Navigating Digital Galaxies: Your Hitchhiker's Guide to 15 Websites to Visit when Bored

From 'Don't Panic' to 'Don't Be Bored': Navigating the HHGTTG Guide to Boredom and Productivity

The problem with being bored at work is that it does much more than keep you from doing your job! A part of it involves making you feel like you’re overworked–or under. It’s why employees end up distracted or stressed, and even disillusioned. 

The longer you let it continue, the more problems your boredom can cause. It can result in errors and push your productivity into a swan dive. 

What’s worse is that your mistakes won’t be affecting just you. Individual employees won’t be as engaged with their work. And that can negatively affect others on your team, your manager, and eventually, the company!

That said, you’ll see how interspersing your day with instances of boredom can actually be a good thing. 

Unlocking the Infinite Improbability of Boredom: When Boredom Is Good

We suggest looking at those quiet boring times for what they are. Sure, you may feel like everything is at a standstill. Your subconscious, however, is furiously working in the background. 

In short, give your brain time and space via boredom, and watch how it sparks:

Productivity

This study found handing out a boring task to people can lead them to outperform their counterparts in terms of idea quality and quantity.

Creativity

Another one showed bored participants came up with creative vocabulary-based answers than their non-bored peers. 

Goal-Orientation

Bored enough to daydream about Vogon poetry? A study showed we shift our focus to the future when our minds wander. In other words, we begin to plan how to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves subconsciously. 

Also Read: How to Make Time Go Faster: Practical Tips for Supercharging Your Productivity at Work

From Infinite Space to Inner Peace: Hitchhiking Through Boredom's to Incorporate it into Your Day

As you can see, boredom can be beneficial in the long run. So, get the most out of it by giving your brain time to recuperate while you take these highly entertaining and useful websites out for a test drive.

1. Informative Websites to Visit when Bored

These sites are perfect for those of us, who find learning new things to be relaxing.

1. History Maps

If you’re a history-lover, you probably crack open thick tomes to relax. This website will help you get there right from your office desk. It sports:

• Interactive maps
• Interesting videos
• A Timeline game for visual learners

2. What Should I Read Next?

Ever finish a book and wish you could read it for the first time…again? Well, we have the next best thing. It's like discovering the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything, but for your reading list. 

Go to this site, and like hitchhiking through literary dimensions, input the name of the book you love in the search bar. It will teleport back suggestions of authors who craft tales in a similar style or subject. 

Keep hitting the search, and you’ll have an armload of books to add to your already burdened TBR, expanding your galactic literary horizons! 

3. GeoGuesser

Yearning to explore the cosmos without leaving your chair? Behold GeoGuesser, your cosmic companion. Go globe-trotting with a site that:

• Shows you randomized pictures of places from around the world
• Gives you a 360-peek to hunt for clues
• Can help you put together your own travel bucket list
• Allows you to discover new-to-you tourist attractions

Also Read

• Workplace Ennui: 10 Productive Things to Do to Beat Workplace Boredom
• “I Would Prefer Not To”: Why You Don't Want to Go to Work and How to Regain Your Motivation

2. Creative Websites to Visit when Bored

Do you love finding unique ways to express yourself and your creativity? Try out these cool websites to visit when bored: 

1. Bored Button

You’d do better if you imagined Bored Button as several mini websites rolled into one! Because every time you hit that big red button above, you’ll see a new idea about how to spend your time. 

Some examples of the many interactive and addictive ideas you’ll find on it include: 

• Finding out about others’ achievements when they were your age
• How to communicate solely in Emojis
• How to keep your tiny polka dot safe from the other dots

And if those don’t chase away your boredom, just hit the Bored Button™ again!

2. Sporcle

While what makes 42 the answer to life, universe, and everything else will remain a mystery, trivia won’t! Thanks to Sporcle–the next entry on our list of cool websites to visit when bored.

Funnily enough, the name says it all–Sporcle = Sporadic + Oracle. You’ll find quizzes/games on every subject under the sun on the site. From history to geography, and pop culture, it’s all there. You can take those on your own for solo wins or compete with other trivia enthusiasts for bragging rights.

Some examples below:

• Legendary Pokémon Logic Puzzle
• Popular People in (Insert Decade/Century Here)
• Accidental Inventions

3. Instructables

Are you a DIY enthusiast? Then this website's your very own Guide to the Galaxy for creative crafting! Its motto, echoing through space and time, is "Share What You Make."

Much like hitchhikers on a cosmic adventure, Instructables users have two passions:

• Showcasing their creativity like an improbability drive in action
• Sharing the blueprints of their DIY creations, a language of its own across the universe 

You’ll find multitudes of how-to guides on the website, for tech, crafting, cooking, etc. The step-by-step guides also include images and videos. You can put them to use at warp-speed journey to learn new skills, inspire yourself, and connect with other DIY-ers.

3. Relaxing Websites to Visit when Bored

At times, it’s not about not having to do anything that ushers in boredom. Sometimes, you have too much to do but feel too wired or distracted to get it done. And that’s when you need one of these check-when-bored websites:

1. Calm

Calm’s user-friendly interface invites all travelers and hitchhikers. Inside is a constellation of diverse content that makes it a cosmic beacon for those seeking to nurture their mental galaxies. 

Visit this site if you’re looking to:

• Improve sleep quality, focus, or self
• Reduce stress and anxiety

2. Rainy Mood

Rainy Mood provides an immersive experience by playing audio of a rain shower. It’s perfect for you if you:

• Work better with a peaceful auditory backdrop
• Need to have unwavering focus
• Require calming and soothing ambiances
• Want to sleep at your desk at work 

Rainy Mood is on our list of bored websites because it captures the essence of Marvin's emotional journey in every audio drop. 

What’s more, if you hit the button that leads you to The Burning Bush, you can listen to slow, soft music and the sound of the rain. 

3. Ambient Mixer

If you hate rain as much as Arthur Dent but love ambient soundscapes, ditch Rainy Mood for the Ambient Mixer. Not only will you find ready-to-play audio clips on this site, you can also replicate your favorite settings! Those include:

• Cozy cafes
• Rainy forests
• Space stations
• Sounds of a steampunk city
• Neverland
• Harry Potter sounds
• That haunting melody from Mr. Tumnus' House

Narnia Soundtrack - Mr. Tumnus Theme (Flute)

It has an easy-to-use interface and contains various elements you can use to design your own sounds, such as:

• Nature sounds
• Music
• City noises

Add finishing touches to your clips with adjustable volume and speed. And just like with Rainy Mood, you can use this platform to help boost your creativity and focus or help you relax and sleep. 

4. Entertaining Websites to Visit when Bored

Want more fun websites to visit? In this section, we share the ones that have no purpose other than to entertain you and help you kill time. 

So, let’s get started with:

1. Patatap

Patatap, a star in our constellation of websites for when you're bored, is here to do exactly what its name implies: "patatap" away your ennui! Like a Vogon poetry recital but actually enjoyable, this site is all about entertainment. 

When you hit the keys randomly on your keyboard, the site will play noises and animations. Each key, a different note in the symphony of existence, creates an orchestra of unique sound compilations. It's like conducting a space opera of auditory delight, transforming your keystrokes into an interstellar show. 

So, when boredom strikes, turn to Patatap and unleash a symphony that would make Zaphod Beeblebrox envious.

2. Sketch Canvas

We put Sketch Canvas on our list of websites for when you're bored because of its universal appeal. We’ve all doodled at some point in our lives. This site just takes those sketches and animates them! And if you feel like it, save and share your whimsical creations.

3. OCEARCH Shark Tracker

Image Source

Forget Dolphins and start tracking sharks with this website! And sure it may not be the most conventional way you can spend time. However, as far as time wasting websites go, OCEARCH is pretty cool. With it, you’ll be able to:

• See sharks–named and tagged–travel the globe
• Zoom in to check what they’re up to when a bunch of them hang out in one spot
• Check out what each shark has been up to for the whole year. 

5. Productive Websites to Visit When Bored

The following entries on our list aren’t time wasting websites. Instead, they can help you become productive–at work and in life.

1. Tomato Timer

One thing boredom can wreak havoc on are your productivity levels.The Pomodoro technique is one of the most popular methods of preventing that. 

It’s a way of working that involves dividing a work day into 25-minute-long productive phases. Sandwiched between two such phases are 5-min-long breaks.  

One of the websites to use when bored, Tomato Timer, works on the same principle. That means, you get an alert every 25 minutes. 

Stuck with a mind numbing task at work? We suggest you set up your Tomato Timer alert before you start. The possibility of a break coming soon will sure raise your flagging energy and focus levels! 

2. GetFlashNotes

In an ideal world, we'd all have the wisdom of the Guide entries at our fingertips. But life's a chaotic, multidimensional ride—some of us don't have time to dive into every tome. 

And that’s okay! Why? Because of websites to use when bored like GetFlashNotes!

Here's what this stellar haven offers in its virtual pages:

• Summaries of the best self-help and business books–—the condensed wisdom of countless galaxies
• Short enough to consume in mere millifractions of time, like a warp jump through knowledge
• Syncing across all your digital outposts, ensuring you're in tune with the cosmic symphony of insights, whether on your trusty digital towel or your time-traveling device

3. timegram 

The final entry on our list of to-visit websites when bored happens to be the most important one. 

Whether you think of it as a tool to track tasks, boost productivity, or manage time, you’d be right on all counts. It helps you stay on top of things–individually and as a team member. 

Setting up takes no time, and once that’s done, the app will quietly work in the background. Mainly, it records how much time you spend on each task in a non-invasive way. 

In addition to that, timegram also:

• Integrates time-spent-working with tasks
• Helps management run remote teams smoothly 
• Lets managers analyze team capacity
• Improves resource utilization
• Shows the difference between expected and actual time-spent-working 
• Lets you scale team and individual performance
• Works in complete transparency
• Shows different productivity views, such as daily, weekly, etc.
• Lets you decide what your value-adding activities are

timegram can be your answer to boredom and tanking productivity levels in so many ways. Read all about how timegram works.

Also Read: timegram Your Way to Absolute Productivity

Final Warp Through the Infinite: Wrapping Up Our Galactic Web Journey

In the end, we’d like to reiterate two things. First, the dance of boredom is a cosmic constant, an eternal companion to the working traveler. 

And secondly, it’s only the tip of the productivity-chipping iceberg! If you can’t beat it, it’s best to prep for when it hits. Don’t let it affect your performance or disengage you from the task-at-hand.

So, bookmark everything we’ve mentioned above to immediately launch these websites when bored. From sheer entertainment to knowledge boosts and creativity surges, our cosmic curation has something to offer every galactic explorer. 

Finally, don't forget, while our enthusiasm might be like Zaphod's ego, that doesn’t mean timegram won’t work its magic on your life! Use it to keep track of how much fun you’re having while browsing interesting and diverting sites.

FAQs

1. What is a good website for boredom?

Looking for websites for boredom? We got you! Try these:

• Wordle
• Know Your Meme
• timegram
• The Oatmeal
• The Oregon Trail 

2. What is the most fun website?

Some cool websites for boredom besides the ones we’ve mentioned above:

• Apartment Therapy
• Lego Videos
• Product Hunt

3. How do I enjoy a boring day?

Embrace boring days by using them as your launchpads for mini cosmic expeditions! Just like the interesting things we saw on Arthur Dent's unplanned voyage, you can expand your horizons by using our list of fun websites to visit. Some will test your knowledge, others could help you relax to soothing rain sounds–or even track sharks! In short, even the seemingly ordinary days can contain hidden wonders. So, embark on a journey of curiosity and exploration and start channeling your inner hitchhiker.