I can COMPLETELY relate to the feeling of being scatterbrained, working on tons of projects simultaneously, and having to choose the most important one among a bunch of projects that all seem like "The One". Focus is one of the hardest things for me to do. Thanks for the Notepad++ tip, too...gotta check that out.
For the most part, our markets are about as transparent as swamp water. You hit the nail on the head when you used the phrase "red tape". There are so many do-nothing agencies claiming to be "watchdogs" that it makes you lose faith in pretty much any type of regulatory agency like that.