What happens? When you’re doing and committed to one thing, and you see the next best thing someone else is doing, you hop on that trade leaving the train you are already on. You are easily distracted from what you’re doing and continuously start new things without finishing the ones you’re already on. It’s a never-ending loop because something shinier always catches your attention.

As an entrepreneur, I see shiny object syndrome as a double-edged sword.

Shiny object syndrome allows you to discover new things. However, you don’t want to take on too much at once. Instead, focus on one thing and optimize until you can master it.

What to do. Less is more. First things first is to recognize the shiny object syndrome, slow down, and think about what’s something that’s most important to you (goals and tasks related to them). Also, many of us who struggle with shiny object syndrome are “yes people.” Start saying no, so you can say yes to your most important tasks.

2. Starting too many things at once

What happens? Instead of focusing on what moves the needle for you, you focus on the scenic route and start all things simultaneously. You get overwhelmed by the work you must do, like setting up and starting a side hustle, tackling too many tasks simultaneously, and losing sight of what is important. As your energy goes in so many places is hard to stay focused.

The 80/20 rule plays a huge role here. Understand that only 20% of what you usually do gives you the results you want to see.

What to do. Always start with and focus on your most important three tasks. Anything else can wait. Know that not all tasks are created equal. Some produce incremental changes, results, and momentum in your business and career. Some tasks can be added in time to your structure as they are not a priority at the moment.

3. Overcomplicating things with overthinking

What happens? You overcomplicate things by thinking, “I’m not good enough,” or “I cannot do this,” adding more complications to your goals.

There are many reasons why we overcomplicate things.

One might be an underlined unconscious fear of the goal itself, leading you to overcomplicate things by letting the fear drive you.

It is okay to be scared. But you shouldn’t let fear dictate your life.

What to do. The best questions to ask yourself are:

• “Why am I overcomplicating this situation?”
• “Where and when did I learn this thought process?”
• “How does it serve me?”
• “What would my ideal self do in this situation?”

The more you learn about your thought process and how it impacts your work, the more knowledge you gain about overcoming complications. You gain control over your life and business by taking control of your thoughts.