I just landed my first formal job after years of self-learning and completing a bootcamp. Each day, we have a standup meeting to outline our goals. Recently, I was assigned a task to quality check a workflow, which I estimate will only take about an hour to complete. After that, I'm unsure how to fill the rest of my 8-hour workday since I only have one more meeting scheduled that lasts an hour. I've tried to start working on future tasks, but my manager advised me to wait. What should I do during the remaining time after I finish my task?
5 Answers
You could ask about this directly in your standup. Something like, "I think this task will only take me about an hour; after that, what would you suggest I do?" It opens up the discussion and shows that you’re eager to keep busy.
Honestly, if all else fails, you could just relax a bit! Browse the web, read a book, or chat with coworkers to fill the time. As long as you’re not slacking off, it’s okay to take breaks throughout the day!
If there’s a codebase you can explore, that might be a good use of your time. It helps you learn more. Just steer clear of areas that seem poorly coded—focus on parts that are well-structured and you can actually learn from!
Remember, coding is just a small part of being a developer. A big chunk of your time should go into testing and refining the code you write. You might find that this process actually takes more time than you think! Plus, look for tasks in the backlog. It's your chance to dive into the codebase and tackle small tasks you haven't explored.
In a healthy work environment, if your task doesn’t take the full day, it’s totally okay to talk to your manager. You can say something like, "This task is fairly small and won’t take up my whole day; can we find additional work for me?" That way, you make sure you’re always contributing without just sitting idle.

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