Again and again, I meet people who are spending all their time looking at offer after offer, plan after plan to make some money online, yet not sticking with anything.
They attend several free webinars a week. They buy program after program. Someone recently told me he had spent $100,000, his entire life savings, on programs and still didn’t know what to do next.
On one hand, it’s nice that you’re an optimist, always believing that the offer in front of you or the new strategy you just heard about will be THE THING that will help you make money and meet your goals.
On the other hand, you never finish or implement any of the offers or strategies but just keep on going from one plan to the next.
Is this you?
- You have purchased MANY online programs, but never fully implemented any of them
- You have dozens of business ideas and have started several of them, but never earned a significant income from any of them
- You bought multiple domain names but never created a fully-functioning website
- Your daily schedule is haphazard because what you do is determined by what happens to catch your eye at the moment.
Let’s talk about Bright Shiny Object Syndrome (BSOS)
We always hope that there’s a silver bullet out there that will solve our problems and make it easy to make money. It’s natural to want quick, easy results. And the ad copy sounds so good — “perfect for newbies,” “push-button simple,” “a paint-by-number system,” “if I can do it, you can do it.”
Sound familiar?
I’ve even seen promises that you’ll make a certain amount of money (which I’ve been told isn’t really legal according to the Federal Trade Commission here in the United States) if you follow all the steps or your money back, but when you dig deeper, the steps are so hard to complete that few people get there.
Or the promoter leaves out the fact that for the program to work, you need a list and you don’t have one.
Is this ringing a bell?
One of my coaches used to say, “Pick one approach and finish it so you learn how to market online. Then try another and finish that to create a second stream of income.” Wise words.
You have to pick something and run with it. Finish it. Learn from it. See what happens and then adjust the next time.
That’s how you make progress.
How to stop BSOS
If you’re spending too much time with free resources and never implementing anything or have tried many things in a small way but never committed to one of them, it’s time to make a change.
Here are some steps you can use to take charge and not be influenced by everything you see and hear…
1. Take stock of what you’ve bought or tried in the past
Write down a list of all the courses and programs you bought in the last 3-5 years. Which ones did you implement fully? If you didn’t finish them, why not? Could you go back to them and finish them now? (Some might offer lifetime access.)
Go through your calendar for the last 3 months and write down a list of all the free webinars you attended. How many hours did you spend on them? Looking back, was the time well spent? If not, spend less time watching those free webinars, and implement something you already have available to you.
2. Create a systematic decision process
When you buy on impulse, such as at the end of a webinar, you’re less likely to make a wise decision than if you wait a bit and think through the offer. Certainly, there are “fast action” offers that make it hard to wait, but resist the urge. Here are some things to think about…
You can rate them from 1-5 with 5 being the highest.
- What is the benefit to your business?
- Is this what your business needs right now? (Can you use it right away?)
- What is the benefit to your customers? Will you be able to offer them a better solution?
- What are the benefits to your personal life? Will it save you time? Money? Hassle? Frustration?
- Can you really afford this? What are the chances that the offer will pay for itself if you implement it? Remember that testimonials are cherry-picked.
- Do you need it or do you just want it?
- Do you have the time to implement it right now? If not, can you outsource it?
- Will support be available if you need it? (You’ll need it.)
- Has the solution been tested? (Again, testimonials are cherry-picked.)
- Do you have a similar solution that’s working fine?
- Have you checked out competing solutions and compared them?
Ultimately, you need to decide if buying is worth the time and money or not. Only you can decide if you have the time and the ability to implement it consistently until you attain the promised results.
Once you’ve decided an offer IS a good fit, allocate time on your calendar to implement it.
3. Schedule time on your calendar for implementation and stick to it
In my experience, a To-Do list isn’t effective. I need to put tasks on my calendar. It’s only in that way that I can set aside the time — enough time — to complete the task.
Break up projects into tasks and put each task separately on your calendar.
If you can’t finish a task (it’s hard to know exactly how long it will take and it’s always longer than you thought), add time the next day and the next until it’s done.
Set aside a time of day to complete this project and don’t schedule appointments during that time. For example, if you’re writing an e-book, set aside 9-11 am every day on your calendar for that task.
If you’re having trouble getting yourself to do the work, here are some ideas:
- Push yourself even after the Bright Shiny Object has lost its glow — especially then. Yes, something new is more exciting but remember that the old one was exciting once. So finish what you started.
- Give yourself modest breaks because you won’t do your best work if you’re tired.
- Give yourself kudos for every step accomplished. One thing I do is change the color of the task on my calendar and that makes me feel good.
- Write down any process that’s complex so that it’s easier the next time. Don’t assume you’ll remember everything you’ve learned. For example, if you’re creating an opt-in form for the first time, write down the steps as you do them and save them so you can find them for the next time.
Next steps to take now
Why not start now? If not now, when? Here are 5 steps you can take…
- Take stock of what you really need to work on now for your business to succeed and focus on that right now.
- Check what you’ve bought in the past — courses, tools, planners, etc. — and see if you can use what you have
- Decide on a strategy, such as completing a course on product creation and creating a product as you go through the course, and stick to it.
- Check out my Get Everything Done! course for tools, tips, and resources designed to help you get more done in less time. Use the GED30 discount code to get $30 off.
- Leave a comment about the results you get!