1. I look up delightful recipes. Actually, the lazier way to do this is to just watch Buzzfeed’s Tasty videos (which for some reason, are on perpetual run on Facebook anyway). Because they’re clipped to perfect length, they usually capture your attention for 3 mins at most – and in such a way that makes you feel like they’ve also added value to your life. -Well, all can dream, can’t we?
2. I go on shopping websites to see whether there’re any deals. This doesn’t necessarily mean that a) I always land there on deal day or b) if there is a deal, I always take advantage of it, but it does give you a bird’s eye view of what’s latest without you having to physically embark to the shops, for one thing. If you ever dreamt of an exercise-free nation, this would be it.
3. I.. make instant coffee or just, tea. There are too many specialty ways of making the coffee drip, these days. And who’s got the time for that always? Instant is sugary, and sometimes, even horrible (when you’re in no mood for it) but it also culminates as a sort of ingrained habit that will help you fuel creativity (if you happen to be stuck) or give you the freedom to simply be, even if just for a few minutes. You’ll be surprised what that can do for your brain, especially when it’s been playing the ‘z’ chord for some time now.
4. I go to my standard playlists of Spotify songs and try and kick up a fuss with them. By that, I mean shuffling them, or looking at the artist radio to see if any new ones resonate. I may or may not take the next big step of adding them to the playlist – but even if I don’t, hey, my brain got some new waves going, and I may even feel a little better for it. New songs are said to help your brain neurons form new connections (one neuron says to another: ah, let’s finally talk to each other, shall we?)
“Music is structural, mathematical and architectural. It’s based on relationships between one note and the next. You may not be aware of it, but your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of it,” notes one otolaryngologist cited here.
5. I look up the news. I know, I know. The news is hardly ever good – but the comfort I #takeaway from that is that, hey, at least I found out something new about the world today. It may not be the prettiest world; heck, it may even be ugly as sin, but there’re still plenty of humans living in it whose lives could or could not be affected by the events that transpire in it. And to that extent, my special brand of awareness still needs to be there.
And there you have it, folks! The five things you can do when sitting down is just about boring into your sanity.
news stand 