Update: I’ve made a website dedicated to discovering fun things to do online when you’re bored! Do check it out -> Bored@Home
There is a lot of weird and awesome stuff on the Internet but everything doesn’t go viral or is searchable via Google. So I made this list of the most fun things to do online when you’re bored and it is going to be updated with new and awesome things every week.
You’ll discover cool new blogs, websites, webcomics, social networks, online communities, forums and more. Although the title says “fun things to do”, I’ve tried to maintain a balance between the ‘useful’ and the ‘time-wasters’.
I have divided these into ten sections to help you jump to your favorite activity and find something to do that suits your taste.
Like me, if you are chronically bored and are constantly looking for new stuff to do on the Internet, sign up for my Best of Tech newsletter where I share top tech news, reviews & lists of apps & connected products and a lot of cool stuff to do on the internet.
Now, let’s do something about your boredom.
Fun things to do online when you’re bored
Watch
A regular Internet junkie gets bored of YouTube pretty quickly. Their content discovery just sucks. Here are some fun things to do online if you are all about the visuals.
1. Binge-watch random youtube videos — Four awesome sites to watch random youtube videos all day long. Like I said before I’m not a big fan of YouTube’s recommendations so I prefer to watch random videos. The aim is to kill time and cure boredom, anyway.
2. Watch from hundreds of documentaries at DocumentaryHeaven — It’s got Kubrick on the home page, which basically convinced me that this site is legit. They’ve got loads of free documentaries ripe for the picking!
3. The most jaw-dropping TED Talks — A playlist of the most amazing TED talks.Go nuts!
4. Stratocam — This is like an online self-running slideshow showcasing some of the best satellite images found on Google Maps. Run the website in full-screen mode (Ctrl+Shift+F) and you may discover pretty and unexpected place on our beautiful earth.
5. Awkward Family Photos — captures those moments most of us would like forgotten. It was bad enough having these images locked away in an album under lock and key. Now they’re on the Web for all to see. But other people getting embarrassed is always fun to watch.
6. Scrolldit — pares Reddit down to just the images people are sharing. In other words, the good stuff you don’t want to miss. Perfect fodder for sharing on social networks when you’re bored.
7. 9-Eyes — is a collection of interesting images as captured by Google Street view cards around the world. Also check out mapcrunch.com that catalogues street view scenes by location.
8. Talking Animals — is a YouTube channel which anthropomorphizes household pets. Your cat or dog isn’t as dumb as it may sometimes appear to be. At least if you believe these guys.
9. Watch science videos of real scientific experiments — The videos are screened and approved by scientists. The categories include Chemistry, Space, Computer Science, Robotics and many more.
10. Chill out with this infinite loop — of Instagram sunsets from around the globe
Laugh
Wondering what to do online when you are bored? Humor is your best friend and there is a huge treasure of unique websites, blogs, apps etc. dedicated to making you laugh!
11. Enjoy some Cyanide & Happiness — A weird combination right? But it’s funny as hell. If you like dark humor, the C&H comic strips and ‘shorts’ are some of the best webcomics out there.
12. Damn You Auto Correct — logs all those times when your smartphone auto-corrects your messages to make you look like a fool. Intentionally, of course.
13. Garfield Minus Garfield — does what it says on the tin — removes Garfield from the old Garfield cartoon strips. Which leaves Jon Arbuckle talking to himself. The intention is to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.
14. Animals Being Dicks — features gifs of animals being jerks. Updated daily, this Tumblr is pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh. Unless you’ve had a sense of humor bypass. I love anything funny that involves animals.
15. Revel in some high-tech geeky humor — If you have never seen a ‘pager’ in your life or better yet don’t know what it means, chances are you have all the tech knowledge it takes to get this “geeky” jokes.
16. Fun things to do with Google Search — Google is one company that knows how to laugh at itself and make others laugh too.
17. Make a prank call — With PrankDial, you can send pre-recorded prank calls to your friends from a disguised number, then download and share the recorded reactions on Facebook and Twitter!
18. Watch these weirdos spotted at Walmart — that shop at Walmart. If you’ve ever been there, you may also have been captured.
19. Read satirical made up news — The Onion is the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events. Just kidding. It’s full of made up news. Just like most media sources around the world.
Write
If you’d like to spend your spare time doing something intellectual instead of gawking at cat pictures, check out these sites that have some fun activities around writing.
20. Write a letter to your future self — It’s a great way to set goals for yourself and ensure that you achieve them in a set time period.
21. Whine away about your crappy life — Fmylife.com is a place where you can let it all hang out and unwind by sharing the little things that screw with your day, and maybe realize that you are not alone in experiencing day-to-day crap. There now, don’t you feel better?
22. Answer some questions on Quora — On the surface, it seems like just another Q&A site like Yahoo Answers but it has better quality controls, an intelligent user base, resulting in quality questions and answers.
23. Form a daily writing habit — Writing your heart out every day is a kind of meditation and I have experienced this first-hand. Don’t worry about what you’d write about every day. DailyPage sends you a writing prompt daily and if you don’t like the prompt it also gives you an option to free-write.
24. Share your secrets anonymously — There are several apps that let you can let you get that deep, dark secret in your life off your chest without being judged. Check out YikYak, Whisper, Confess & SecretTalk.
25. Make some money writing online — Even if you have the most basic writing skills you can use them to write articles about your favorite topics and get paid!
26. Write and publish an ebook for free — Publishing a book has never easier. If you’d always wanted to write and publish an ebook, there are literally thousands of ways you can do that.
27. Write jokes in collaboration with strangers online — Got a nice sense of humor? Make up jokes with strangers on Howler.
28. Play this group storytelling game — A Folded Story is one that is written by a group of people, none of whom know the whole story. The story takes shape from the different inputs from different people. It’s like daydreaming together.
29. Another writing game — But this one ends in you finishing an entire novel! Even if you don’t have a story to tell.
Create
When you have some time to kill, you don’t always have to waste it. Here are some creative things to do online.
30. Make some sick beats at Patatap — They even have matching visuals to complement the sounds. Jam out with your friends for a guaranteed good time!
31. Or make your own music with a few clicks — Incredibox is a music app in which you can quickly and easily create a mix by running a band of beatboxers.
32. Create your own 3D printed products — Just upload your 3D models to shapeways and bring your ideas to reality.
33. Make modern art online with kleki.com — It lets you create paintings and sketches with a wide variety of brushes.
34. Create a temporary webpage — that self-destructs. Could be a useful and quick alternative to small wikis for managing upcoming events and TODO lists.
35. Make a Movie with stupeflix.com — Just add photos, videos, music, and text. It’s very easy, and super fun!
36. Create your personal homepage — Show and tell the world who you are, what you do and where you’re headed.
37. Broadcast live audio over the web — Mixlr is a simple way to share live audio online. Broadcast using any source and invite people to listen and chat in real-time.
38. Make slow-motion videos & GIFs — with incredible filters. Take a snapshot of the best moments, Slowmographer automatically turns it into a 3-second loop that you can share as GIF or video.
39. Create cool vector drawings in the browser — Mondrian is a vector graphics web app like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. The only difference is that Mondrian is free and open-source.
Learn
One cool thing to do online when you are bored is to learn something new.
40. Take an IQ test — In addition to measuring your general IQ, their exclusive test assesses your performance in 13 different areas of intelligence, revealing your key cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
41. Take an Emotional IQ test — Research from Harvard Business School demonstrated that EQ counts for twice as much as IQ and Technical Skills in determining who will be successful!
42. Learn Origami — The amazing art of paper folding can bring you immense of joy.
43. Learn how to make pretty much anything at VideoJug — Make cool cakes or candles or dirty toys or whatever.
44. Learn any language in the world at Duolingo — With a little patience, you can be spewing French pickup lines and Spanish cuss words interchangeably. Very useful.
45. Learn killer magic tricks — Everybody loves magic, so if you want to be the next David Blaine (Do you really?), then head on over here and start levitating or whatever.
46. Quirkology — is the perfect YouTube channel for those bored out of their minds at work. These are experiments anyone can do, most without any kind of special equipment.
47. Take free online courses from top universities.
Read
There is a lot of fun stuff to do online but my favorite is reading. Here are some fun things to read online when bored.
48. Read a book at work — Thanks to this site, your boss will never know because it’ll look like you’re viewing a PowerPoint presentation.
49. Literally Unbelievable — exists because some people are too dumb to realize stories from sites like “The Onion” aren’t based on the truth. Society is screwed.
50. PopUrls — helps you view all the latest news and interesting things going on in the world in one single page.
51. Fifty Shades Generator — OK, this one definitely isn’t for under-18s, so adults only please. For over-the-top erotica at the click of a button.
52. Textastrophe — This website is a reminder of why you shouldn’t post your cell phone number on public websites. The creator starts a text conversation with random numbers found on Craigslist ads and publishes the transcript on the internet. The chats are funny and I hope it’s real because screenshots can be faked too.
53. OnRead — OnRead puts a library that includes many current bestsellers and classics right at your fingertips. Simply search for a book, click on the title, click the “Read online for FREE” link, and start reading.
54. Read insightful longform articles on Medium — You can think of Medium as an open source magazine that publishes ideas and stories that have depth and meaning. And everyone is welcome to share theirs.
55. Best of Quora — Quick way to reference the Best of Quora. A word of caution: you may get totally addicted.
56. This. — is a place to find and share the web’s best entertainment, art and journalism. Each member can share just one link a day.
57. Find your next favorite read — Loved a book and want to read something of the kind? Then go to Whatshouldireadnext.com, type the title of the book you enjoyed and get several suggestions what to read next.
Listen
58. Listen to mood-altering binaural beats — iDose is designed to alter your mood. They have a track for every mood. Try ‘Mirage’ to help with art & creative activities, ‘Relaxation’ to calm down at the end of a busy day, and ‘Aspirin’ for headaches and general pains.
59. Podiobooks — For passive audio entertainment, listen to audiobooks. This site distributes free audiobooks through RSS feeds and direct downloads. You’ll find material in over 20 different categories from countless authors. The first chapter of each book is available to anyone. To hear more, subscribe to a title or download the entire book, you need to sign up.
60. Rainy noises — I originally wanted to put this in my “useless sites to visit when you are bored” list but I’m listening to it right now and it is oddly satisfying and is making me feel relaxed.
61. Audio Lectures — I know there are a ton of sites for video lectures from top universities but just listening to something being taught can give you a deeper understanding of the topics being taught.
62. Comedy 24/7 — iHeart radio’s comedy station is my go-to place for listening to the funnies while I work. The best part is they announce the comedian after the skit is over.
63. Swarm.fm — Discover great music through people you trust and artists you love.
64. TheStoryPlayer — broadcasts short stories by the best published and up and coming UK writing talent, as well as translated fiction from around the world, and a selection of classics from our literary heritage.
65. Audio guided meditation — Having experienced the power of meditating every day I can safely say that meditation has more benefits than we have discovered.
66. BioBeats — Generate music from your heartbeat. Merging entertainment + health.
67. Beastmode.fm — Random music to make you happy. Who doesn’t want to be happy?
Play
68. Treasure Hunt — Explore, find and log geocaches around the world. Join the world’s largest treasure hunt.
69. Take the official psychopath test — This quiz is designed to help give you some idea about whether or not you may have psychopathic tendencies.
70. Play some nostalgic 90s games — Super Mario bros., Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, they’re all there!
71. BigPoint — Play 100s of high-quality browser games but make sure you have an unlimited internet plan, otherwise you’re screwed.
72. Flickr Games — One of the more recommended places to search out images is Flickr. The large number of images that are hosted by Flickr are a virtual visual treasure. Here are 10 Flickr based games that are wholesome fun. Stretch it a bit, and you could get a lot of visual learning out of it too.
73. Minecraft Classic — is free to play directly in the browser. And it’s well worth your time. More or less.
74. Clone Zone — lets you edit websites to make them appear however you want and then share them with your friends. This is your chance to win the Nobel Peace Prize or get drafted to the NFL.
75. Learn how to play the Wiki Game, in which you may find yourself up against the clock trying to get from the Kim Kardashian entry to the Hitler entry or from Armageddon to Kermit the Frog. Here at the office we like to hit “Random article” on the Wikipedia homepage and see how fast we can get to Vlad the Impaler.
76. Put your face onto your pet with Petswitch — Ever wondered what you’d look like with your face on your pet? Wonder no more!
77. Play Stronghold Kingdoms — Stronghold Kingdoms is a massively multi-player online real time strategy game with a Medieval castle building theme.
Discover
78. Bored? — Discover random cool websites on the web, one click at a time.
79. Favorite and Forget –is updated every day with useful and educational links that will change your life.
80. Best of Craigslist — The funniest, most bizarre and weird Craigslist ads are curated on the ‘Best of Craigslist’ page. Even better is this subreddit that captures even the ones that get removed or taken down.
81. FindGift — A fantastic site to get ideas or find unique gifts for anyone or any occasion.
82. Go to Mars — Explore the red planet at Nasa’s website with 3D, interactive and raw imagery.
83. Find A Grave — Find out who’s buried near you with.
84. Death Clock — If you’re still bored after all those suggestions, we suggest you go to the Death Clock and find out exactly how many seconds you have left to live. It’s a great motivator….
85. Gadget Flow — Discover, Save and Buy Awesome Products.
Send
86. Send an extraordinary letter — Compose a letter online and the World’s Smallest Postal Service will transcribe it in the tiniest of script, seal it with a minuscule wax seal, and send it with a magnifying glass so your recipient can read it.
87. Oceangram — Put a message in a bottle and throw it into the virtual ocean, or pluck a bottle from the waves and read messages from around the world. You can even track your own bottles so you can see what kinds of comments get added to your messages by other people.
88. Send files of any size P2P — JustBeamit creates a connection between you and whoever you want to share your files with, so your files are not uploaded anywhere; rather, the link serves only as a gateway for transferring the file from your computer to the recipient(s)’.
89. 10MinuteMail — The site provides you an email address that disappears after ten minutes, so you go scot-free while your nemesis finally accepts that you are the better human.
90. Flowers2mail — Do something good, make someone smile, send flowers! Being bored means you have some time to spare. Don’t let it go to waste! You could invest a minute or two to make someone happy. Are there any birthdays, anniversaries or holidays coming up? How about mailing a bunch of flowers? And if you’re notoriously broke, you will love this one because it’s free!
91. Send Completely Anonymous Emails — Send unlimited anonymous emails with attachments for free and no registration required.
92. Make friends with jail inmates — Meet-An-Inmate is an online penpal service for the currently incarcerated.
93. Set up email reminders — the easiest way to setup email reminders.
94. Faxzero.com — send an online fax for free.
Miscellaneous
95. Change your look online — Upload a photo to the DailyMakeover and try out celebrity hairstyles and makeup trends.
96. Get free tech support at Techguy — If you’re having problems with your computer, this free volunteer site will sort you out. Forget your stupid computer guy who only shows up when you’re not at home!
97. Woot — Lists the best deal on the Internet daily.
98. This Is Why I’m Broke — Unique products on the Internet that you never knew even existed. Stuff like an iPhone case that doubles as a bottle opener, sandals that resemble computer keyboards or a boat from World War II that you can actually buy.
99. CamelCamelCamel — Website and service that tracks and graphs the price history of products on Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy helping you get the best price.
100. Press the Bored Button — Still bored? Try hitting the bored button. It will give you random fun activity to do to cure your boredom.
