new technology, even something you just fancy doing rather than thinking of the next big thing commercially. Refresh your current knowledge by using technologies in your skillset to develop something that could have commercial potential, if it doesn't work out at least your skills will be fresh

Personally, I make a little beer money developing CMS for small businesses inbetween jobs, and do plan for places to visit to do photography as a creative outlet, and always go swimming at least once a week to keep myself occupied, YMMV

All good advice, but also be sure to mug up on your current specialities. For example, draw up "cribsheets" of key points you might be asked in an interview.

May sound silly, but it's amazing how quickly one starts getting rusty, like a flipping pair of garden shears left on the lawn for a couple of nights!

The point is when you _do_ get an interview you don't want to risk losing the gig by making silly mistakes in an online test or simple interview question that you could just as well have known with a bit of preparation.

[Freamon]

There are lots of threads already on here about what to do during bench time. Why don't you spend your time on the bench learning to use the search functionality on this site?

NLUK

[AtW]

Try jobserve...

[al_cam]

Bench time is the primary reason for contracting!!!

Tsk! Newbies

WBS

I don't have enough time to do much contracting.

[Scoobos]

Don't what ever you do repeatedly press F5 on Jobserve, you'll get depression

Set it up so you technical areas in the locations you want contracts trigger emails off to you from jobserve, get them sent to your phone. That way you only need to spend at most an hour a day hunting for a contract

Then spend the rest of your time in a mix of fun and productivity, the happier you are the more chance you have of sounding positive at an interview. Not worrying about your situation is really the best thing you can do to improve your chance of having another contract, next to keeping your skills up to date

Make sure at least some of it involves social activies, not being in work you life will suffer otherwise. By all means do some computer games, but they're no substitute for socialising in real life.

Learn a new technology, even something you just fancy doing rather than thinking of the next big thing commercially. Refresh your current knowledge by using technologies in your skillset to develop something that could have commercial potential, if it doesn't work out at least your skills will be fresh

Personally, I make a little beer money developing CMS for small businesses inbetween jobs, and do plan for places to visit to do photography as a creative outlet, and always go swimming at least once a week to keep myself occupied, YMMV

Having been through a personal hell in the past 6 months (I did the F5 on jobserve for 3 of those and got depressed)- I just wanted to thank you for this post (rep isnt enough!) - This is an absolutely brilliant outlook and should be a sticky for all of us "first time long term benched".

[Scrag Meister]

I usually find I can handle the first 2 or 3 weeks of bench time without any hassle.

Then I get bored, the house can only be pristine, you can only chase as many agents as job adverts, love computers games but my eyes ache after 5 hours, and there only so many decent TV series and movies to watch.

If I actually planned bench time, as compared to holiday, ahead it may be more enticing.

After 3 weeks I need another contract.

My schedule.
Up at 7:30 (That's 1+ hour lie-in compared to normal) coffee and breakfast, watch tv news.
9-11 ish, Jobserve etc and on the phone to agents re suitable jobs. Work related learning.
11-1 watch a movie
1-2 Lunch
2-3 Gaming
3-4.30 House work
4.30-6 Prepare dinner
6-7 Dinner with the wife
7-11 Usually like to get out somewhere by now, or sit down and veg.