Do you have “Shiny Object Syndrome”?

Once you get in the entrepreneur mindset, opportunity seems to be everywhere. The challenge with ‘everywhere’ is it requires more and more of your time and attention. Have you ever been at an event and you hear about a new application or online offering that could help you keep track of your clients easier, or streamline your sales process? Have you ever been shopping and you see something that you think you could work into a new project or product? Have you ever been out for coffee and got engaged in a conversation that lead to an additional opportunity for your business?

There are a lot of things we can do. Lots of places to make money. Lots of people we can partner with. Tonnes of opportunities! The challenge is sorting through the pile to find the priorities and focusing on those things that you have the capacity to manage successfully. It isn’t until you try to take on every great idea and work it into your routine that you start to fail. Your priorities get waylaid by something shinier and new. This is the “Shiny Object Syndrome” and it can stop you from growing your business.

I did not coin this term but I use it a lot. The best way to manage this syndrome is to:

1. Know your purpose and be concrete in your desire to reach your goals. If a new idea does not add to the success of your set goals then do not add it to your workload.
2. Keep track of your ideas in an ‘Idea Book’. This way you do not have to act on it right away and you do not lose the idea by letting it slip away.
3. If you need to act right away and it does not add to your current set goals then hire someone else to take on some of the things you need to manage in both your current role and in the new role. Only by freeing up time can you ensure you are giving each of your projects enough focus to see them through successfully.

Don’t let a great idea kill other great ideas. Keep your focus and know your limitations so you can be successful at every opportunity you choose to take on.