How to avoid shiny object syndrome

This post started life as an episode of my podcast, Unfrazzle. If you prefer, you can listen here (6m 9s).

Have you ever done that thing where you got all excited about something – whether it’s a new piece of long-form content like a blog or a video you’d love to create, a new offer, or an idea for a lead magnet that you just know your favourite people to work with would LOVE…

You started to work on it, and then one day you’re scrolling your socials and see a very compelling post about a new strategy that’s working right now, or a new idea flies into your head – one that in that moment feels EVEN MORE exciting than the thing you’re already doing…

And before you know it you’ve abandoned whatever project you were working on and chased after the new thing like a dog chasing a squirrel.

That, my friend, is shiny object syndrome.

What is shiny object syndrome?

Wikipedia defines it as:

“the situation where people focus undue attention on an idea that is new and trendy, yet drop it in its entirety as soon as something new can take its place.”

For us solo business owners, I’m not sure the idea needs to be trendy to attract our attention. The fact that it’s something different to the thing we’re working on - that’s perhaps starting to feel boring or difficult – can be enough to entice us away.

If you’re susceptible to shiny object syndrome, the danger is that you’ll leave a trail of half-finished projects in your wake. And we all know that lots of half-finished things don’t put money in the bank, right?!

So how do you avoid it?

And how do you even recognise it in the first place? After all there’s a fine line between chasing shiny objects and exploring new ideas with purpose.

Well, your first line of defence against shiny object syndrome is your vision. Knowing what you want your life and business to look and feel like – and connecting to that often – will make it easier to know whether that shiny new thing is aligned with the direction you want to head in.

The next thing you can do is to always know your main priority, so you can sit down at your desk every day with clarity around what you’re working on.

In practice, that means that instead of scrolling, looking for inspiration and seeing what takes your fancy in the moment, bring some intention into your days by planning what you’re working on. In other words, DECIDE what gets your attention, instead of allowing that to be dictated by outside forces.

The more in control you feel over what you’re working on, the less likely you are to fall down rabbit holes because you’ll have a strong sense of purpose that compels you to stay focused.

If it helps to write what you’re working on a post-it and put that somewhere you can see it, do that. Anything you can do to remind yourself of your main priority will help you avoid distraction.

Why it helps to pause

Another way to avoid shiny object syndrome is to pause often. (No surprises there… of course I’m going to talk about pausing – it’s my favourite subject because it can help with so many different productivity drains!)

This is particularly helpful when you think you might be about to start chasing a squirrel; when something new and exciting crosses your path and you’re tempted to follow it.

Before you start skipping after the squirrel, take a pause.

Ask yourself if the thing that’s caught your eye would move you closer to your vision or further away.

Is it going to support you in meeting the goal you’re working on right now, or will it slow you down?

You could also do a spot of journalling at this point (I find it helps to write this stuff down, so I can clearly see what’s going on in my head!)

You might ask questions like:

• Why am I being tempted away from the thing I’m meant to be working on?

• Is it because I’m bored and I’m seeking novelty?

• Is it because I want to run away from the discomfort I’m feeling right now?

• Does this new thing feel easy, when the thing I’m supposed to be doing has started to feel difficult?

• What am I avoiding?

Another great thing to ask yourself is

• What happens if I say yes to this shiny new thing?

• What happens if I don’t?

Taking a pause to ask yourself those questions might feel like overkill in the moment. But it will allow you to see your patterns. To notice where you’re holding yourself back because the compulsion to run towards things that feel fun, easy and comfortable keeps winning over being in the discomfort, stretching yourself and pushing through boredom to get the thing finished.

Remember you’re in control

Once you’ve taken a moment to be honest with yourself about what’s really happening when you’re tempted by shiny objects, then you get to choose.

You could either change direction, follow the new thing and see where it takes you.

Or you could choose to stick with the project you’re working on – even if it doesn’t feel good right now – remembering that five unfinished projects equals no money in the bank, and one finished project equals money in the bank.

Instead of allowing shiny object syndrome to get in the way of your progress, remember you always have a choice.

As always, I hope that this helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon.