Or maybe I just committed the rookie mistake of not having my strategy in place before looking for properties, or allowing myself to get distracted from what my focus should have been.

Do not try to raise money w/distractions.  

Don't get distracted with other opportunities, don't buy a bunch of other courses, don't give up until you do a deal.It's definitely doable.  

Jeez.  2 requests:1. can you do podcasts on something else to distract people, say commercial real-estate?

We were just all distracted by the housing bubble and didn't notice.

As I am new to this approach for marketing to motivated sellers and I am now becoming like a sponge to absorb member's strategies; as an Internet marketer I am versed with using auto responders (different emails X 7 with different content not mentioning "selling" but using distractions as other related areas - negatives).

Your business can change a lot in a year, (re)set up of QB, in the first year can be a distraction.  

When I wake, I can put phone back on silent as I look at it frequently and don't need the distractions of texts, emails, and calls every second.

More a distraction than anything, and easy to get the structure you need once you really need it.

Do not let some attorneys distract you.