Shiny Object Syndrome Is Killing Your Momentum: Here’s How to Get It Back!

Aug 1

2 min read

Welcome to shiny object syndrome: where everything looks like a good idea, so nothing gets finished.

There’s a new design tool every week. A new AI app everyone’s raving about. Another platform, another strategy, another course promising passive income in 30 days.

If you’ve ever said,

“I don’t know where to start.”

You’re probably not short on ideas. You’re drowning in options.

Welcome to shiny object syndrome: where everything looks like a good idea, so nothing gets finished.

Too Many Tools, Not Enough Progress

You try a little bit of everything:

One day, you’re playing with a new AI tool
Next, you're setting up a Gumroad store
Then you get pulled into a YouTube tutorial on Pinterest marketing.
And suddenly, you’re researching Etsy or setting up a Notion system you might never use

It’s not that these things are bad. Many of them could work. But when you try them all at once, none of them has a chance to.

What Shiny Object Syndrome Really Is

It’s not about being easily distracted. It’s about trying to avoid discomfort.

Starting something new. Like launching a product that comes with uncertainty.

So your brain says:

“Wait, maybe this new thing will be easier or faster.”

“Maybe this other tool will make me more confident to start.”

“Maybe I should try what they are doing first.”

Before you know it, you're busy… but not building anything real.

How to Focus When Everything Feels Worth Trying

Here’s how to quiet the noise and move forward:

1. Pick One Platform

You don’t need to be on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Pick the one where your audience already is, or where you enjoy showing up!

And go all in for the next 30 days...

2. Pick One Product

Don’t build 3 at once. Don’t wait to choose the “perfect” one. Pick the smallest, clearest idea that solves a real problem. Start there. That’s your product.

3. Pick One Process

You don’t need 12 AI tools. You don’t need to automate everything. Use what’s simple and works for you. One tool. One workflow. That’s it.

Focus Is a Shortcut. Not a Limitation

Simplifying doesn’t mean you’re missing out. It means you're giving one idea the energy it needs to actually grow.

That’s how designers go from “trying everything” to finally earning from their own products. Not by being everywhere.

But by choosing one clear path... and walking it.

Need Help Deciding What to Focus On?

There will always be something new to try.

But real momentum comes when you stick with one thing long enough to make it work.

Let’s quiet the noise and build something that lasts.

Start with the free 1-page Product Planner. It’ll help you choose your product idea, define who it’s for, and plan how to sell it, without needing to be on every platform or use every tool.

Love, Ivy 🖤