Samuel’s point is that given that there are so many new social technology applications online right now and that so many new ones will continue to proliferate in the future, the only successful strategy for successfully using this technology is to stop trying to keep up with each new application that is produced. If Alexandra Samuel whose field is social technology can’t keep up, what hope do regular people not involved in the field have?  So give your self a break and surrender. Keeping up is no longer a plausible response.

“So where is the opportunity here?” you might still be wondering. With a different frame of mind, you can use this glut of programs to focus on what is important to you. Rather than solely looking at the big picture of social technology such as twitter, facebook, youtube and the other software applications too numerous to mention here, focus on the smaller picture. What topics are you specifically interested in? See what software your own communities are using. For example, I spend a certain amount of time each day on facebook checking out what my community of professional coaches is doing. I respond where appropriate and I offer information that I think will be helpful to my friends and colleagues on facebook. I also focus on specific videos from youtube and vimeo.com that relate to whatever topic I am blogging about. While it might be fun to hang out on youtube and watch a number of fun videos, I don’t have the time nor is it ultimately productive for me. I am focused in my visit to the site and thus make the site beneficial to my needs.

Barry Schwartz, Ph.D. author of “The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less” was quoted in the June, 2004 APA Monitor as saying, “The presumption is, self-determination is a good thing and choice is essential to self-determination. But there’s a point where all of this choice starts to be not only unproductive, but counterproductive–a source of pain, regret, worry about missed opportunities and unrealistically high expectations.” So rather than suffering with a glut of technological applications that neither suit my or my communities’ needs, I take the opportunity to narrow my choices based upon my priorities and my values.

How do you respond to a glut of opportunities?

What works for you in the face of overwhelm and too much?

When have you stopped an entrenched behavior regarding getting more of something and what was the impact of stopping on you and those around you?

Too many opportunities may be just the trigger we need to apply some self-care and additional focus on our own true needs. Take the opportunity to stop and to focus. Less can actually be more.

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