All That Glitters Isn’t Goal

Understanding the Shiny Object Syndrome

You’re struck by an ingenious idea, and you feel it’s important to act on it immediately. So, you go all in, full speed into its execution with all your might. However, not long into the venture, the realisation dawns that the idea wasn’t as foolproof in reality as it seemed in your imagination.

But hold on, what went wrong? The culprit is the shiny object syndrome. Yes, that’s right, shiny object syndrome struck again.

In the era of innovation, curiosity stands as a beacon, guiding us toward discovery and growth. This phenomenon, known as Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS), encapsulates the downside of our innate curiosity. The eagerness to jump on the next big thing is what embodies the essence of SOS.

Let’s make this clear — it happens to everyone, no matter what job you have. We get excited about something new and jump at it without really thinking it over.

Take, for instance, GoPro’s ambitious foray into the drone industry, despite their dominance in the camera market. This move is a textbook example of shiny object syndrome that didn’t quite deliver as expected.

This raises an important question — how does one recognise if they’re being lured by the allure of shiny object syndrome?

Recognising the Signs

The first step toward overcoming this syndrome is recognising its signs. Here are some common symptoms to diagnose yourself :

Your monkey brain is in control.

You are frequently abandoning projects for new ones, assuming each presents a bigger, better option for you than the previous.Every project has it’s own challenges and navigating them involves a roller coaster of emotions. While walking the valley of despair in any project, its easy to abandon hope and get lured by the new shiny object in front of us.

A sense of compulsion and guilt drive your pursuit for bright objects.

You always have an ambiguous guilt that there is something bigger, better, and more exciting for you to work on, just around the corner.

You notice physical hallmarks of the condition.

Things like unused plugins, courses you haven’t finished, domains you never used, and planning tools filled with unfinished ideas become a norm.

You might also feel really overwhelmed and stressed because you have so many ongoing projects but haven’t finished any, missing out on the good feelings that come with completing them.

Do you recognise any or all of these signs in yourself ? If yes, let’s really understand how big of a deal this is.

The Impact

Let’s talk about how this tendency to chase after the “next big thing” can affect our work, decisions, and success.

You don’t reach your goals.

When I go after something new without thinking about what it will take to finish it or if it even fits with my main life goals, I usually end up stuck. This happens a lot faster than I’d like to say.

This chasing of something new takes away time, focus, and resources. And, because there’s no backup plan or thought on what to do when problems come up, I give up faster than it takes to peel an orange.

This is a big problem with chasing new things. You’ll likely ignore what’s really important in your life as you spend your time and resources on other stuff.

You lose focus

The impact of always chasing new things (SOS) is big. For people, it means not finishing what you start, only learning things on the surface, and not feeling satisfied. For teams and whole organizations, it’s bad because everyone starts focusing on new ideas instead of what they originally set out to do, leading to a never-ending cycle of starting things but not completing them.

Your work suffers

And your work output? It drops. This is because you stick with a new project (the new thing) after you’ve already put in time, money, or other resources. Experts call this the sunk cost fallacy.

You feel a mental fatigue and start missing chances

It’s not just about using up resources, it’s also about getting tired from making too many decisions. This mental exhaustion makes it hard for someone running a business to make good decisions. Being faced with too many choices makes it hard to stick with one thing and do it well. This indecision can lead to missing out on big chances and not fully achieving what you originally planned.

You make your team stressed

If you’re leading a team, constantly going after new things can stress out your team members. One day, you say goal ‘A’ is the most important, but the next day, you’re all about goal ‘B.’

In fact, having to switch goals like this is a big reason for stress at work for 41% of employees.

That’s a lot of downsides, right? If you’re thinking about how to stop chasing new things all the time, you’re on the right track. Let’s talk about that next.

Conclusion: Finding Balance

Shiny Object Syndrome is a natural part of our desire for novelty and growth. It’s common in our personal and professional lives, especially in fast-paced environments where new trends and technologies pop up all the time. Therefore acknowledging this syndrome and understanding its impact is of paramount importance in today’s world. Learning to recognise this effect helps you take back control of your life and your goals. Managing it requires awareness, strategy, and a lot of self-discipline. By finding a balance between exploring new ideas and focusing on our current projects, we can harness the best of both worlds.

Have you experienced the Shiny Object Syndrome ? Share your stories in the comments below. Let’s learn from each other’s experiences and continue to grow, both in pursuing our goals and embracing new opportunities.