Introduction
Hey folks, let’s look at Shiny Object Syndrome.
I’ve just reached my third year in Engineering and I must say, I am loving every bit of my curriculum. It isn’t surprising, I mean this is all I’ve wanted to do since school!
Reaching the third year, I can see more and more of my peers taking their skills seriously, and rightly so considering this will define their career - but here’s the thing, I strongly feel that they’re facing the Shiny Object Syndrome.
What is Shiny Object Syndrome?
Shiny object syndrome is basically when you divert your focus from one plan to another thinking that it is something new worth pursuing, usually sabotaging your initial plan.
This is horrible - mostly because it leads to a huge delay in your goal!
Let’s take a closer look at an example.
Let’s say Alice is working on a new project using AI/ML and she’s halfway there.
Alice probably came across this new technology called Blockchain which gets her all pumped up - so much so that she decides to redo the project using Blockchain instead of AI/ML.
This is shiny ball syndrome! Her lack of focus and determination has led to a huge delay in the end goal.
There are tonnes of issues that can arise because Alice decided to divert her focus:
Massive delay:
This is probably the biggest reason to avoid falling into this trap! Alice is not going to be able to meet her initial deadline, leading to a huge delay from the initial deadline
Wild goose chase:
There’s no guarantee that Alice’s pursuit of Blockchain will yield a final, working product since she cannot estimate the delays that can arise while pursuing this.
Chaos:
Alice is going to have to redo everything on the fly to even try to meet her initial deadline, which is very unorganized and chaotic.
What do I think should be done?
I’ve fallen into this trap so many times that I’m embarrassed to even count them!
I did learn to get over it though - I’m going to share my strategy to avoid this trap to stay focused!
Acknowledge the prospect
The first thing that I learned to do was to acknowledge the prospect of pursuing another technology. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I should implement or follow it - but it does mean that I need to look into it.
Shiny object syndrome usually arises from your curiosity - it is better to explore the topic without having to spend too much time implementing it and sabotaging your initial idea.
Reinforce the why
Sometimes, once you start looking into the topic, you get excited to implement it.
It is crucial that you go over the reasons you chose the initial topic - just so that you remember that it isn’t impossible to do it with your initial topic.
Talk to others
All of the above suggestions only work if you’re able to successfully convince yourself. Sometimes, it’s just better to have a discussion with an expert or someone who has prior experience - preferably in all the topics which have led you to this dilemma.
They would be able to give you more clarity and help you make a good decision based on their experiences.
When should I switch?
Sometimes, it does make sense to give into SOS and switch - but it’s usually not necessary.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you run a bakery and you currently make all your best-selling cupcakes using a machine called CakeMaker.
Let’s say CakeMaker 2 has hit the markets!
It can make 50 cupcakes per hour as opposed to 25 in the previous version.
Now it makes sense to switch to CakeMaker v2 considering it yields you more profit in the long run.
If CakeMaker v2 was as efficient as v1 with the design/color being the only difference, then you probably shouldn’t make the switch.
I know, I took a general example to not keep this blog too technical.
The point is, only make the switch if the pros of the new topic are significantly greater than the previous one.
Conclusion
I’m pretty sure Shiny Object Syndrome is super prevalent in my generation mostly because of the information we can gather from social media and the internet in general.
In general, I recommend repeating this mantra each time you feel you’re being sucked by SOS’s vortex
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” - Sherrilyn Kenyon
If you have already been sucked in, the best advice I can give you is to go back and take a look at the amazing groundwork you’ve already laid and then decide for yourself if throwing all that work away is worth it!