I’m seeing all of these offers for free webinars, online classes, ebooks – how do I know what is relevant to me or any good? Worth my time?
I have fallen into WebinarLand (webinar overwhelm) and I can’t get out!
Like so many of you, I have been inundated with offers of free webinars, free online classes, free ebooks, free coaching calls… so much value and self-improvement for free, free, free.
I want to learn and hear all of the things. ALL. OF. THEM.
How do I know which of these offers is actually worth my time, will help me with the growth I want to make, and won’t lead me to webinar overwhelm?
I don’t always know. And, I don’t always spend my time wisely.
My CliftonStrengths (https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx) assessment helped me understand how I can overwhelm myself with information. Input (https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252278/input-theme.aspx) is my second-best strength, meaning I want to know a little about a lot of things. At the same time, I have to be careful not to overindulge that strength or I wind up overwhelmed and out in the weeds with a bunch of information with little value to me.
There are so many tempting offers out there that speak to my many interests:
- Vegetable Gardening 101
- Write a Book in Less Than A Month
- How to Keep Your Sanity While Inside
- Fast and Easy Handlettering Tutorials
- Meal Prep for the Week in a Few Hours
And the list goes on and on and on… But what do I end up doing? Watching nail art tutorials and quick craft videos that are of no relevance to my personal and professional goals. On the one hand I find these beauty and craft videos soothing, but they are distracting me from taking in lessons of substance.
What Needs to Happen
I need to do one of two things here:
- Admit that I’m not really interested in personal and professional development.
- Figure out a way to stay focused on my goals.
I’m choosing number two. Maybe with a little of number one sprinkled in occasionally.
When I began learning about my Input (https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252278/input-theme.aspx) strength, I did a little exercise. I made a list of all of the places I liked to indulge this strength – through books, news/media outlets, blogs, podcasts, conversations with friends, classes. As I studied that list I understood how I could be overwhelming myself to a point of unproductivity.
So I tried the exercise with the information overload I am experiencing today. I asked myself:
- What is my ultimate goal?
- Where is the best place to get information to help me achieve that goal(s)?
- How much information do I need to accomplish my goal(s)?
What Is My Ultimate Goal?
By the time I am able to roam freely from my home, I would like to be making and producing better video content for my coaching practice and I want to learn how to knit.
Where Is The Best Place to Get Information to Help Me Achieve Those Goals?
After doing some research, I found some highly recommended video gurus that can help me create and improve my video content.
YouTube is full of Knitting 101 videos. After watching a few and reading some comments, I found a couple of knitting teachers I would like try.
How Much Information Do I Need to Accomplish My Goals?
(This is the answer that will keep me from overwhelm.)
Initially, not as much as I think. I have discovered that I will continue to take in information without ever or taking much action. If I want to accomplish anything, I need to cut off information intake at a certain point and just start creating. Then, when I have used all of that information, I assess where I am with my project and my goals and find another resource.
How Do I Avoid Webinar Overwhelm?
Very few of them relate to my goals, so I should probably leave them on the backburner in case I find myself with some free time and a desire to learn about that subject. When I think about this offers and my F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) kicks in, it will be helpful to return to my goals to help me focus.
There are only so many hours in the day and only so much information my brain can process. And, my dogs want attention.
