I have basically an entry level office job. There are days that are very busy, and there are days that are incredibly slow. On one of the slow days, my supervisor's boss (not technically my boss but the highest level person in our office) told me that if it's ever a slow day I can feel free to bring a book. That hadn't occurred to me before and I thought it was really cool, so I started using Kindle cloud reader on my monitor. A few weeks later I had started getting in the habit of doing this, and my supervisor and I were getting along well. It was a slow day and we were talking about how slow it is. So I jokingly said I think I'll read a lot of books here. I explained that I use the Kindle desktop version. She looked a little surprised and said that's fine but maybe don't do it a lot because it'll take away from my focus. I don't think she would have even known I was ever reading if I hadn't said that. Not like her reaction was terrible but I just can't believe I decided to out myself to my supervisor for getting lots of reading done at work.
I know it might seem unprofessional but I feel like it really helps me throughout the day. My eyes are on the screen so I see any new emails or messages immediately and can stop reading to deal with those. If there's a busier day I just don't read. I think it keeps my brain awake but also not stressed, so that I have more awareness and energy. Definitely better for me than being on my phone during the slow times.
by kristin137