I know I get overwhelmed easily. If I find more than 10 emails in my inbox, I get a full-blown panic attack. But even for a person with normal tolerance level how much is too much?
The whole month of August I was in the Thirty Day Challenge - a very intensive training program, where the lessons were posted daily (on weekends as well) and required immediate "practice" action -- sometimes several actions. It was a great free training at a price of 10 to 12 hrs a day in front of the computer. Not kidding. I was anxious, jittery, claustrophobic and overwhelmed but unwilling to drop the course or postpone it.
By the end of August my perfect 20/20 vision was no more. I was mildly freaking out. "Mildly" only because I knew I could probably get it back as soon as I drastically cut down on my computer time. Well, my 20/20 is almost back. But it's not the point. The point is: how much is too much and how do you handle it, so "too much" doesn't swallow you alive?
I am still not done with the training (even though it's been officially over), mostly because new information keeps coming at me. It's good information -- most of it, anyway -- and some of it is even essential for what I am trying to accomplish. But it seems to prevent me from moving forward because there's always something else that needs to be done in preparation for moving forward.
Maybe it's ok. Maybe it's how it suppose to be: first, you prepare for a while, patiently, paying attention to details, taking your time, and then you make a step forward.
Maybe it's not ok. Maybe processing all this information gives you the illusion of a progress, but, in fact, like an anchor it keeps you tied down to a no-real-motion zone.
Every day I open my mailbox and there they are -- new emails waiting for me. And I still have the old ones unopened because... because... it's just too much. It's like the job that could never be done. Too many offers, too many ebooks, too many seminars, too many reminders of the offers and ebook downloads and seminars... And some of these emails are like friends - "Oh, hi, Ed Dale! Love ya...". But some are like "Who is that Sean Casey person and why is he writing to me?"
The easiest solution would be to unsubscribe from anything I don't have time for at the moment. Easy to say. But what if I miss something IMPORTANT??? Yeah...
Then, there are courses and ebooks that I already have, started even and have to finish. Oh, about 7 or 8 of them. I predict, there will be 20 of them by the end of this month.
And every time I go online to do a very specific research, I stumble onto something very useful but unrelated, wonder deep into the woods and get lost for an hour or two. Or three, to be completely honest. I don't suffer from ADD, mind you.
Not to forget, there are also communities -- forums, friendfeed rooms, membership sites, Web 2.0 networks... Is it even possible to keep up with them? I was wondering the other day, if I should sign up with sort of a private network club. It could be good for me in terms of support and camaraderie, but it can also push me right over the edge. And I don't know which way it's going to turn.
To join or not to join - that is the question...
I think I need some peace and quite for a while. I saw some pink earplugs in a 24hours pharmacy. Maybe I should put them in. And turn off the lights. No, that won't work. I still need to see. Put the sign on my door then, so strangers would know not to knock and go away. It shall say:
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