Looking for websites to go to whenever you need a break from work? Many would resort to social media to scroll, scroll, scroll. But if you’re getting tired of your friends’ Facebook drama and the boring, repetitive tweets in your Twitter timeline, check out these useful and inspiring sites to unwind, gain inspiration, learn something, or be more productive.
1. Kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/
We all know that Kickstarter is a funding site for creative projects, but it is a great venue also to look for creative inspiration. Check out their “Discover” page and you’ll see lots of categories to look from.
2. Dribbble
https://dribbble.com/
Dribbble is a “show and tell” site for designers. If you’re a graphic artist, Dribble is the best site where you can find inspiration from other people like you, and share your own creations to promote.
3. The Best Designs
https://www.thebestdesigns.com/
Browse beautiful design themes, web designs and workspaces that are aesthetically, the best of the best.
4. Behance
https://www.behance.net/
Behance is a compilation of artistic portfolio. You can find creative work in different fields, such as advertising and photography, to fashion and crafts,
5. StoryCorps
https://storycorps.org/
Serving as an archive of wisdom for the future generations, StoryCorps features around 100,000 stories of Americans with various background and beliefs. This oral history project aims to remind people of our shared humanity and to create a culture of listening to what others have to say.
6. The Science of Us
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/
Don’t be intimidated by the word “science” – this is not a technical site or something like Scientific American. This New York Magazine blog presents scientific explanation to mundane, everyday stuff in an easily readable way.
7. Brilliant
http://brilliant.com/
But if you’re into science and math and you’ve got a question – or maybe you’re feeling a little helpful and you want to show your brilliance to those who got a question, Brilliant is the site for you. Go nerd!
8. Big Think
http://bigthink.com/
The Big Think believes that the Internet is already drowning with information, so they created a place that will connect and show the relevance of information. Check out Big Think for relevant, significant and applicable pieces of knowledge.
9. Standard Resume
http://standardresume.com/
Too lazy to spice up your resume on your own? The Standard Resume is available to help you create a beautiful resume that you can easily edit, download and print.
10. Workflowy
https://workflowy.com/
Workflowy is a simple web application that allows you to create the most organized notes possible. The brains behind online sites and content are using the app to keep them productive.
11. Mailinator
https://www.mailinator.com/
Instead of creating new email addresses every time a website asks for an email, use Mailinator. Prevent spams on your real email address with a disposable public email here.
12. Freedom
http://www.freedom.com/
If you can’t help but check your apps and social media, use an app blocker like Freedom. Be more productive and get your work done as it can cover all your devices.
13. LinkHubb
https://linkhubb.com/
Just sharing a link or a list of links might be unappealing, so curate it on LinkHub. You can create aesthetically pleasing collections of whatever links you want to share using this app.
14. Sleepyti.me
http://sleepyti.me/
This bedtime calculator can tell you the best times to go to bed so that you can have a good night’s sleep. Put in the time you need to wake up and Sleepyti.me will tell you when you need to sleep to optimize your natural sleep cycles.
15. How Long to Read This
https://www.howlongtoreadthis.com/
You may have a tight schedule, but you don’t want to miss on reading a book. If you are really into minuscule details, you can calculate how many hours and minutes would it take you to finish a book. How Long To Read this measures your average personal reading speed to give approximate reading times for more than 12 million books.
16. F.lux
https://justgetflux.com/
People who face the screen of their computer screens all the time might have problems about going to sleep. F.lux can change screen’s display light to adapt to the time of the day to help you sleep better when you need to. It’s downloadable –available for iOS, Android and Linux, and free for Windows.
17. Emergency Compliment
http://emergencycompliment.com/
Having a bad day? Hear something good from Emergency Compliment. They told me “Your co-workers fantasize about being stuck in an elevator with you.” And “The FBI tapped your phone just to hear the sound of your voice.” Just try it!
18. Novni
https://novni.com/
Writing all your feelings out is therapeutic. Novni is a great site where you can rant it all out for strangers to read while staying anonymous. It’s also a place where you can give some advice to other users if you want to help others out.
19. Positivity Blog
http://www.positivityblog.com/
Feeling a little down? Read through some practical happiness advices that can help you from Positivity Blog.
20. Huffington Post Good News
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/section/good-news
Typical evening newscasts, or even news articles online, usually consist of more bad news. Your work itself is stressful, and you don’t want to be stressed about the happenings in your world. The Huffington Post Good News is here to give you faith in humanity.
21. HooplaHa
http://www.hooplaha.com/
Another good news site, HooplaHa wants to spread kindness and compassion. The feel-good news you can find here are meaningful stories of inspiring individuals, companies, organizations and communities around the world. Their aim is to simply make you smile.
22. CNN Heroes
http://edition.cnn.com/specials/cnn-heroes
Someone or some people are featured as CNN Heroes every week. Their heartwarming stories are sure to make you feel good.
23. Hack a Day
http://hackaday.com/
Hackaday serves new hacks every day, which are of great interest especially for engineering enthusiasts. The highly creative hacks they feature up here are very useful – too bad we don’t have enough time to try it all out.
24. Vox
http://www.vox.com/
Vox is here to help you understand the context of the latest news. Issues are demystified in their high-quality articles, and after browsing their site you’d see right away that you know better.
25. Family Dinner Project
https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/
The Family Dinner Project is all about conversation starters on things like food and the things that matter. Never lose any topic to bring up whether at home or in the office with their ideas.