Facing Down the Gnarly Beast
September 1, 2021•317 words
I just realized that the key enabler for Shiny Object Syndrome is curiosity. While that may seem obvious, I promise you that I hadn't considered it until just now. Curiosity is not a bad thing, nothwithstanding its relationship with "morbid". I think that it simply needs boundaries.
Rule #1: Don't Give Scissors to a Cat
If a tool is not useful, why have it? Unless you are a collector, you should save your money and closet space for other things.
Rule #2: If the Cat Must Have Scissors, Choose Plastic
Free and open source software will only cost you time and space on your hard drive. Scratch that itch, if you must.
Rule #3: Don't Let Your Cat Watch YouTube
If you put scissors near a cat, you have to expect the cat to investigate the shiny object.
Hopefully, you realize that "cat" is your curiosity and, while it won't be killed (the analogy doesn't hold, for one thing), there is also no guarantee that satisfaction will be in the mix. Currently, AppSumo is my favorite place to find scissors. Their marketing videos are slick but none of the offerings are plastic (with the exception of a few apps they've made for their subscribers.)
Since I've blithely ignored all three rules, I had to come up with a fourth one to save myself:
Rule #4: Teach Your Cat Critical Thinking Skills
- Sort the reviews from worst to best and read them all, along with the company's replies.
- Picture yourself actually using the tool in your business
- Often, AppSumo tells you that the offering is an alternative to similar tools; compare them!
- Check your budget
- Wait two days
- Notice that you don't actually need the thing, after all.
If all else fails, return to Rule #3 and stay away from marketers. LOL