Top 5 things to do when bored at work

This happens to all of us. Maybe you overestimated your task or haven't been assigned any work yet. There isn't too much shame in it as long as it's not consistent (sorry government workers). Here's what I'd do in these situations

Assist team members

Some people don't speak up even when they're struggling. If you've got nothing to do and you notice someone buried in work, or stuck on a bug, offer to pair with them or take a small task off their plate. With great power, comes great responsibility.

Ask for more work

This ones obvious. 90% of the time there is either tech debt, bug fixes, documentation, or improvements which could be made to systems. If your manager knows you finish early, they'll probably have a better idea of your capacity in the future.

Learn more

Ideally this should be part of your regular workload, not something you do only when bored. You can learn more about the current codebase you're working on, or upskill in something that'll help you be a better developer. Developers need to stay curious and active in order to keep up.

Start conversations and make friends (In-office)

Making friends in the office is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself. Work will become more enjoyable and you'll learn a lot about people's line of work. You can even identify areas for improvement for team members current processes.

Play PS5 (WFH)

I guess if you have absolutely nothing to do, and no work given by your manager then it's fine. You wouldn't be the first person to slack off at work. Just don't make it into a habit.

My take

If you consistently have no work, speak to your manager about it in one-on-ones. Not being challenged can become surprisingly draining. The days feel longer, you stop learning, and you can end up burning out quicker than if you had a healthy workload. Most people, especially engineers, enjoy making progress and solving problems