Staying Focused Even with Shiny Objects
Case Study
Meira was an incredible life coach who helped clients build a life they actually wanted.
When it came to growing her business, she kept chasing every new strategy, YouTube, ads, podcast guesting, networking events etc.
Each one felt like the thing that was finally going to bring in more clients.
But she’d get halfway through before someone told her about another great idea.
She was getting stuck in, you guessed it - shiny object syndrome.
Once we solved the root problem, her brain had a much easier time staying focused.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Meira had came from a weak thinking skill of defining the problem & self control.
Defining the Problem
Defining the problem is about getting clear on what the problem is.
Right now, Meira thinks that the problem is “getting more clients,” but that’s just a vague problem.
If she can go deeper in understanding what is happening and come up with a clear solution then her brain will have an easier time staying WHY this is important, which will ultimately help her stay the course.
How to Define the Problem
To define the real problem, you want to go deep by asking questions.
You do this over and over again till you get to the root.
Just because you don’t know the answer it doesn’t mean you’ve hit the root problem.
The root will be a massive domino.
It’s that huge light bulb moment of “When I fix THIS (whatever your root is) then a ton of my issues will go away. “
In Meira’s case, after doing questions together, she realized that her root issue was that ideal clients didn’t spend a lot of time on social media.
Her big domino would be guesting at in-person workshops and then selling her coaching from the room.
Now that her brain understood the problem and WHY it needed this solution, having the self-control to not jump at every shiny object was a lot easier.
Learning to Say No
Plus, Meira learned to say NO more often with these two tips:
1) She would literally tell people, “I’m practicing saying NO so I can stay focused on important work, so I’m gonna give you a NO.” This softens the NO, making it easier to say NO.
2) Every NO is really YES to the goal that you're working on.
Your Challenge
Shiny object syndrome can be caused by many of the cognitive functions.
In Meira’s case, since she didn’t know what the real problem was, any shiny object looked like a good solution.
Once her brain understood what the real problem was and WHY it picked that solution, she had a much easier time staying focused on tasks she needed to do.
You’ve got two challenges this week:
1) Next time you’re trying to solve a problem, take a few minutes to question the situation and figure out what the root problem is. Remember, the root problem is going to be a big domino
2) Practice saying NO at least 3 times this week.
If you want to go deeper on defining the problem, we also spoke about this thinking skill in episode 496. Check it out!
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
ST Rappaport, Brain Engineer for ADHDish Business Owners
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to get more done in less time.
Most business owners want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you optimize your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
How much are your
Thinking skills costing you?
This calculator will figure it out for you in less then 5 minutes.
Staying Focused Even with Shiny Objects
Case Study
Meira was an incredible life coach who helped clients build a life they actually wanted.
When it came to growing her business, she kept chasing every new strategy, YouTube, ads, podcast guesting, networking events etc.
Each one felt like the thing that was finally going to bring in more clients.
But she’d get halfway through before someone told her about another great idea.
She was getting stuck in, you guessed it - shiny object syndrome.
Once we solved the root problem, her brain had a much easier time staying focused.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Meira had came from a weak thinking skill of defining the problem & self control.
Defining the Problem
Defining the problem is about getting clear on what the problem is.
Right now, Meira thinks that the problem is “getting more clients,” but that’s just a vague problem.
If she can go deeper in understanding what is happening and come up with a clear solution then her brain will have an easier time staying WHY this is important, which will ultimately help her stay the course.
How to Define the Problem
To define the real problem, you want to go deep by asking questions.
You do this over and over again till you get to the root.
Just because you don’t know the answer it doesn’t mean you’ve hit the root problem.
The root will be a massive domino.
It’s that huge light bulb moment of “When I fix THIS (whatever your root is) then a ton of my issues will go away. “
In Meira’s case, after doing questions together, she realized that her root issue was that ideal clients didn’t spend a lot of time on social media.
Her big domino would be guesting at in-person workshops and then selling her coaching from the room.
Now that her brain understood the problem and WHY it needed this solution, having the self-control to not jump at every shiny object was a lot easier.
Learning to Say No
Plus, Meira learned to say NO more often with these two tips:
1) She would literally tell people, “I’m practicing saying NO so I can stay focused on important work, so I’m gonna give you a NO.” This softens the NO, making it easier to say NO.
2) Every NO is really YES to the goal that you're working on.
Your Challenge
Shiny object syndrome can be caused by many of the cognitive functions.
In Meira’s case, since she didn’t know what the real problem was, any shiny object looked like a good solution.
Once her brain understood what the real problem was and WHY it picked that solution, she had a much easier time staying focused on tasks she needed to do.
You’ve got two challenges this week:
1) Next time you’re trying to solve a problem, take a few minutes to question the situation and figure out what the root problem is. Remember, the root problem is going to be a big domino
2) Practice saying NO at least 3 times this week.
If you want to go deeper on defining the problem, we also spoke about this thinking skill in episode 496. Check it out!
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
ST Rappaport, Brain Engineer for ADHDish Business Owners
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
How much are your thinking skills costing you?
Find out by using this calculator (for free!)
