the art of doing nothing

There are quite a number of times when I just do nothing. For example, right now. I am sitting at my desk, in the office and actually do look pretty busy. Because 1) My fingers are pressing some keys and it appears on the screen - it makes me look busy. 2) Excel, Word and Outlook are opened with some files for the just-in-case-I-need-to-hit alt-tab. 3) My manager isn't looking at my screen. 4) Paper work is littered everywhere on my desk.

Ah yes, the art of looking (and feeling) busy.

I even do this at home. Say, I have a report or an assignment to work on. Pretty much, you can say that I am steadily studying with my text books, printed journal articles, Word is open, PDF files are open, etc. This makes me feel that I am studying.

But what am I actually doing?

• Sending random emails to the Boys and making comments about them.
• Sending random emails to the Boys, with pictures, and making comments about them.
• Sending random emails to the Boys, with links from YouTube and other video based sites, and making comments about them.
• Sending random emails to the Boys and making fun of Doogs and/or Been.
• Reading blogs, in particular nomadlife...
• Looking up photos from other people's blogs and photo albums.
• Reading The Age.
• Reading FoxSports.
• Reading The World Game.
• Reading my star sign...
• Googling random words.
• Checking out words in Urban Dictionary and sending them to the Boys.
• Thinking about what I can do better for the Zebra Tonsils (my Indoor Soccer team).
• Drinking lots of water.
• Munching on Rice Cakes, Salada biscuits with Coon cheese, fruits (mainly bananas)...
• Dreaming of a holiday (that reminds me, Tassie vs. North Queensland for June/July).
• Thinking about what I could be doing now.
• Thinking about the pile of work next to me.
• Thinking about how that pile of work will disappear.
• Smiling.
• Thinking about work and/or studies being done and how it will be done.
• Walking to reception and having a chat.
• Planning the next event, organising the next event, thinking about the next event.
• Looking at the clock and wishing it would go faster.
• Checking up, and trading on my shares and to see how they are going.
• Checking up on ASX
• Reading up on reviews for Breakfast/Brunch, Bars, Cafes and Restaurants
• Emailing friends and family abroad.
• My manager making me watch some funny video clips (just then he showed me a clip where a woman ate a spider for a Ferrari... (yuck!)
• Talking about investments (property, funds, shares, etc) with my manager.
• On the phone

In the end, I feel pretty busy.

Any other good tips for "the art of doing nothing"? And secondly, what do you do when "professionally" procrastinating? I'd like to learn some new things today!