245: Why Shiny Object Syndrome Is Sometimes a Good Thing

Why Shiny Object Syndrome Can Be Good for Your Blog and Business Do you suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome? Are you easily distracted by something new – a tool, medium, tactic, or income stream? Whatever it is, it captivates and distracts you in the moment. And it can easily take over your day, week, or even month. Shiny Object Syndrome has the power to take you away from your core business, which can be destructive. But it can be a good thing, too. JR Caparas asked me how to avoid Shiny Object Syndrome in blogging. My answer? Don’t avoid it. Just make sure you put boundaries around it. Sometimes shiny objects can give you energy, spark new ideas, and help you discover new ways to engage your audience. So rather than avoiding shiny objects, make time for them. But don't let them hijack your business, your time and your life. You need to spend most of your time focusing on what’s most important, what keeps your blog growing, what’s already working, and what’s proven to work. But put some time aside to play, experiment, learn, and be curious. And look for what makes sparks fly and gives you energy when you play with that shiny object. Put shiny objects in their place. Quote of the Week: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Washington Thurman, author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. Links and Resources for Why Shiny Object Syndrome is Sometimes a Good Thing Success Incubator Further Listening 3 Productivity Tips to Help You Build Healthy Habits 7 Productivity Tips for Bloggers Examples of Why Shiny Object Syndrome is Sometimes a Good Thing The ProBlogger podcast started out as a shiny object. Courses Starting a Blog ProBlogger Pro – 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Join our Facebook group Full Transcript Expand to view full transcript Compress to smaller transcript view Hey there and welcome to episode 245 of the ProBlogger Podcast. My name is Darren Rowse and I'm the blogger behind problogger.com, a blog, podcast event, job board, series of ebooks, and courses all designed to help you to start an amazing blog, to grow that blog, to monetize that blog and hopefully have a good time while you're doing it. You can learn more about ProBlogger at problogger.com. Now, today's podcast is all about something that I know many of us struggle with in this space, it is shiny object syndrome, that time when you're working away and suddenly you find yourself doing something completely different to what you had set down to do. You're being distracted by something; it could be a game on your phone, but it also could be something that is good, a new tool, a medium, a new tactic, a new income string. Whatever it is, it captivates you in that moment, it looms large, it can distract you right where you're sitting not only for that moment, but it can end up distracting you if you're anything like me, for a day, for a week, for a month, or for the rest of the year. It has the power to take you away from your core business and to be really distracted, but, and this is what I want to talk about today, I think it can actually be a good thing too. There's some positives when it comes to shiny object syndrome. I want to explore that a little bit in today's show. It will be a short one, but I want to put to you that shiny object syndrome is actually something you can—maybe you should plan for, maybe you should actually build into your week. Hang with me though, before I get into that, I want to just let you know that this episode is brought to you by this year's Success Incubator event which I'm running with some good friends this coming September on the 24th and 25th in Orlando, Florida. If you are in the U.S. or you feel like a troop out to the U.