Good stuff here from Trevin Wax. Below is an excerpt:
2. Beware of the Ping
In The Accidental Creative, Todd Henry warns against the Ping:
“The Ping is 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 instead of doing something productive. And as my number of options grew (turns out there is an app for that), the pull of the Ping became ever more powerful. The Pint wants to be my pastor. It wants to own me.”
Here’s what happens when you let the Ping have control:
“It’s more and more difficult for me to be fully in one place, 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’m not advising you to get rid of technology. But surely we can set parameters at home and at work as to how much we’ll allow ourselves to be driven by instant email, texts, tweets, and Facebook messages.
You don’t need your iPhone at the dinner table. You really don’t.
3. Recognize the exponential increase of energy needed for new tasks.
It’s the “little things” that add up. I learned this the hard way. Even the short amount of time needed for certain responsibilities can create a disproportionate drain on your energy.
When an opportunity or a request comes your way, never examine it by itself. Always look at it in light of all your other responsibilities. Every commitment you make affects the other commitments you make.
