How To Stop Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) Forever, Even If You’re Tried Before
Originally posted 1-10-23 on Typeshare
This article is for consultants who, like me, get easily distracted, start new projects without thinking them through and sometimes leave good ideas unfinished.
In search of a magic answer, I read a dozen articles on the topic and they all pretty much say the same thing - with two exceptions that made a huge difference for me.
The 4 things everybody suggests:
Set better goals & limit yourself to 3 at a time
Get an accountability partner
Say “No” more often
Take the time to evaluate opportunities
Nothing wrong with these, but I tried them all at one point or another and nothing stuck.
The two things that changed it for me
Keep an idea parking lot. This is a place to stick all the great ideas until it’s the right time to consider them. Knowing the ideas are not “lost” allowed me to clear my mind of them (a la GTD).
Practice “Just in Time” learning. If you’re like me you practice “Just in Case” learning by jumping on the latest books, podcasts, software, just because they interest us. JIT learning means focus only on what will help you do the things for your current initiatives.
Brilliant! Worked immediately. And interestingly they both came from the same source: The CEO Collective.