The Worst Thing That Could've Happened After 30DC

Information overload and the loss of focus are the two worst things that could've and did in fact happened. Just reading emails and taking some kind of action -- even if it's just quick evaluation and bookmarking for the future takes 2 hrs. About 20 gurus (I don't even remember most of their names) are fighting at the moment for my attention with e-mails, feeds, podcasts, videocasts, new programs, free ebooks.

The best thing that could've happen after the 30dc is another 30 days of structured action taking with no distractions from outside whatsoever. I'd like to make it happen. But how should I go about it?

I Just Couldn't Help Myself :)

The name of this video is "Junior System Administrator Fixes A Printer".

On being terribly Inefficient

Information sometimes can be your worst enemy. Too much of it -- and you're suddenly paralized with trying learn of of the "good stuff" at the expence of taking a practical, maybe no so perfect, but good enough action that would've led you in a right direction

I've been reading this and that, watching video-seminars... All of the very good quality and partially helpful, partially -- good info but wrong timing. Plus all the e-mail I could barely handle. Not much of actually doing things. Some, but not enough.

Here's what I accomplished in the last 2 weeks:

1. Restored my WP blog (it was damaged by the evil WPD, who wouldn't even take responsibility).
2. Built a mini-network on Tagfoot. Have to work on that some more.
3. Joined mini-network on Ma.gnolia. Need to work on that.
4. Made 2 different backups for my site.
5. Increased the blog font size for readability.
6. Build a couple of dozen links to my WP blog.
7. Made a couple of entries into my blogs.

The rest of it was learning and reading and doing extras (like relocating my e-mails to a new address).

I would call it "not much"...

How Much Is Free Lunch?

I don't know who said that there is no such thing as free lunch. Why not?
If the point is someone someday will have to pay for that lunch, well... maybe. But the phrase about a free lunch is most often used in the context of: "Watch out. You'll have to pay for this lunch - eventually."

The fear sometimes gets the best of people.

Relax. Free lunch is free lunch is free lunch. You just have to make sure it is a free lunch and not a trap.

For anyone who uses common sense on a regular basis (you'd be surprised how many people don't) detecting a trap is easy. If some stranger wants your bank account information in exchange for a few million dollars, it's a trap. Obviously. If someone wants to give you a free website in exchange for signing up with an overpriced web hosting service, it's a trap. Less obviously so, but if you've done at least basic research on hosting, you would see it.

If someone wants to give you a free ebook in exchange for you reading it, it's a free lunch.

The problem with free lunch isn't the cost. The problem with free lunch is that there's too much of it, there are tons of it. Free lunch is endless like the Universe.

I am not just talking about the internet. Free libraries, free museums, free parks, free concerts, free fireworks, free wi-fi, free services, free radio and tv...

Internet is even bigger on free stuff. Even now, when it's less free than before.

Don't think for a minute that I am complaining about free lunch. Not at all. Not crazy. I am complaining about free lunch management. If there is no such a science, there should be.

Someone has to figure out how to manage free stuff, how to keep it in control, how to tame it...

As it stands today, I've gotten so much free stuff from the STSE2 that it's EATING ME for lunch.