How to Waste Time Online

There comes a time each day when one needs or wants to step away from their work for a time. The mind grows weary, the fingers seem to hit every key but the one you want, the brain waves refuse to cooperate.

Sometimes you just need to set aside a few moments, or even hours, to get your creative energy flowing again.

After you take a physical break, i.e., get away from the computer, grab your favorite beverage, walk around for a while, then come back to the computer and - procrastinate.

I probably know better than most anyone how to waste time on, and off (Freecell anyone?), the internet. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Visit various network or cable network sites and read about the actors or actresses. If they have a forum, all the better.


• Sign-up for newsletters on any topic. Have the newsletter sent to your main email account and really clog it up. You can spend hours reading newsletters.


• RSS to your Google Reader or any other reader you would like so that you can get the latest blog post from your favorite websites.


• Endlessly read the latest news. With new headlines popping up all day long, you will never run out of ways to waste time and gain knowledge at the same time.


• Leave comments on the articles that you read. Many times you can leave an anonymous comment and speak your mind with abandon.


• Visit any forum that interests you. I've signed up for more than I can even remember, and every once in a while I check out one I haven't visited lately.


• Work online crossword puzzles and other games.


• Check out Yahoo! Answers and have a blast responding to the numerous questions. I can't even tell you how much time I spent one night on a thread that discussed baby names and asked for suggestions. What fun!


• Read free online books from DailyLit. I love the classics.


• Visit YouTube. One of my favorites. One day I caught up with a whole bunch of Y&R clips. Katherine looks better at 80 than she did 20 years ago. And, there are the great videos like the dancing prisoners, my son-in-laws fishing trip, and all kinds of other ways to waste a couple of hours.


• Keep an eye on all the entertainment sites such as TMZ, Perez Hilton, E! Online. They update all day long so there is always new information coming along that you just wouldn't be able to live without knowing. Right?


• Create as many Squidoo lens and HubPages as possible. Well, that might not be such a waste as you can earn some money, but if you pick enough crazy topics you will actually have fun and make money too.


• Go to photo sites like Fotosearch and Flickr, and have a blast looking at all the crazy and cool pictures people take. Wikimedia has some great photos as well, and I subscribed to their photo of the day so that I can see the best images they offer. I especially am enthralled with the closeup photos of insects. Fascinating.

As you check out the list above, I wanted to share one that I saw quite some time ago, then forgot about. I'm shocked that I haven't returned to the site because it is one of the all time best time wasters.

Remember bubble wrap?

Remember when you were a kid and your mom let you pop the bubble wrap? Maybe you even pop it now. The all time time-waster website has to be the bubble wrap popper site. Click on the link and you can spend hours popping bubble wrap to your hearts content.

I'm sure you can think up lots more ways to waste time online, but this list will get you started.