You know you should be preparing to sleep, unwinding aware from the tech neck RGB glare of hyper connection, but just ONE MORE TWEET and you will stop.
Suddenly it's past 1am, your eyes are bloodshot and aching, but your brain is wired.
You have the the fear, my friend.
You have a blog post to write, but you are still scrolling through your Facebook news feed, signing up to free webinar after free webinar, shelling out for more courses than you have the mental capacity or the actual hours in the day for.
FOMO is at it again, and we can all fall foul.
In that there cloud, opportunities are there constantly. People to meet, tweet, learn from.
Podcasts to listen to, blog posts to read, stuff to DO.
In our social lives, we are über aware now of people out there, doing STUFF, having cool cocktails/cronuts/flat whites et al, while you, you saddo loner, are at home in your onesie. *glances around* Just me then?
Oh.
No matter what time of day, whichever time zone you are in, someone is out there doing something that looks cool, waaaaaay cooler than what you are up to, and you are left behind.
The Fear Of Missing Out, or FOMO to us cool cats, is rife, baby.
Heck, it is even being recognised as an anxiety disorder, and teens are being coached on how to deal with it. There is probably a rehab centre for it - in L.A I would imagine - but save your hard earned pennies from being spent on therapy as I have some tips for YOU, over-connected, frazzled one.
As entrepreneurs, the temptation to feel overwhelmed by people to talk to, stuff to read and watch, sign up for and be part of can completely cripple a productive, creative and inspired day.
Here's how to break out of the FOMO fix:
1. SET BOUNDARIES
Recognise that FOMO isn't going away anytime soon.
The social world in which we live is likely to get more crazyzeeeeee, so find a way to give yourself cut off points to switch off and let go. I try to unplug from emails at 6pm, and from social at 9pm (so if you see me online, give me a nudge).
Similarly, set boundaries with clients and colleagues - being contactable through every social channel that exists just sets the scene for a nervous breakdown. Define how you wish to work, how and when you want to be contacted, and let your team and clients know.
All my new clients now get this welcome pack of info to be clear on how to get hold of me and when. It prevents the temptation to stalk me down on all social platforms, and lets us all know how to work.
Feel free to use and amend for your own s̶a̶n̶i̶t̶y̶ clients.
2. CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF
Before you sign up for another THING, check in with yourself. Is this something you really need to be working on of learning right now, this New York minute? (I prefer York minutes FYI, more traditional, northern, better strength of tea bags, nicer quaint architecture. Anyway... )
I am not a linear person - far from it - but finding some sense of calm and prioritising my focus, my goals, my days and even my hours really helps me to Get Shit Done and stop procrastinating or drowning in a sea of information.
If the new shiny object / course / coaching doesn't fit with your goals right now, move along my friend, move along.
And breathe.
3. KEEP A BRAINDUMP OF STUFF
Keep a brain dump file of Stuff That Looks Amazing (Evernote is great for this), and when you gave some free time to roam and learn, dig back into those nuggets as you will have the time to enjoy them. Knowing that you have stored cool stuff away for safe keeping will let you feel like you are still in the loop, but you can stay focussed and carry on with your (awesome and kick ass) business.
So, do you suffer with FOMO as an entrepreneur?
I would love to hear what if you are a candidate for FOMO rehab in the comments below, or if you are a reformed FOMO phobic, how did you break the spell?