If you’re like most other college students, then you may have a desk job that doesn’t always keep you on your toes or a subconscious need to put off studying for that test until midnight the night before. Well you’re in luck, because in all the years I have spent procrastinating I have discovered multiple entertaining sites for delaying all means of productivity. Here is the compiled list:
1. Sporcle.com
Sporcle’s “mentally stimulating diversions” can provide hours of entertainment. The site offers categorized and timed trivia games about sports, movies, literature… you name it. If you have a secret nerdy interest (mine happens to be geography), then there is a quiz for you. Test your skills and learn something along the way (Sporcle tells you the right/missing answers, so you are never left in the dark). This site is particularly beneficial if you need to look busy, because you have to type in your answers… Semi-productive, right?
2. Twitter.com
With Facebook constantly making changes and becoming weirder by the day, I have taken a greater liking to Twitter. This site has a dedicated following, but I am trying to convince the “non-believers” out there of the tremendous procrastinatory gains to be gleaned from Twitter. Not only can you keep tabs on practically any celebrity crush (@adamlevine), but you can also make sure that you are always in the know. By following news organizations you can get brief updates on stories worldwide, by following student organizations you always know when the next meeting is, and there are countless businesses to follow to keep up with the latest trends or receive discounts. For strictly comical reasons, I would suggest following @firstworldpains, @sororityproblem and @chelseahandler. Bonus: Tweeters update constantly so there is always something new to creep on… I mean, learn about.
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3. Pinterest.com
I am a newbie to this site, but it is becoming one of my favorite ways to lower my anthropology grade. Basically, this site hosts gajillions of images and also allows you to post your own. You then either browse or search one of your interests to find pictures that appeal to you, and then “pin” them on boards that you create and store online. Essentially this site lets you create categorized inspiration boards. I have boards dedicated to fashion, crafts, and cooking, which give me ideas for other projects I can do… double the procrastination genius!
4. Spotify.com
Okay I cheated, this isn’t exactly a site to waste time on, but it is the site where you can download the fabulous Spotify app for your computer (for free!). This program lets you listen to millions of songs at any time from your computer. It’s great for listening to an entire album before purchasing it, making playlists to study with, background/party music or checking out a new artist. Sure you can’t burn a CD for the road from the program, but it still allows you all of the listening pleasure you can get from your computer (and let’s face it, you should be typing that paper anyway… not driving aimlessly around Norman).
5. Post Secret
This site seems to have a cult following, which must mean that I drank the Kool-Aid, because every Sunday I go to check out the newest secrets. Its creator, Frank Warren, deems Post Secret an “ongoing community mail art project” in which people anonymously mail in their secrets on homemade postcards. The secrets range from strange to hilarious to uplifting, and while some make me uncomfortable, I still find it an interesting creative outlet to browse through. Maybe I will send in my secret, “My name is Jillian, and I am addicted to procrastinating.”