5 Ways to never be Bored on the Internet Again
Boredom while Browsing (we’ll call it BwB ;)) is something that definitely strikes many people everyday. You have work to do, but that would be working right? So instead you aimlessly browse the internet as a (hopefully) better alternative to you should be doing. If this describes you at home, work or school, here are some methods to keep you busy when you’re suffering from BwB.
- RSS Feeds. Sound cliche? Well, it is. But here’s how you should do it to prevent boredom. First things first, sign up for BlogLines, or an equivalent. Next you’re going to want to go around to all those blogs you read through bookmarks and subscribe to them with BlogLines. Most bloggers offer a link, as BlogLines is a popular service, but another method is a little JavaScript bookmark. Make a new book mark, name it “Sub with BlogLines” or something like that, and add the URL as this:
javascript:location.href = ‘http://www.bloglines.com/sub/’ + location.href
Magic! Now every time you try to subscribe you’ll get the options, and just pick one that has the most people (follow the crowd). Personally I subscribe to over 50 feeds via BlogLines and there’s always something new to read.
- Find a good online community. Or a couple. 9rules is great for anyone, not just specific the online/web dev worlds. You don’t always want to aim for huge communities, so something like 9rules which isn’t too big (still 5000+ members) is always good for discussion, plus there’s always someone looking to start a controversial debate.If you can find something to talk about with someone or a group of people, this is what will definitely cure your boredom. Also, a place like 9rules can get pretty fast paced, so you can always expect there to be someone to be there.
- Look into your past bookmarks. Sites like Digg or del.icio.us and basically any other bookmarking service does exactly that- bookmark. Take a look and the first thing you bookmarked, or take a look in the middle. I’ve been a Digg member since late May ‘06 and have Dugg almost 700 stories, so there’s bound to be something interesting from the past.
- Write about it. So you’re sitting at your desk, and the spreadsheet/report that needs to be on your bosses desk five minutes ago is just going to have to wait. You’ve got a blog (statistics show that I can use that as a generalization :P) and you’re bored. Problem solved! Write about how bored you are, or better yet, write some more reasons of what you could do to cure boredom… then do it!
- Work on something interesting to you.Sure, that report might not be very fun, but it’s what gets you payed, so try working on something interesting for a while. Wed developer stuck in an accountant’s chair? Work on some side client jobs or a site for yourself, or brainstorm ideas for your startup that will revolutionize the world and get acquired by Google for $10,000,000,000.
There you have it. If you’re ever bored again, and you have totally exhausted these five things, then you probably have a server case of A.D.D. 
And to conclude, I leave you with this quote:
Art is either plagiarism or revolution
- Paul Gauguin (1848 - 1903)
Food for though
Leave a comment
Andy
March 18th, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Nice post, I dugg it
Tobbi
March 19th, 2007 at 9:26 AM
Yeah, but also read
http://www.wikihow.com/Not-Get-Addicted-to-the-Internet
Connor Wilson
March 19th, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Haha, that’s a good point Tobbi. All things in moderation, right?
Nils
March 25th, 2007 at 8:53 AM
Item three is often looked over. There’s your faves on Flickr too of course, and your shared Google Reader feeds. And neighbours on last.fm… and, and and. How can anyone be bored on the internet I wonder.
Seguro Automovel
July 19th, 2008 at 8:38 AM
Hey Guys!
Nice post, in the last months I have been trying to be as productive as possible! Enjoying the work is the best way but sometimes you have to boring stuff! For me I go watch some Break.com videos to cheer up! Hehe
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