Have you ever heard of the phrases… Shiny object syndrome? Chasing the squirrel? Glitter catching?
I’m raising my hand to all three as I know them up close and personal. Holler out loud if you are with me on these.
So What is Shiny Object Syndrome?
It feels a little something like this…you open your laptop to work on that big project then 15 minutes later you’re somehow reading an article on the latest Instagram growth strategy and soon find yourself buying products to disinfect your house on Amazon and you don’t even know how you got there?
It’s like we do anything and everything except the thing that we need to be doing.
So, why do we do this to ourselves?!
It’s our brain’s fault. Yes, our brain finds pleasure in new and exciting things and that big project you’ve been working on for the past 3 months isn’t that exciting anymore.
The second our brain sees someone commenting on our IG post or a cool new article a friend shared – we pivot and dive into that other thing, trying to find all the juicy details!
All that bouncing around to find the latest and the greatest is killing productivity. Killing your time and killing those sales that should be putting money in your pocket!
So today’s podcast helps get you on the road to crushing shiny object syndrome. This is something that I’ve had to personally attack head-on.
Building 4 online brag-worthy businesses while listening to the timer of the oven go off, kids wrestling in the background, and notifications dinging in at all times of the day…can make it feel like my own personal zoo.
Want the tools to help you cross the things off the list that are going to propel you forward?
If you’re ready to overcome shiny object syndrome and start living your Because I Can Life, then you’ve got to understand this simple 3-part method to block the chaos and distractions.
Why You Should Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome
You might go blind.
Figuratively of course. What I mean is you might lose sight of your original vision. You’ve got goals in your business but if you are constantly pivoting from one idea or product to another, how can you ever expect to make real progress?
You’ll never complete any projects.
If you are constantly chasing the next million-dollar product idea, hip new social media platform, or project management tool, then the items on your project list will never get checked off. Well, they may get crossed off, but only because you’ve got some new project now based on the latest rabbit hole that you’ve got pulled down.
You burn through your cash.
You probably started your online business because you needed the money. So, why do so many of us blow what we make on stuff we don’t need? Whether it’s monthly subscriptions to tools you don’t use or training courses that are supposed to solve all your problems, a lot of us burn through money on things that aren’t actually moving the business forward.
You drive your family crazy.
If you are constantly searching for the next best thing then you’ll not only drive yourself crazy, you’ll start to drive your family crazy as well.
Our Brain & Shiny Object Syndrome Are BFF’s
Do you ever crack open your laptop and go to Google something only to realize 5 minutes later that you are reading about something that has nothing to do with your original reason for even opening up the computer in the first place? Yea, I get it – one minute I’m looking for the answer to a specific question and the next minute I’m reading about the latest and greatest Instagram growth strategy.
We end up doing anything and everything except the thing that we need to be doing.
So, why do we do this to ourselves?!
It’s because our brain finds stimulation in new things and it lights up the pleasure centers. Our brain is super powerful and it’s always looking for ways to keep us happy and safe. Let’s face it, sitting down to do things like write that new email sequence isn’t the most joyful activity. So, when we are presented with new and interesting things – someone commenting on your IG post or a cool new article your friend shared – we often pivot and dive into that other thing.
A 3-hour task ends up taking you 3 days because you are constantly looking for something new and more exciting. Your brain has other objectives that sometimes aren’t in line with yours. Once you understand this, you can start to take control of it and avoid putting yourself in these situations.
Social Media Getting In The Way
Have you ever wondered why they call it a Facebook feed, an Instagram feed, or a Twitter feed?
It’s because it feeds your brain and it’s the ultimate shiny object.
Some of the smartest people in the world work at companies like Facebook, and their goal is to keep you on their platform for as long as possible. They’ve got really really good at it. Like I mentioned above, when we are presented with new information our brain gets a little high. That’s why the social media feed makes us act like little junkies trying to get a fix. They’ve designed it to feed us with information that is going to excite our brains and keep us coming back – even when we don’t want to.
According to TechJury, the average user spends 2 hours and 33 minutes on social media each day.
How much time did you spend on social media last week?
Seriously, go check. You might be shocked.
Overcoming Shiny Object Syndrome
Have you noticed that the acronym for Shiny Object Syndrome is SOS? Usually, this means “help,” but today we are coming up with a new meaning that will help you take control of the madness.
From now on, SOS is going to stand for Scream Out & Step Away.
Here’s how this is going to work…
Scream
No, I don’t want you to literally scream. What I want you to do is be able to avoid the noise so you can hear when the universe is screaming at you.
A few years ago, I would go to a conference and take pages and pages of notes and leave with the intention of implementing a million new things into my business. Soon after, the overwhelm would kick in, and none of those things on my to-do list would get accomplished. Sound familiar?
So, what I started to do at these conferences was not take any notes when someone was speaking. Instead, I would wait until their presentation was over then I’d jot down the 1-2 key things from their presentation. In the end, I would have a single page of solid ideas and concepts, not pages and pages.
But the real change came from what I did once I got home. I didn’t hit the ground running with this page of awesome ideas. Nope. I kept moving forward with my existing goals, and I waited for the universe to SCREAM at me when something that I learned needed to be implemented.
Because I didn’t have a million ideas I was juggling and implementing in my business, I had the mental clarity to listen for when the universe was screaming at me.
Listen more, act less. It might sound backward, but this can be so powerful!
Out
Out with the new in with the old.
Yup, you read that right. It’s a bit different than the normal saying but let me explain. So many of us are running from one thing to the next because of a fear of missing out (aka FOMO.) We think that if we aren’t doing the latest and greatest thing, then we’ll get left behind.
This is especially true when it comes to social media. In fact, I Googled “social media platforms” and found a list of 50 active platforms. I only knew 11 of them! Could you imagine if I tried to be on all of these platforms?! I’d never get anything done in my business, and most of it would be for nothing because the platforms will fail.
Stick with the tried and true.
Build on things that are proven – email, influencers, community, branding, etc.
Will you feel some FOMO? Yup! But that’s ok because we are building long-term, sustainable businesses for our families – not chasing a quick dollar.
Step Away
Maybe the most important part of our redefinition of SOS is the final piece – Step Away.
If you want to hear this last piece and to finally kick Shiny Object Syndrome to the curb, you’ve got to click play above or click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Make this month the month that you commit to Scream Out & Step Away!
xo
Alison
