To me having some down time in an intellectual job is ok, so some HN, other news is good. So is self education and occasionally watching profession related vide

To me having some down time in an intellectual job is ok, so some HN, other news is good. So is self education and occasionally watching profession related videos online. What is not ok is actively working on your own project or for someone else that is not a client of or owned by the company that you work for. If it is a side project for the company then that could be alright, but the whole point of a side project is that it is done outside of regular hours. If it is work for your own company or another company then that's crossed the line. Technically your employer would own the work you were doing (because they paid for your time and equipment at least), and so could prevent you from sending the work to the other party. Also don't forget what's happening now between Uber and Google.