Suggest me Something to Do

What this tool does

You are bored, you have some free time, and the conversation goes in circles: I do not know, what do you want to do. This tool just decides. It throws out an activity or hobby at random, so you have a real thing to go and do instead of scrolling your phone while the afternoon slips away.

Press the button for an idea. Press it again for another. Ask for a few at once to pick from a short list. Because this is about as low-stakes as a decision gets, the best move is usually to take a pick and run with it, and it doubles as a great way to stumble onto a new hobby you would never have gone looking for.

How to use it

1. Number / Quantity. How many ideas to pull at once, from 1 to 100.
2. Generate. Pulls a fresh idea, or a fresh set if you asked for several.
3. Starts with, Contains, Ends with. Optional filters that whittle the list before it picks. Leave them blank to draw from everything.
4. Copy. Sends the current ideas to the clipboard as plain text for your notes.

An idea is on screen as soon as the page opens, so there is always something to do.

How it works

The list is a fixed set of activities and hobbies, and each press draws one at random, with no repeats inside a single set when you ask for several.

The filters let you aim. Contains keeps any idea with your text in it, so typing collecting brings up collecting in its various forms, from coins to LEGO, while a word that matches your mood narrows it the same way. Starts with goes by the first letter and ends with by the last.

What is on the list

It is a big grab-bag of around a hundred and fifty activities and hobbies, from the crafty to the sporty to the plain unexpected. There are quiet, creative pursuits like calligraphy, pottery, and cheesemaking, active ones like boxing, badminton, and curling, and curiosities like juggling, genealogy, and antiquing, with the odd surprise such as housework thrown in for honesty.

Because it casts such a wide net, a pull might be a five-minute lark, a brand new skill to learn, or a proper sport to take up. That variety is the whole point when you just want to be handed something, and the Contains box helps when you already know whether you are in a quiet or an active mood.

Why we waste free time deciding

It is a strange modern problem to have hours free and fritter them away deciding how to spend them. Part of it is that the options are endless, and endless choice tends to freeze us. Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper put it on record in a 2000 study, where shoppers faced with twenty-four jams were far less likely to buy than those faced with six, since too many possibilities stall us rather than spur us.

Barry Schwartz called the broader effect the paradox of choice, where abundance leaves us dissatisfied and slow to act. A random idea cuts straight through it. It hands you one concrete thing to do, and because the stakes are so low, the smart response is simply to go and do it rather than weighing every other option you could have picked instead.

Making the most of a pick

The simplest path is to take the first pick and start, since the whole point is to stop deliberating, and most of these are easy to try right now. If it does not fit your mood, a quick press or a keyword in the Contains box steers you toward something quieter or more active. The real value, though, comes when a pick is something you have never tried, because a random nudge is one of the best ways to discover a hobby, and picking up new interests is good for you, a genuine boost to mood and a fine way to meet people. So when an unfamiliar idea comes up, treat it as an invitation rather than skipping it, and give it a proper go before deciding it is not for you.

Questions people ask

Is it free, and does it save anything?

It is free with no sign-up, and nothing is stored. The picks run in your browser, so copy a list of ideas before you leave.

Can I get a few ideas at once?

Yes. Set the quantity to the number you want, up to 100, and press Generate for that many different ideas in one pull.

Can I match my mood?

Roughly, yes. Type a word into the Contains box to lean toward quiet or active ideas, or pull a few at once and pick whichever fits how you feel.

Should I try something I have never done?

It is a great way to use the tool. A random nudge is perfect for discovering a new hobby, and trying new things tends to lift your mood, so an unfamiliar pick is worth a real go.

References

1. Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper, "When Choice Is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?", Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000, the study behind choice overload. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11138768/
2. Barry Schwartz, "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less", his talk on how more options can lower satisfaction. https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice