7 Useless Obsessions That Are Actually Good for You

Fixating on the Mysteries of the Slinky

You will never make one go down the stairs right. But the time you spend puzzling over this activity is time not spent snacking or saying mean things to your mother on the phone. Ditto for Pinterest, frantic knitting or daily study of the Google Doodle. If it's the procrastination that's keeping you from completing that encyclopedia you've been drafting for 20 years, then we don't need to tell you to knock it off and focus. But keeping you busy so you don't smoke five more cigarettes tonight? Slinky away, friend.