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How to not get overwhelmed by possibility

How to not get overwhelmed by possibility

Shiny Object Syndrome draws you off your path, if you allow it to.

Chris Valdheims
September 02, 2023

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I could feel the rabbit hole turning into a wormhole, sucking my time and attention into the darkness. 🕳️

Everywhere I looked, the rapid rise of generative AI had created many new possibilities.

I knew I would never get my head around the vista of unexplored potential, which hurt.

Shiny Object Syndrome in overdrive.

So, I had to return to what was vital for me to create: this podcast, writing a book, and building my business.

The rest of that shit could wait.

I knew from experience how easy it is to want to do it all and flit from project to project but never get shit done.

Or at least not important shit.

So, I had to devise a way to stay focused on what mattered to me and leave the rest (or capture them for later).

What I came up with is called the 5CV system. Yes, I used my initials in that. LOL.

The 5CV System is this:

Stick to doing five things max per day.
Capture enticing ideas and possibilities for later.
Regularly come back to the vision.

It’s simple because I wanted it to be. It doesn’t need any complex software or whatnot. Or any elaborate systems you’ll drop after a few weeks.

I’ve used this system for years, and it’s helped me write a book, launch this podcast, grow my business, etc. - without being an overworked maniac.

As I talk about in the podcast, one of the central tenets is that our mortality makes it so that we will never have time to do everything.

It’s not possible, but people try.

This idea comes from a book I’ve mentioned - 4000 Weeks - about deciding what you do intentionally. And it’s not even about doing MORE, which seems to be the rage.

It’s about making time for what matters.

Another book I mention in the podcast and want to link is Building A Second Brain 🧠 by Tiago Forte. It helped a lot with the capture part of my little system.

So I will stop there.

But I wonder if a system like this would work for you. I intend to share what I’ve learned about what it takes to turn something from creative vision into reality - especially in a world with so much noise.