Shiny Object Syndrome

Do you struggle with shiny object syndrome? Your attention bounces from one thing to the next and you have a difficult time staying focused on one thing long enough to bring it through to fruition?

Well, you are not alone! Don’t be hard on yourself. Nearly every person I work with struggles with the same phenomenon. It’s normal to have many interests. The trick is to learn how to manage this energy, so you can be more effective in your life and business. Organization and boundaries are key.

Here are some tools to help you stay focused on what is important to you.

Track your ideas. One thing that really helps me stay focused is to keep track of all of the new ideas coming in each day. Ideas usually come in when we are driving, showering or doing tasks that don’t require a lot of mental focus. As these ideas come to you, write them down, email them to yourself, or start a list of them on your phone.

Sort them into categories. I have a journal dedicated to blog post ideas, a separate journal dedicated to program ideas and outlines, a master to-do-list and a daily to-do-list. File your idea in the appropriate place so you can easily get back to it. Keep separate lists for home and business.

Prioritize your ideas. Which ideas are you most excited about? Put a star next to those. Move those to the top of the list. Which ideas will be the easiest to implement? Put arrows next to these. These are easy to grab and use when you need something to run with.

Boundaries. Now this is where the boundaries come in. Just because you’ve had this new amazing idea, doesn’t mean it’s time to run off and leave the ideas you’re currently working with behind. You can stay focused where you are then grab a new idea from the list once your current ideas are complete.

If your current ideas are no longer grabbing, then sit with this before running off to the next thing. Ideas can be like relationships, fun and exciting at first but become a little less exciting once you start working with them and see how much work is involved. But that doesn’t mean the idea isn’t a good one. The most rewarding ideas (and relationships) are the ones you stick with, devote yourself to and develop into something real.

Plus, what you learn about yourself through committing is priceless. It feels great to complete a project and bring your ideas into fruition. It builds confidence to go after and complete the next one. Over time, you develop a process of completion and learn you can trust yourself to stay focused and follow through.

Don’t allow yourself to be so distracted by new ideas. There are tons of ideas available to us in the collective conscious. Download them and keep track of them. Let the new ideas inform your path, but don’t let them steal your attention or draw you off course. The new ideas are meant to guide us, not distract us. Stay focused and keep working with what’s in front of you while continuing to incorporate the new.

If you have ideas you are struggling to implement, message me. I would love to support you in bringing your ideas into fruition. 

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