Does FOMO Rule Your Writing Life?

The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is a real thing. Think about it.

You get an email about a new class that ticks some of your boxes.

You hear a friend talk about some new tool to help with writing and you may be intrigued and just need to try it as well.

Your mailbox is inundated with offers of out-of-town conferences, workshops, and retreats! Not only is the location utterly fantastic, but the programs also sound so amazing, and you just know you’ll come back a better writer.

Shiny new toys and new experiences beckon so what do you do, miss out on them?

I’m betting no.

Because we want to find that magic bullet, the fun, best, new shiny thing to make us better writers. Some new method that will make it easier for us to write. Sell, promote, be famous … etc.

Guilty admission here. I’ve spent $$$$ on classes all promising me so much. Did I want to miss anything that could help me? Heck no.

I’ve been a multiple victim of FOMO 😊

This doesn’t mean those classes et al aren’t worth it. But there are things to think about before succumbing to FOMO.

Another guilty admission, most of those classes I bought and downloaded onto my computer drive are still sitting there. Why? Because I spend a lot of time writing and then I have a life. And anyone will tell you I’m not lazy and I love challenges. But there are only 24 hours in a day, including sleep.

I knew it was going to be a stretch to get to them done with my schedule, but still I bought them because I was sure I’d be missing a great strategic … something. I started a few of them and realized I was way in over my head time wise. Thus, I wasn’t concentrating.

And worse, even my interest had waned. Maybe because the next new shiny FOMO landed in my In-Box.

WAIT, I’m not dissing courses, classes, webinars, etc. Not. At. All. There are a lot of amazing courses out there. A lot of them.

But before you pull the trigger, think about why you’re paying your hard-earned money and scheduling valuable time for this class or shiny new gadget or retreat. (I love gadgets BTW. After all my nick name is Techno Squirrel)

Because these days the ticking clock of “the sign up before it’s gone” is in front of us all the time and FOMO takes front seat.

Hey, it’s great marketing. Worked on me and I’m, um, tight with my $$$$. And here’s the thing. I regret some of my purchases.

Not that I made them, (although sometimes the classes were a dud) but I made them when I wasn’t ready to focus on what I bought them for.

Meaning I got hooked by the salesmanship and the FOMO.

Will I go back and study? Some of them, yes. And if you’re interested, I’ll tell which I think are the most important to me. Go ahead and comment below 😊

Just know FOMO is real.

Take a step back and look at your life, how busy it may already be and then take a deeper breath and decide if you’re jumping because you really need this now and are ready to dig in or if it’s simply because everyone is on some bandwagon and you’re afraid of FOMO.

It’s real. But it can be conquered. Even turning FOMO into JOMO (joy of missing out).