The internet.
It is a vacuum, a black hole, through which Time can be absorbed, never to escape. Like any self-respecting employee, I find I am often juggling my time between helping my company's bottom line and trying to find a few nuggets of personal time that can help relieve the stress of deadlines, conference calls, board room meetings, confused clients, and a bevy of other daily life-shortening irritants. When no one is looking, I minimize my computer window, keeping Alt, Tab, Delete on standby.
Occasionally, I get tired of my normal websites such as Two Bills Drive, a fan site for my favorite football team. I even get tired of all the news sites: the endless tragedies that occur and what politician is yelling at the other for whatever manufactured daily points they can garner. Eventually, I reach my wits end. I need to broaden my horizons, but where is a fella, a guy like me, to go for some mindless distraction from the seriousness of a (usually) losing football team, a world at war with itself, and a job that seems to endlessly pile on more and more?
It can all be too much.
So I actually Google searched to see what was popular or new when it came to the world of online reading for a fella.
After sifting through all the weird such an internet search can bring, I found a good cross section of start-ups, about to break out, and main stay sites for the average man. Here is my defacto list-topper in each category:
The Start-Up
The Guy Society
With new and relevant articles about success in the business place, interviews with entrepreneurs, a whole section devoted to beautiful models with interviews, a robust photo and video gallery, I found a lot to like about this brand new site. Aptly called The Guy Society, you really do feel like you have found a tiny corner to read articles about anything from fashion trends and business tips, to lifestyles of luxury and dating tips. The interviews are great. My favorite read was the Maximillion Cooper: Gumball 3000 interview. They even sprinkle in a little bit in the way of a Sports section, so you really have a good cross section of reading material as well as eye candy. Just keep that "minimize" button handy.
The Break Out
Foundr
This is a magazine tailored to the entrepreneur as well. However, where The Guy Society is free with constant content, Foundr is a subscription-based model. With a single issue costing $4.99, it isn't exactly expensive, but it is a bit troubling to pull out your wallet when co-workers are walking around. This magazine is great and has some sleek interviews. Some of their interviews include: Seth Godin and Michelle Phan. They also offer ebooks on how to start up a business, a nifty free tools section, and a podcast. There is a lot to like as you sit in your cube and daydream of a time when you are done working for The Man.
The Main Stay
Ask Men
The tried and true aged veteran of the list, Ask Men, couldn't be knocked off the top. Even though I contemplated excluding the site because my iPhone froze from a myriad of pop-up advertisements, the pure landslide of content is nice when you are looking to distract yourself. Besides, when you're the champ, you don't really concern yourself with all the little things like how long the commercial breaks are between rounds. Although the vast majority of the content is mindless, sometimes that is what the doctor ordered. This site really covers it all from sex, to style, to grooming.
So when the rest of your Time Suck activities fail you, here are a few of the best options. Check them out and let me know what you think.