by Rachel Smith
12 June 2015
Working for yourself, it’s all too easy to work longer hours, later hours, weekend hours… in fact, all the hours you can. But it’s not good for you. In fact, it’s actually counterproductive if you’re trying to come up with great ideas or meet a deadline. That’s why, I want to use today’s post to talk about something we shouldn’t feel at all guilty about: time wasting.
Hunting down a daily cat video or using your lunch break to catch up on a taped episode of Open Slather is actually good for you. Because you’re actually giving your brain a break from focusing and studies show you’ll return fresher to whatever you were working on, and you’ll retain info more effectively, too. (There’s a reason why some of best ideas come to us in the shower when we’re in ‘daydream mode’.)
So in the interests of helping you all become more productive, I’m going to share with you some of my favourite brain breaks. AKA time-wasters. And yes, I have shoehorned a cat video in there for good measure. I also recommend checking out this Fictional Time Wasters design project for a giggle. There are pages instructing you to do dot-the-dots, create chants that don’t make sense, and draw your own constellation. I know I’d be first in line if these ever became available.
However, these time-wasters below are available. Any favourites? Definitely let me know in the comments.
Time-waster 1: Virtual bubble wrap. You know you want to. If you’re feeling particularly in need of some stress relief, you can switch to manic mode and pop extra fast.
Time-water 2: Magnetic letters. You get bored of this quick, which is exactly what you want, so it’s a great mini-break for your brain.
Time-waster 3: Take Me To Another Useless Website. Seriously, people – you never knew there were so many weird and useless websites out there.
Time-waster 4: Sad for Japan. You basically agitate a red blob that makes watery sounds. Quite soothing (and addictive).
Time-waster 5: The Dialectizer. A useless but very funny way to translate your site (or a site or blog you like) into a different dialect.
Time-waster 6: I Need A Prompt. A great brain break and a cure for writer’s block in one.
Time-waster 7: The best cat video of all time. You’re welcome.
Any great sites I’ve missed? Or do you have another no-fail time-waster / brain break to share?
The cat is actually taking off the hat, as all cats would do. The video is just played backwards.
Dammit George! Now I’m going to have to find a new favourite cat video 🙂