Episode 121: How to avoid shiny object syndrome

00:52 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started!

01:31 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 video you'd love to create. Maybe a new offer? Or an idea for a lead magnet that you just know your favourite people would absolutely love and started working on it... And then one day, you're scrolling your socials and see a very compelling post about a new strategy that is working right now! 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

02:12 So I'm sure we all are familiar with the concept of shiny object syndrome but just in case you're not, Wikipedia defines that 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. So 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 – the thing that is perhaps starting to feel a bit boring or difficult – can in itself entice us away. And if you are 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

02:50 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 recognize it in the first place. After all there is a fine line between chasing shiny objects and exploring new ideas with purpose well your first line of defense against the shiny object syndrome is your vision so knowing what you want your life and your business to look and feel like and then connecting to that often that will make it easier to know whether that shiny new thing is aligned with the direction you want to be heading in And the next thing you can do is to always know your main priority so that you can sit down at your desk every day with clarity around what you're working on. So instead of scrolling or looking for inspiration and seeing what takes your fancy, bring some intention into your days by planning what you're working on in other words deciding what gets your attention instead of allowing that to be dictated by outside forces and the more i'm in control you feel over what you're working

03:46 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. And if it helps, you can write what you're working on on a post-it and put that somewhere where you can see it. Anything you can do to remind yourself of your main priority will help you avoid distraction. 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 us with so many different productivity drains And this is particularly helpful when you think you might be about to start chasing a squirrel. When something new and exciting crosses your path, catches your eye and you're tempted to follow it before you start skipping after it 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 that you're working on right now or will it slow you down

04:41 You could also do a spot of journaling at this point actually. I find it helps to write all of this stuff down because that helps me to 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 that 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 And another great thing to ask yourself is, what happens if I say yes to this shiny new thing and what happens if I don't? So 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 and easy and comfortable keeps winning over being in the discomfort stretching yourself

05:36 And dare I say it, pushing through the boredom to get the thing finished. And then once you've taken that 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! So instead of allowing shiny object syndrome to get in the way of your progress remember you always have a choice and as always I hope that this helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon

06:16 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast. If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us! So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time