Earlier we talked about the danger of Bright Shiny Objects. Don't get me wrong, getting excited about new projects or new business strategies is great. The problem arises when you keep getting great new ideas and never take action on any of them. You don't want to hop from exciting idea to exciting idea never profiting from any of it.

The key is to pick an idea, stick with it and take some serious action until you start seeing results. After that you can try something new for a while. I know that's easier said than done. Let's go over some tips and strategies that have helped me stick to one thing and go from idea to action and finally to results.

Step one will be to pick one of the many ideas that are brewing in your head right now. Pick something that sounds fun, interesting or easy (or all of the above) and run with it. Yes, I mean right now. Take 30 seconds to pick something right now and then walk through the next few steps and take some action. Pick something that won't take more than 2 days to complete and get it done.

Break It Down

It's much easier to take action and get things done when you break it into smaller chunks. Take a moment and think about your project. What are the different steps you need to take?

Let's say your goal is to create a freebie report to give away to grow your list.

1. Come up with a topic for your short report.
2. Create an outline for your report.
3. Write the different sections for your report.
4. Create a pretty cover page and a resources page to point readers to your bog, your social media accounts, your products etc.
5. Convert the report to a pdf document.
6. Upload the document to your website.
7. Set up a new optin form and edit your welcome email to include the download page for the new report.

Getting the whole thing done seems like a  lot of work though, doesn't it? Just start with step one. Picking a topic is pretty easy. From there you just work through each step and before you know it you'll have it all done.

Set a Time Frame

I don't have to tell you that your project will take as much time as you allow it to take. We've all had to wrap stuff up in a hurry because of a deadline (or because it was almost time to pick up the kids from school). If we have a set time we need to be finished by, we magically work 5 times as fast as we usually do.

Look at your list of baby steps and set a time limit for each. Picking a topic shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes. Don't overthink this. Pick something and roll with it. The same goes for the outline. Take a notepad, or open a word document and give yourself 10 minutes to come up with a rough outline. Just keep going this way setting times for each task.

If find it helps to have a countdown timer going. I either set one on my phone or use my kitchen time and get to work. 20 minutes of highly focused, productive work followed by a quick break is what works best for me.

And here's an important lesson I learned from Bob Jenkins. If you follow us on Facebook, you saw that Tracy got a copy of his book “Take Action – Revise Later” that we're giving away. I love the book and the whole lesson behind it. Don't get too focused on making it 100% perfect because that means you never get there. Give it your best shot, do quality work, but get it out there, even if it isn't totally perfect. You can always go back and edit/ improve later.

Go get something done this week.

Start An Idea Box

Last but not least, let's talk about what to do with all these new great ideas that will be coming up, or that new course you just heard about, or the new software that was just released. There is always going to be great new stuff to explore. And there's a time and place for it… but it will be on your time.

For now I want you to put all of it in a box. This can be an actual box with little note cards stuffed in it, or it can be a virtual folder on your computer and a folder or label in your mail inbox.

Save the really good ideas as you come across them and then dig through the idea box whenever you need something new to work on. First though, finish the project you picked!

No More Bright Shiny Object Syndrome

Ready to dive a little deeper and get better at avoiding BSOS?

Our friend Kelly McCausey put together a free resource for you. She talks you through dealing with Bright Shiny Object Syndrome and even put together some worksheets for you .

You can download the special audio recording and printable worksheets at https://piggymakesbank.com/bsos