for the last 4 weeks i have asked my boss for more work but im not getting enough. each morning before the daily stand up meeting i would message him with the tasks i completed tasks i am working on ect. each time i tell him im underutilized and would like more work he says ” im so busy i cant think of anything to give you atm let me think about it” then he might give me a 5 min task. its gotten to the point that i don't have any updates each morning. i spent 2 weeks reviewing compliance documents insuring we are compliant. the thing is this was 40 files and we went over 1 document which was due in February. several were due in march. i have asked if i should work ahead and was told not to since we need to discuss it as a team. i had all of the documents finished in less than a week but had to revert some of it as not to work to far ahead. my task for today was to check a few log ins and make sure they work. that took me 5 minutes. my boss is going on vacation for a week in which i will have 0 work. i am payed hourly and i dont have time reporting or i would be screwed. my job boils down to checking a mailbox that no one uses and a small amount of busy work. this is the first job that i have ever had that isnt 150% workload. I have a hybrid schedule so when im at home i am barely checked in at work. im watching so much youtube/reddit/netflix that when im done with work i dont know what to do with my time. its affecting my mental health. is it because my company is likely to be bought out and so no one wants to work anymore?? is it because im in a compliance role and dont have to do much? i dont feel uncomfortable asking my boss for more work each day as he has expressed his frustration at this due to another employee doing it too much. the pay is good but the reason i need to stay is due to my poor work history. my boss/manager keep saying more work is on its way when the next phase of the project ends. its its anything like the last project then i will have a weeks worth of work stretched over months. i have to be close to my laptop/internet so i cant go far. i do have to go into the office about twice a week. staring at spreadsheet but not doing anything for hours on end drains a person. should i get a part time job? should i get a side project? should i start day drinking? my concern is im going to be finishing my double masters degree in 6 months and when that happens i will actually have so much free time idk what i will do. my friends say to not shake the boat if im being payed or to get a side project. any suggestions? also sorry for the long post.
tldr: im not getting enough work at work and i dont know how to feel about it . its giving me so much free time that i feel like im doing nothing with my life.