The Best Apps to Distract You From Work

Image via Complex Original

Platform: iOS; Free

Looking to have a little fun with your videos? Action Movie FX lets you add special effects to six second clips, and you can make an otherwise boring place a little more exciting (aka, your office.) So, pick an effect and go from cubicle to cubicle, and see how your co-workers look like with an alien bursting from their bodies.

Platform: iOS; Free

If you've been sitting there looking at the corner of your computer screen for the past 15 minutes, why not bust out your phone to see if there are any mystical creatures flying about. Yeah, there won't be, until you take out Dragon Detector, this augmented reality app that will show you where are the dragons are hiding. 

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Is everyone in your office angry old people that you have nothing in common with? Then create your own characters using iFunFace (hey, it'll be your own version of Tom Hank's Wilson.) Just take a photo or pick one from your camera roll, select its eyes and mouth, create an audio recording, and boom—you got yourself a talking animation. No more lonely days waiting for 5 o'clock to hit. (Not really, you should probably try to make friends with the janitor, at least.)

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

FOMO is the fear of missing out, and if you're stuck at work when something big is happening, Facebook and Twitter might be good sources to head to, assuming you're following the right people. If you want to get links to some important articles without having to do all of the searching, hit up Flipboard. Pick a genre of news you want, whether its sports, art, or just general things, and Flipboard will fill you in on everything you need to know. 

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Honorable Mentions: PunchQuest for iOS and Android; Free

We all know what games for smartphones were made for: to help you get through eight hours of complete boredom, five days a week. So if you're in a dreary office, an oily mechanic shop, or wearing a blue shirt at an electronics store, take out Robot Unicorn Attack 2 when you got a spare second. It's quick, doesn't require a lot of thinking (all you do is jump and dash) and all the pretty colors and music might help brighten your day. Oh, and it's free.

Platform: iOS; $3.99

GIFs are the lifeblood of the entire Internet right now. We all have our favorites and the tried and true ones, but why not make your own? Work life can get boring, why not GIF it up and propel yourself to Internet stardom? 

Platform: iOS, $1.99

Now you can be the boss, at least in a picture. With iSwap Faces, you can take a picture of your boss and swap your face on to their body, or anyone for that matter. Have some fun with your best work friend, and whoever else is around when your boss is sitting back and out of your way. 

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Okay, okay. The best way to pass the time (for anyone) is by looking at members of the opposite sex—as creepy as it sounds. Tinder, outside of Facebook, lets us do that quickly and easily, and also makes it a little fun. Why not click through hundreds of women, pick out which ones you like the most, and if they like you back, buy them a drink after work? A date with a beautiful chick, more than anything, my friends, will make a slow work day pass even faster.

Platform: iOS, Android, Free

If going through and looking at pictures of women isn't your thing, then Vine will make up for that. It's full of six second videos from anything like art, comedy, pets and music. But if you're really looking to distract yourself from the pile of papers on your desk, hit up the comedy channel, then check out our 15 Non-Celebrities You Should Follow on Vine.

Hey, six seconds is just enough time when the boss isn't looking. 

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

That's right. If you're so distracted from your job that you need apps to fill your time, hit up LinkedIn and find a job you really want.