The ultimate guide to watching the World Cup at work

9. Pre-load some work submissions

Do you have emails you need to send but can wait a bit? Texts to respond to but not within a specific window? Jobs that can be done ahead of time but submitted later? Good. Do those now, but don’t turn them in. Sit on them and pace them out over the course of the World Cup.

One of the things that gives away a loss in productivity isn’t just being caught watching the games, it’s when your steady stream of average work suddenly comes to a halt. There are metrics for these things. They can track your emails, the sites you visit, the amount of money you bring. It’s all there in weird data form.

There’s also the eye test. If it seems like you’re on the phone less, or that your inbox looks more full than usual, you’re gonna get investigated on some small level. Worst case scenario is being brought into someone’s office and asked if something is going on or if there’s something they can help you with. They might think it’s a problem. Unfortunately, it’s not one that has a resolution unless you want to admit to abdicating your professional responsibility. That makes people upset. That makes employment disappear.

So get ahead of the curve. Do you have a proposal due on the fifth day of play? Get it done now, turn it in then. Do you have to take an online training to complete? Do all but the last question until the due date. Make it readily apparent that you’re making your marks, and be able to point to the submissions. Just complete it all in a flurry now, and get it in later.