What is Shiny Object Syndrome?

Shiny Object Syndrome (Objectivius Shinium Syndromus) is defined as the attraction to objects that exhibit a glassy, polished, gleaming or otherwise shiny appearance. A disease of distraction!

It tends to effect people who like the 'next best thing'. This could be new technology, software, business strategy or next course - anything that attracts their attention and looks like it could be 'the secret' or solution to making their lives or business better. Over time their attention to this new object fades when they realise that the packaging (or sales copy) makes it look VERY shiny (because that it what it is supposed to do) but the reality is that over time the shininess wears off.

It is not the same as actively LOOKING for a tool or course to solve a problem or perform a function but a distraction which takes you off your path and leads you in a different direction for a period of time.

How Do I Know If I Have SOS?

You have 100 domain names and no websites.
You have an inbox filled with courses that you have bought but have never looked at, or even tried to implement
You have 20 business ideas on paper, but no businesses.
You have started umpteen blog posts...... (see what I did there! :) )

When SOS gets really bad

Wanting to keep your business updated, and being aware of new possibilities, aren’t inherently bad goals. However, when SOS becomes out of control you could experience some or all of these serious drawbacks:

Inability to finish projects This is when you get excited about a new project before your first one is complete and you may leave it behind before you can see any meaningful results.

Poorly planning your ideas People with SOS tend to focus on the novelty of pursuing a given strategy, or making a specific change, rather than the strategy or change itself. For example, they may love the idea of creating a new product and begin work on developing it and making it happen. The problem with this is that if there is no long term goal or plan on how you are going to follow through with the idea. This means that often the idea is under developed and so is not executed to its full potential (or not executed at all) - leaving money on the table.

Spending lots of money There are hundreds of impressive and effective technological tools for businesses to use. However you are unlikely to NEED all of them. By subscribing to all those services you’ll end up burning through cash and making the tools non cost -effective, and you may not have time to use them all!

What Can I Do To Overcome SOS?

Think about ideas, make a note of them and research them. Will they take you in the direction that you want to go in. Do they fit in with your plan or are they a distraction? Is this the best use of your time and resources?

Only abandon your current plan if absolutely necessary. A good reason is if the current plan is no longer viable or is costing you far much more money than anticipated or the business 'landscape' has changed. For example I have heard many stories about building a business around what Google does and then Google changed it's algorithm and so their business strategy no longer works.

Set yourself a budget for spending on new tools, services or courses - then you will think twice about buying into them

I wouldn't usually say this but procrastinate. Shiny Object purchases can be a bit like impulse shopping they make you feel great in the short term. Put off making a decision, sleep on it. It might not seem quite so shiny in the morning!

Remember consistency is key. I mentioned this in my blog posts entitled
'Take Imperfect Action' 'https://steemit.com/ulog/@jenniferbailey/take-imperfection-action '. Focus on ONE thing and see it to its conclusion. I read "The ONE Thing" by Gary Keller and it really changed the way that I viewed my life and my business.

Until next time!

J x