Flight delays, canceled trains, and unexpected pauses between meetings. We’ve all been there. When you’re bored, a minute can seem like an hour. The good news is that beating boredom is increasingly easy, thanks to technology. If you’ve got Internet access, you have a veritable treasure trove of distractions, diversions, and fun or educational activities at your fingertips. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best ways to pass the time if you’ve got a laptop, tablet, or smartphone to hand.
Streaming services
Millions of people use streaming services. Netflix alone has more than 325 million subscribers. TV and movies have long been popular sources of entertainment, but the rise of streaming has revolutionized the way we access and consume shows and films. Now, you can access vast libraries at the touch of a button, save your favorites, get recommendations based on your preferences and viewing habits, and view boxsets or episodes on the go. Streaming and downloading TV series and movies is a great way to fill your time, whether you’ve got 30 minutes until your next meeting or you’re facing hours of delays in an airport terminal. If you’ve got a phone, you can download apps to view content on mobile devices quickly and easily.
Online games and puzzles
Playing games and doing puzzles online is a fantastic way to keep boredom at bay. Not only is solving puzzles and playing games fun, but it also offers an array of other benefits. Games like Wordle, Sudoku, and chess are brilliant for making you think, enhancing your problem-solving skills and reducing stress, while video games can help you plan strategically, think on your feet, and improve your reaction time. There are social elements involved if you want to take on contenders, join groups and leagues or challenge friends and family members, and you can play anywhere at any time. Gaming can boost dopamine levels in your brain to give you the feel-good factor, but it’s also accessible and affordable. You can open an app in a second, play anywhere and access a huge range of games for free.
Educational courses and resources
Internet access doesn’t just afford us golden opportunities to enjoy entertainment. It also provides chances to learn and develop new skills, broaden our knowledge bases, further our career prospects, and discover and indulge new interests. Online courses are an excellent example of how you can benefit from apps, learning platforms, and targeted educational resources in your spare time.
The range of courses is growing all the time. If you want to learn something new, you have a vast array of resources and programs available to you via a computer or mobile device. From short webinars, online workshops, and interactive worksheets to courses that last for weeks, there are options to suit everyone. You can also take advantage of guided tutorials, videos, and educational exercises or download specific apps or programs designed to hone skills, such as learning a new language. Depending on how much time you have, you could join a virtual class, do a written exercise or learn a list of new words in seconds.
Social media
Over 5 billion of us use social media. In 2025, the average user spent around 140 minutes on social media apps per day. Social platforms started as contact networks to enable people to stay in touch with friends and family members, but they’ve evolved into multifaceted channels that offer much more. Now, you can do everything from chatting with friends and viewing products from brands you follow to getting travel tips, networking, and joining groups and communities. There are several ways to pass your time by opening social media apps. The most popular activities include watching videos, messaging contacts, and scrolling to find news and information. Online shopping has also become more popular via social media. Now, you can click on posts or browse shopping features to visit sites or add products to your cart and place orders within seconds.
Social media sometimes gets a bad rap, but it can be a lifesaver for some. Not only does it offer multiple ways to prevent boredom, but it can also help you build relationships, discover individuals, groups and communities that share your interests or passions, and reduce the risk of isolation. Social media is most popular among younger generations. UK data suggests rates of loneliness are highest among young people aged 16-29. Over 30% of people in this age group admitted to feeling lonely ‘often, always or some of the time,’ according to the Office for National Statistics.
Podcasts and playlists
More than 100 million Americans listen to podcasts, and figures are rising. Podcasts provide easy access to entertainment, news, discussion, debate, comedy, and a range of other interests and talking points. If you have time on your hands, you can choose from a gigantic range of titles and series. You can select options based on your hobbies, your mood, your favorite celebrities or presenters, your previous viewing or listening choices, or recommendations from other people. You can also browse charts to get inspiration and see what’s trending. Podcasts come in all forms to suit varied preferences. Some episodes are short and snappy, while others last for hours.
Creating playlists is another effective way to use your time constructively if you subscribe to a music streaming service or you have apps on your phone or tablet. Listening to music can boost your mood, give you more energy and lower your stress levels. You can also use your time to discover new songs or artists and connect with other people with similar tastes.
We’re all guilty of complaining that we’re bored from time to time. The good news is that, as technology advances, it’s easier than ever to combat boredom. If you’ve got a phone, tablet, or laptop, there are myriad ways to fill your time. Ideas include watching TV shows, series, and movies, playing online games and doing puzzles, listening to podcasts and playlists, using social media, and accessing educational content, courses, and resources.
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