How I’m Making Peace with Shiny Object Syndrome (and Using It to Improve My Knowledge Work)

Hi friend,

Let me admit something upfront:

I get distracted by new tools all the time.

Especially now that I’ve stepped into the world of AI automation for knowledge work, it feels like a vast ocean of endless possibilities.

Zapier, Notion, Airtable, GPTs, lead tools, CRMs… the list grows by the hour.

Every tool promises to save time, boost focus, or “10x your workflow.” And it’s tempting. Really tempting.

But here’s what I’ve realized:

🧠 Productive knowledge work ≠ more tools

Productive knowledge work = fewer, well-connected systems that eliminate friction.

The more tools you add without purpose, the more cluttered your mental bandwidth becomes.

That’s the real trap of Shiny Object Syndrome, chasing novelty over clarity.

And I’m guilty of it too.

One week, I’m focused on ghostwriting newsletters and EECs.

The next? I’m deep in automation tutorials.

But here’s the twist:

Sometimes, shiny objects do serve your work, if they reinforce your core goals instead of pulling you away.

Zapier, for example, might feel like a detour.

But if I can use it to automate 5+ boring tasks from my content workflow, that’s a strategic shiny object.

💡 The key?

Start small. Automate slowly. Build around your core knowledge workflows.

⛔ The real risk: Trying to do everything at once

✅ The better path: Identify a repeated task → build one clean automation → improve as you go

One challenge I’ve noticed:

AI automation can get expensive.

Most tools require premium plans to unlock integrations or API access. Add Zapier Pro on top, and it can easily hit $100–200/month.

For a solo knowledge worker, that’s a serious bottleneck.

So I’m experimenting carefully.

This week I’m building just two systems:

→ When a lead fills out my ghostwriting form → Send an AI powered personalized response automatically

→ Draft a post and → Auto-publish to newsletter + social media with a matching visual

That’s it. Simple, real, useful.

⸻

📌 Takeaway:

You don’t need to automate everything.

But if you want to scale your knowledge work without burning out, start automating something.

⸻

📬 Want to see what I’m building?

→ Subscribe at productiveknowledgeworker.com

→ I share my daily writing and the exact tools I use to save time and energy.

P.S. If you’re building a content or writing system, DM me “automation” and I’ll share the exact Zap I’m testing.

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Onward,

Selim

selimuysal.net | dailyhabits.blog

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