Ho-Hum August Doldrums? August 3, 2011 @ 11:09 AM | By Jill Huselton

It’s the third day of August. Have you noticed a slow-down at work yet? Are your co-workers squeezing in one more vacation before the kids go back to school or have your European counterparts shut down for a month long holiday?

With news that the economy is really not getting any better (increased debt ceiling or not), you might not want to let on to anyone that you have a little extra free time. I found a good article on MSNBC that lists some great ways to make it look like you are busy. (And of course, I found this post while I was waiting on hold for my audio conference call to start, not because I had nothing to do but surf the web.)

• Typing a lot (what you type doesn’t matter)
• Creating a busywork-type project
• Sending emails at odd times
• Pretending to be walking busily toward nonexistent meetings
• Complaining that you’re totally swamped whenever possible
• Scheduling meetings with friends in other parts of the organization
• Keeping your desk messy so people think you’ve got lots going on

Interestingly enough, the survey at the bottom of the article shows 66% of the readers say they are actually working hard in August. So, either they are telling the truth or, in spite of their anonymity, they still want everyone to think they’re busy.

How’s the end of summer shaping up for you? Are you crazy busy, just like every month of the year, or are you experiencing the summer slow-down? Have you tried to employ any of these tactics above?

Jill Huselton is a senior marketing manager at InterCall. She's been in the conferencing industry for nearly 15 years, working in operations, account management and marketing, mainly based in Colorado. Before leaving the Mile-High City, she hiked a 14er, one of her top accomplishments. Now she's traded the mountains for the beach and works from a home office in North Carolina.