PlayExcess have all sorts of stuff worth looking at
I have some quiet balisongs for camera off, or subtly slowly flipping camera on lol. Also some otf knives camera off.
Sometimes micro yo-yos while sitting if camera is off.
I also got one of those tiny Yen Spin tops from a certain Japanese site.
Also if it’s an especially egregious meeting if I’m camera off I might be assembling 3d printed yo-yos, gluing or installing hardware.
Camera on I’m staring into space dissociating probably.
Coincidentally, this just popped up on my Kickstarter recommendations. If you’re looking for an all-in-one Titanium Chopstick / Toothpick / Straw / Hanger / Nunchuck combo, you’re in luck. Endless entertainment at the office. ![]()
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/146432849/playstix-the-5-in-1-titanium-edc-chopsticks-and-fidget-tool
The few in person meetings that I’ve been on all day (usually only once a year) I have a slider if some sort in my jacket pocket to fidget so I’m not going insane or passing out cause god help me some of those all day events are corporate torture.
Before I had my medical exemption I had to travel in for yearly conferences. They sometimes ran 12-14 hour days for five days. They are absolute nightmares. I would have killed for a fidget so I didn’t have to dig my nails into my palm to stay conscious.
I use a lot of skill toys and personally I prefer the walnut wooden knucklebone because of its feel, lightness, and agility:among all the stress-relief toys, it allows for the greatest number of different moves and combos while sitting, in a discreet way and focused on something else,(not counting Fitges spinner pencils). Magnetic cards are very satisfying but make a bit more noise, as do infinite folding stress cubes. A deadeye is also good for handling in autopilot mode. Most of these gadgets have a limited use and are good for background repetitions while performing a more complex main action. I don’t think you can be working in the office in front of a computer while using a yoyo or a begleri,(although it all depends on your skill;)
You also have something discreet and satisfying like this:Steel Lynx:
Möbii® Handcrafted Stylish and Discreet Fidget Jewelry
would be fun but these are super illegal in public in the uk ![]()
I didn’t know about this gadget and I loved it! I’m adding it to my wish list, thanks ![]()
Doodle. kegels? or maybe one of these
Surely an unpopular opinion, but as a retired manager, I’d prefer efforts to make meetings more effective than to mock them. I suspect that it varies from profession to profession, but not a big fan of “idle fun” at work. Kinda promotes head count reduction.
Had an employee, not a stellar performer, who liked to play solitaire during work hours. Warned once, second time pulled from everyone’s computer. Sent clear message - use of time and actions reflect on everyone.
Sounds like a tyrant, but running a tight ship allowed my group to be well respected, strong performers, ultimately having more fun.
I get it, OP making discussion to find alternate fidget toys, but don’t loose sight that jobs provide funds for toy purchases.

I hear what you are saying, and trust me if more productive work was possible in my role then i would be choosing that.
unfortunately modern corporate jobs (especially consultancy) are quite prone to creating busywork and meetings that have 20 people on the phone and only 2 of them talking.
I’m currently applying for new jobs that will be less make-work and more real work
(after a year of trying and failing to avoid pointless work tasks and meetings).
..in the meantime, keeping my hands busy with a fidget of some description is likely to mean I can avoid ‘solitare’ by making paying 75% of my attention more bearable.
Man do I feel that. Working as a federal contractor I experience the required 30 minute meeting participation for what could have been an email and turns into 10 minutes of jabbering and 20 minutes of listening to a customer complaint being repeated for the 30th time this week and rehashing the details like we didn’t have 3 emails and 2 other meetings on the topic.
follow that by a quick bathroom break, 40 minutes of prepping slides for another call where l get sidelined and my call is hi jacked to hash out a remediation for said customer complaint (that’s a repeat of last meeting and said emails and previous meetings)
Follow that with an hour if working in a report I know no one will read cause the last 8 meetings proved it and if my report/email was read a month ago last time the customer complaint wouldn’t have happened.
Follow that by a team meeting, stand up about design work that’s less than 20% of my role and working on spreadsheets that suck my soul away for a few hours. Also some project meetings where I’m just getting fyi that could be emails,
End day feeling like I didn’t accomplish anything and like my day had no meeting. Sleep wash repeat… corporate life is uhh fun or something
Fidgets keep me sane…

My favorite Office skill toy by far are the quantum colliders.
Depends on the profession but honestly most office jobs only require a few hours a day of real work and then a few hours a week of collaboration. Allot of office work is what I refer to as “work theater” making it seem like your busy and doing allot when in reality you did your allotted 3 hours of tasks already or are putting them off. I’ve realized you really only need a few hours a month if in person engagement usually and that’s mostly for team building more than actual productivity.
Customer engagement needs more but even that often is performative more than actual productivity.
Service efforts definitely need more work but even then taking breaks to fidget, bio breaks and rest through the day keep people from burning out more than pushing through a work day till it’s over. The old put your head down and grind through mentality is honestly a major cause for men having an early grave just pushing through till your mentally taxed and or physically broken if it’s a labor job.
that job sounds like the worst parts of all my other jobs rolled into one
good luck dude, hope it improves!!
Meant meaning lol
I bring a fingerboard with me to work every day. I will say though, unless you have a neoprene mat, the click-clacks can be a bit loud. Works great on a mouse pad though.
I wish I was good enough at begleri to not have it fly around and hit stuff.


