Productive & Organized: Make Sure the Action You Take is for the Right Reasons. Don't get caught up in BSOs!

One of the most important things to think about when you are organizing and prioritizing your projects is if you are working on the right things. Today, I'm going to tell you about a time I forgot that rule and what I have done to resolve it and how you can apply what I'm reminding myself.

Be Careful to Not Get Distracted by "Bright Shiny Objects"

I frequently talk about taking action and not over analyzing things, but there are times that you can take that a bit too far. Sometimes it is easy to get distracted by "bright shiny objects" (BSO).

A BSO is an item or activity that is attractive, but maybe not where you should be focusing. It could be:

What your friends are doing
A great sale (buy 1 and get 2 free) of something you don't need
The latest marketing project by your favorite "guru"
and so on

How Do I Know if it is a BSO?

Before you start any project, you should evaluate it against the priorities you have set. Does this action fit with the direction you are headed? Really?

My BSO

Quite a few months ago I heard from my respected marketing gurus that doing video online was the way to go. I was quickly on board. I love my Flip camera, so that made a lot of sense to me. Now all of this was OK. Video on the web is a good way to market.

My BSO was listening to others tell me I needed a separate site just for my videos. I tried to justify it by saying that my readers would like the information and if the "gurus" said I should do it, then I should!

Reality was my readers did not express an interest in a new site. Yes, you have told me about some tools that you would like to know about, but not nearly enough to spend time creating a whole new site.

If I had followed my own tips (OK - I am NOT perfect - I've told you that before☺) I would not have had this trouble or wasted time.

How I "Fixed" It

I had to get over the fact that I had spent time on something and I'd never get that time back.
I stopped! It was really that simple in this case. Now, in the future, I may take that project back up again, but in reviewing priorities - real priorities - it was not the right time for me or my readers.
I refocused - I looked at all of the things on my plate and made sure that none of the things were BSOs.

NOW What I Do

When a new activity or opportunity comes up, I evaluate it against the other things I'm doing and determine how it fits into my overall plan. I also ask myself the tough questions about if I will really take action on something right away. ACTION is the key! I only take on those projects that I can DO something right away.

This process allows me to make sure that I am only spending my time and money where it will do me the most benefit.

What Are Your BSOs?

What are your bright shiny objects? Where do you find yourself getting caught up? Getting stuck or you are not sure? Let me know by commenting below and I'll be sure to address it right away.

To your success!