Facebook got me again. I will admit it. I am the reason Facebook ads are a thing. Maybe because it is my job. Maybe I am just impulsive. Maybe I am just a sucker for cute marketing. Whatever the reason, I clicked the damn ad. It was probably the jacked frog. I mean really, if you can scroll past a jacked frog are you really even paying attention?
Anyway, I clicked it. It leads you through a predictable list of demographic and preferences questions. At the end, I realize it is attempting to curate a list of 28 self-help executive summaries aligned with my goals and preferences. For about $25, they will deliver these summaries to my email – 1 for each of the next 28 days.
A few things led to my decision
- I kinda like executive summaries on books like this. It has been my experience that (with a few notable exceptions) many of these books can be boiled down to a book report and still be effective.
- There are a few books on the list I have read and find reputable.
- This is the right time of the year for this kind of project for me.
- I’m quarantined and a little bored.
- I’ve spent $25 on dumber shit.
- They have a jacked frog.
So, I pushed the button.
As promised, the files were delivered along with an invitation to use Dropbox to store them forever. I don’t need Dropbox so I just kept moving along.
The first file is billed as a printable checklist of the next 28 days. Usually I would do this, but I am attempting to move away from my utter dependence on pen and paper. I wish I could tell you it is out of some newfound, next level conservationist ideals I have or minimalist life I am adopting. Alas, the motivation is selfish – I would only be printing it because I think that will make me more likely to stick with it. I can print it and pretend like it raises my chances (it won’t) and then I am just going to lose it anyway. Instead, I decide to practice the art of being real with myself and stick with the ecopy. It helps that I have discovered LiquidText while in school.
I skim the “Self-Growth Plan” ever so skimmily and think this could be useful. The 28 days are split into four weekly topics
- Productivity
- Love & Sex
- Money & Career
- Happiness
I like this too as it instantly reminds me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – a hierarchy that I, anecdotally, can find no fault with.
So, I will give it 28 days (maybe) and I am already not mad at the $25 if I don’t. We will see…