The PingAccidental Creative | Accidental Creative

Productivity

The Ping

By Todd Henry

A few years ago I noticed that something disturbing was becoming re-occurring pattern in my life. It was a tiny sensation, or a little “pin prick in my gut” that popped up every so often.

I called it the “ping.”

It’s that little sensation that occasionally prompts me to check my e-mail or my social media accounts. It’s the impulse to mindlessly surf news sites on the web when I should be doing something much more important.

The “ping” wants to be my master. It wants to own me. It wants me to serve it. And the “ping” even has a ready-made life philosophy for me:

Something “out there” is more important that something “right here.”

If a meeting gets even the slightest bit boring, I reach into my pocket to grab my phone and check my email under the table. If I have a few minutes in line at the store, I pull out my phone to check my feeds on Google Reader. Rather than being “heads up” and actually paying attention to what’s happening in front of me, the “ping” whispers to me, “Hey…you don’t have to be bored. You have options. Yep – there’s an app for that.”

The net result? I’m finding that it’s more difficult to be fully in one place and to focus on what’s in front of me. I’m losing the capacity to think deeply about whatever I’m experiencing because I tend to gravitate to whatever feeds the “ping”. I default to whatever will entertain me right now. Neil Postman’s 1985 work Amusing Ourselves To Death [amazon link] is more relevant than ever in the “fiber-optically wired to our every desire” era.

The truth? We need to learn to pay attention to what’s in front of us. The “something out there is more important than something right here” prompting of the ping is eating away at our ability to focus. This is not an anti-tech rant, but we must endure that tech is serving us and not the other way around. Our creating is largely defined by our ability to process and assimilate our experiences. Are we experiencing life, or are we always living “out there” somewhere?

A few questions: how have you experienced the “ping”, and do you have any strategies for dealing with it?

About Todd Henry

Todd is the founder of Accidental Creative, the author of The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice, and an in-demand speaker and consultant for creative teams. Connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.

THE BOOK:

Comments

HetPayne

There is an interesting article in The Observer today about a guy who stopped ‘multi-tasking’ and attempted to concentrate on the ‘moment’, See if you can find it online – it made me smile.

(oh, that’s not your article is it??)

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

Thanks for the tip on The Observer article – I’ll check it out. There seems to be more and more discussion about this. It seems to be something a lot of people are wrestling with right now.

Nanyappe

This is something that really hits home this week. I find myself going to my job and thinking that if this were MY company I would do it differently, while I go home at night and work to bloom my own business. I use my job to create possibilities of doing things in new and better ways, as a foundation of what NOT to do and what TO do. So, I guess my job is my “ping”.

Thanks for reminding me of this empowerment.

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

I sat with someone else who expressed that their job was their ping as well. I think anything that tells us “hey…there’s something more important OVER THERE” qualifies…

Si gale

I haven’t tried this but am considering having no communication with the online world one day a week (prob Sunday) and then bringing in some small diciplines during the week, nothing big that I will probably fail at. One rule might be never checking my phone when I am with people socially, or having hour long Internet bans or technology holidays. Living in the moment is an art I have almost lost, like right now, a Sunday afternoon with my wife, child and iPhone, something has to give and it can’t be my family.
Thanks for the kick up the backside

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

I really like the “cutting off communication” one day a week idea. We went to a farm for a few hours yesterday with friends and there was no cell coverage. It was actually nice to remove that from the equation.

http://relishedartistry.blogspot.com/ Corey Johnston

Todd–I listen to your podcast–it really helps fill the time while I’m working and you make me think! LOL! My head hurts sometimes…

I think this IS going around… I don’t think it happens the same way for all of us, and I don’t think it happens at the same time, nor do I think there is a root cause that is similar for everyone. But it is certainly distracting and requires a huge sense of self-discipline to conquer.

There is a “zone” that one gets into when one is really concentrating on something. I get into that zone when I’m working on my art. But just around the edges are these… distractions… that tease me and taunt me and make me feel like my attention should be on other things–things that are just as valid (in that particular moment) or necessary or wise…

I think society has a tendency to “remind” us over and over again that we need to be responsible on multiple levels (regardless of our career but especially in creative fields), so we think we should be multi-tasking. That somehow that’s being a good and responsible creative. I think that the “ping” is somehow a learned cultural directive telling us to be “good creatives”, and that our single-mindedness is somehow bad.

Perhaps being driven is not such a bad thing. Perhaps “getting it out of our system” is called for once in a while. Perhaps we can learn to ignore our inner “ping” and feel good that we’re not multi-tasking, and that’s it’s okay!

Maybe. Someday. : )

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

I think this is a good point. It’s more about learning to pay attention to what’s in front of you than about whether certain types of tech are good or evil. The important thing is to learn to focus deeply rather than living constantly fractured lives.

Jennafer

Thanks for writting about this. For me, it is less about the pull towards the easy out from the “ping” to technology. To me it seems to be related to my discomfort with something that is going on. It might be that I am bored with what I’m doing or not wanting to start the next task or unsure how to proceed or a fear of not being able to do what is asked of me or any number of things. I find that I will get pulled away to the easiest “out” be it technology, getting up from the desk and walking way, deciding it is important to water my plants…..

What I’ve been doing with the “ping” lately is really paying attention to it. Instead of trying to avoid it or “fill it” with something else, I actually sink into the uncomfortable feeling and try to stay present with it. It is counter-intuitive and uncomfortable, but over time the “ping” seems to happen less or is less distracting.

It’s just another approach!

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

Great suggestion, Jennafer – thanks!

Sean Harvey

I felt the “ping” and ended up at this article. As always, thanks Todd.
http://www.roleplayingtips.com/ Johnn

Thoughts that occurred from reading this post and the great comments.

Reduce push alerts and signals as much as possible. Unsub from as many email lists as you can. Rely more on just-in-time learning. Change preferences to consolidate alerts around preset “gathering times” during days (schedule meetings with your alerts, heh).

If your dashboard is always lit up, the empty fuel gauge will never get your attention.

Just listened to AC #188. Use those questions to plan your actions and goals each day. Reward yourself for efficiency with true free time and see if that motivates more focus to get through time-based activities faster. I know #188 was about counter-efficiency, but it contains an awesome strategic viewpoint I think helps you navigate your days more productively.

Learn how to communicate effectively. My rule of thumb is every message I send will generate the need for at least two replies. Before you hit Send next time – is that message really worth committing to two more? Next time after that, ask the question before hitting Reply. Next time after that, ask the question before hitting Open.

Now to spend a week testing these ideas you all have just inspired to see if I’m full of beans or not. :)

Bob

Totally agree about shutting off push notifications. I don’t answer the phone during dinner, yet I allow push notifications to interrupt the rest of my day without even considering it. Good call.
http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

I’d love to hear how your “am I full of beans” experiment goes, Johnn. My hunch is that you’re not. :)

http://cdhrandomfits.blogspot.com/ SeaEych

The Ping is why I’m here right now, so I would submit that it can be used for good as well as evil. I always try to use my pings as 5 minutes of production away from the current project and I limit it to 5 minutes. As a reformed smoker I’m pretty sure I’ve got the timing down.

(note: do not start smoking for 10 years, watches are cheaper and your cell phone probably has a timer.)

http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

No question it can be used for good or evil. :) The question is whether we’re becoming a “slave” to it.

http://pinnaclebalance.com Steve Crenshaw

Todd, I have started leaving the phone in the car if I am doing anything with the kids, or dining out. I have been off line for two weeks now, and your site is the first I have commented on in that time. I am supposed to stay off the internet for the entire month of June, but when I finished the book I was reading I decided to read all my feeds I had been missing. It’s tougher than I thought, but I am getting better at not listening to the ping. Thanks for a reminder.

http://cdhrandomfits.blogspot.com/ SeaEych

“Everyone I want to talk to is right here.” I leave my phone behind as often as possible. Emergencies can wait.
http://www.accidentalcreative.com/members/toddhenry/ Todd Henry

I love this idea. I’ve been trying to do the same on certain occasions. We often don’t realize how our fractured attention is affecting our ability to synthesize good ideas (let alone to connect with and relate to others in a meaningful way!)

http://bcstartup.info Bill Cunningham

What is amazing is the expectation of everyone who pings you. “I texted you and didn’t hear back, etc. etc.” It seems we now perceive our devices to be part of our anatomy. I like the communication-free days idea — and even think that we can focus parts of our day without it. But how to handle the stuff that piles up — emails, texts, I try not to listen to voice mails and have Google translate them. Less is definitely more in this case.
http://reigningfish.com/blog/archives/85 Karey Osterhout

I find myself coming for your web site more and much more often to the point exactly where my visits are nearly daily now!
Almost Brian

The ping made me read this. I am so ashamed.