bright shiny object syndrome
1
8.2
- noun
- Jargon
- The team's bright shiny object syndrome caused them to chase every new trend without completing their original goals.
Examples
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Don't let bright shiny object syndrome distract you from your goals!
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Many entrepreneurs experience bright shiny object syndrome.
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His bright shiny object syndrome made it difficult to finish any of his creative projects.
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If you suffer from bright shiny object syndrome, you might struggle to stay committed to long-term tasks.
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His bright shiny object syndrome made it difficult to finish any of his creative projects.
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If you suffer from bright shiny object syndrome, you might struggle to stay committed to long-term tasks.
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The team's bright shiny object syndrome caused them to chase every new trend without completing their original goals.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A tendency to lose focus because of things around you
1
7.4
A state of being so distracted that you forget things and miss details
1
6.2
Not able to pay attention because your mind is on other things
Antonyms
How Distracted
Surface Forms
Morphology
bright + shiny + object + syndrome
The parts 'bright', 'shiny', and 'object' transparently suggest something attention-grabbing and 'syndrome' signals a recurring pattern, so a learner can plausibly infer it refers to being distracted by attractive new things. However, this is a metaphorical, jargon-like phrase (business/productivity register) and requires mapping 'object' metaphorically and understanding 'syndrome' in a non-clinical sense, so the meaning is not fully predictable without some exposure.
Etymology
Bright shiny object syndrome comes from the image of a new, very bright and shiny object that grabs your eye like a toy, so you stop what you are doing to look. That's why it now describes someone who is 'easily distracted' by new ideas or projects and abandons their old tasks.