This
time last year, we shared with readers a set of 10 amusing or instructive online
diversions, and we've been hearing about it ever since (as copies of our Top Ten
Time-Wasters list get passed from office drone to office drone). So this year,
we've come up with a new list of 10 ways (all free) to take a mental break --
notice we didn't say goof off -- and recharge your batteries. Supervisors, take
note: Recharging one's batteries is a good thing. In the long run, it makes
employees more productive.
So here goes:
1. Stratify the
neighborhood. Visit http://www.zillow.com/ to see the current "zestimated" value of
your home. And get this: You'll also see the value of your neighbors' homes,
every one of 'em. This could become an obsession.
2. Send a
monk-e-mail. Jump over to http://www.careerbuilder.com/ and send a friend or colleague a
"monk-e-mail" message, complete with your choice of a text-to-voice message or
your own voice, recorded via a nifty phone-recording link. I sent my friend
Vincent a message with the female monkey (the only female monkey is also the
receptionist -- what's up with that?) singing the aria Un Bel di
Vedremo with my own lyrics. You can imagine the possibilities.
3.
Map the location of your friends. Zip over to http://www.frappr.com/ and set up
your own Frappr map -- for your family, your fellow employees, or your old
summer camp-mates. Just invite them to join your Frappr map and watch the
individual "pins" appear. Your map-mates can add photos and "shout-outs" to
their fellow mappies. Fun!
4. Publish your thoughts. Take a
hike over to http://www.gather.com/ and publish a short story, some random
observations, or a poem. You can invite your friends to see your stuff, or leave
it up to the Gather crowd to comment. Read the top stories of the day and tune
into the online-writer zeitgeist. A good antidote to too many budget
meetings.
5. Investigate your bloggy popularity. Use the search
box at http://www.technorati.com/ to enter your own name (in quotation
marks) to see who has blogged about you, and what they said. Who knew your
teenage babysitter had issues with the new drapes in your living room? Reading
other people's blogs is also safer, from an employee-relations perspective, than
writing your own.
6. Catch a movie. On http://www.evtv1.com/ they're
showing movie clips 24/7, from the worst American Idol performers to
the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle. When you lack the energy to read any more
text, a quickie movie might be just the thing.
7. Raise your in-crowd
quotient. The popular dirt-dishing site Pink Is the New Blog
will make you laugh out loud with its observations on pop culture icons and
wannabes.
8. Get stuff for free -- or get rid of stuff. At http://www.freecycle.com/, you
can find a local group where some people advertise stuff they don't want
anymore, and other people come and get it. You can post a message that invites
people to pick up all your REO Speedwagon and BTO 8-tracks tapes, or announce
that you're on the hunt for a gently used guinea-pig cage. Your
choice.
9. Save at the supermarket. At http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/, you can see which stores have
the best prices on common grocery items in your town, and decide where to do
this week's grocery shopping. This is the Top Ten Diversion that makes you feel
grown-up and responsible, vs. feeling juvenile and shiftless. Think of it as a
palate cleanser.
10. Peer down at your swing set. Google Maps is the coolest thing ever.
Not only can you find your house in map view, and manipulate the map in
whichever direction you like, you can also switch to a Satellite view to see
your house as it actually is -- and yes, I swear, even your swing set or your
car in the driveway. It's addictive, but it can leave you with an intense desire
for a new roof.
Two or three of these side trips a day will broaden your
mind and give you the boost necessary to get through to quitting time. Think of
it as your mental coffee break -- without the jitters.
Liz Ryan's New-Millenium Workplace Advice appears weekly
on BusinessWeek Online. Send your job questions to Liz Ryan, an at-work expert, speaker, and
writer, and CEO of online networking organization WorldWIT
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