The Trouble With Tribbles
Are you constantly bothered by distractions? And I don’t just mean tempted, I mean you give in to them to the point where they actually cause you to lose productivity. Hey, trust me; we’ve all been there.
OK, even if you’re not a Star Trek fan (oh, the humanity!), chances are you’ve probably heard of tribbles, right? You know, those cute little bundles of fuzz (literally!) that purred like a cat when happy, but squealed like a stuck pig whenever a Klingon was near?
They first appeared in a now-famous episode of the original Star Trek called “The Trouble With Tribbles”. Here’s my favorite scene:
Kirk suspects that tribbles have invaded a space station’s important store of grain, so he and Spock head down to the warehouse to meet the station manager, Baris.
Baris suspects the grain has been sabotaged by a fellow named Cyrano Day Jaymin, even though he assures Kirk and Spock that the access points have all been secured.
But as he orders the warehouse door open, Kirk isn’t so sure. If the tribbles have gotten to the grain, there could be thousands of them on the other side of that door.
As it happens, they have, and there are. As the door opens, the hapless Kirk is literally buried by an avalanche of tribbles.
BARIS (aghast): There must be thousands.
KIRK: Hundreds of thousands.
SPOCK: One million, seven hundred and seventy-one thousand, five hundred and sixty-one.
KIRK (looks at him): Oh really?
SPOCK (continuing): That’s assuming one tribble with an average litter of ten, every twelve hours for a period of three days.
KIRK (knowingly): Oh. (continuing) Mr. Spock… (Spock looks up) We have two things to do. (pause) First, capture Cyrano Day Jaymin… (another pause) and second… somebody close that door! [emphasis mine]
OK, let’s return from the 23rd century for a few minutes and think about tribbles.
Well, first of all, what’s not to like about the little darlings? They were cute, soft, and lovable; when stroked or petted, they imparted a sense of satisfaction and well-being to the person holding them (even the non-emotional Mr. Spock was affected); they even purred like a kitten when well-fed and content! All of which would immediately earned tribbles a rather high ranking on the Cuteness scale.
So, just what was the trouble with tribbles, anyway?
The problem, as it turned out, was that if you fed them (even a tiny amount)… well, they reproduced. Within hours. A lot! In only three days, as our helpful Vulcan friend Mr. Spock pointed out, a single tribble became millions; a veritable plague of the little critters that literally ate every available foodstuff in sight.
So what does that have to do with me, you ask? Well, nothing, really. I mean, there’s no such thing as tribbles, right? But what if… well, what if we think of tribbles as the metaphorical equivalent of something else?
What if distractions were tribbles?
OK, perhaps that’s a bit too tortured an illustration, but humor me bear with me a bit.
Like tribbles, distractions are things that are interesting enough to gain and keep your attention; you even gain a sense of satisfaction and well-being from them (otherwise you wouldn’t stay distracted for long).
Distractions also have a way of multiplying over time, too. And, while it may be a stretch to say that distractions purr like a kitten, (unless, of course, your distraction is a kitten!), there’s a sort of feedback loop that keeps you coming back for more.
So what’s the solution? Well, while I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always succeed at it, the solution is actually pretty simple.
Shut the door!
The thing is it’s still up to us to do our part to reduce distractions to the minimum. And by all means, if there’s any way to shut ‘em out, well, you’d better bar the door, baby!
So what is (or was) your most persistent tribble? How did you shut the door on it (assuming you have, that is)? What’s your advice to others who are still, um, petting the same tribble?
How do (or did) you reach that place where, if you’ll pardon the expression (and here you have to use Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott’s voice), “There’d be no tribbles at all”?
9 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
E-mail–I have a love/hate relationship. It makes me feel accepted, and connected but like the “tribbles” (hold on—I just got one—I will be right back) they distract me beyond belief. For me the solution was to simply shutdown my Outlook (I hate Outlook by the way, but have to use it at work) and open the program hourly.
Since you opened the Star Trek door——few alternate realities (I know it’s a show) have given our minds the chance to travel beyond our own cubicles. Just open your flip phone and try not to ask Scottie a question.
TV is a big distraction for me. I’m trying to finish a proposal for a new client, but my eye’s on the clock because I want to catch Final Jeopardy. Seinfeld reruns are on next, so … here I am reading your entertaining post about Tribbles. Like Mike, I’m a major Trek fan, especially Next Generation. Not only does the show give flight to your imagination, as Mike says, it speaks volumes about our everyday life, as you talk about. What other TV show ever did that?
Great analogy. This post rocks.
Mike: I know what you mean about email. It’s almost impossible to not stop and check it when I see there’s one in the que.
Brad: Final Jeopardy? I knew we had a lot in common!
Jean: Thanks for dropping by! I have to admit – it seems like the ones I’m not that sure of are the ones that draw the best responses.
Now, how can I tap that knowledge?
Robert, it must be the day of Star Trek posts. I just mentioned a trekker high school friend of mine today.
My “tribble” of late is definitely reading blogs. I start off on one, link to another, then another, then another. . .
My solution? Try to limit myself to a set time limit, then bookmark where I left off.
I must admit, Erik, I see a lot of the same tribbles everyone else does. But they’re so much fun!
Prioritization goes a long way toward controlling the little critters, though. As does actual, you know, will power!
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Hi Robert
You know I just have to protest at that Scottish accent at the end of your post!
I’m with Erik – blogs are my undoing. Or are they? I have so much more fun this way, meet so many people, share ideas, read about tribbles, learn about the distinctions between trekkers and trekkies, get a smile in the morning – you know I just want to keep that door wide open
Joanna
What, you didn’t like my accent? I thought I rrrrolled my R’s quite well!
Besides, I completely agree – it’s way too much fun to stop! We’ll just have to accept a reduction in productivity.
As always, Balance in all things!