Shiny Template Syndrome

Shiny Template Syndrome(STS)

Is that even a word? Not really.

I made it up so I can tell you something.

I'm sure most of you have heard of "Shiny Object Syndrome". If not, here's what it means -

Shiny object syndrome (SOS) is the tendency to follow an idea or trend without first weighing its potential and as a result, get distracted from your current pursuit.(source)

Here's what Wikipedia says -

Shiny object syndrome is the situation where people focus all their attention on something that is current and trendy, yet drops this as soon as something new takes its place.

Now that you know what Shiny Object Syndrome is, it's pretty easy to understand STS.

When you are a beginner or at a certain level of knowledge in any field, you start looking for checklists, playbooks, templates, documents, etc to ease out your work.

Many people keep on looking for the next best templates or the next best useful resources out there instead of what they already have with them.

This will lead to no or less action.

Let me give you an example.

If you are a social media manager, you might look for daily checklists, social media calendars, strategy templates, weekly/quarterly/yearly reports, campaign briefs, budget templates, etc.

and there are plenty of them available on the internet.

Some are free. Some are paid.

You will only accumulate these templates and never use them if you keep on looking for the next best thing.

Here's what you should do instead.

Let's say you want a social media calendar. Pick/download one that you think has enough information to get started.

It can be a simple excel template. Get comfortable using that template. Once you get the hang of using it, build upon that template.

Start making the adjustments to this template itself instead of looking for a new one.

This will allow you to take more action.

Now you know why the name Shiny Template Syndrome.

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