What I Did When I Didn’t Know What to Focus On
Introduction: When Everything Felt Important, and Nothing Was Clear
There was a time when I sat at my desk every morning not knowing where to start.
I had ideas.
I had tasks.
I had plans written in notes, docs, and reminders.
But I didn’t have focus.
Every option felt important, which made choosing one feel risky. If I worked on content, I worried I should be selling. If I worked on sales, I felt guilty for not improving the product. If I planned, I felt like I wasn’t executing enough.
I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t avoiding work.
I was simply confused.
This article is about what I did during that phase, when I genuinely didn’t know what to focus on, and how I slowly rebuilt clarity without pretending I had everything figured out.
How I Realized the Problem Wasn’t Motivation
At first, I blamed myself.
I thought:
- “Maybe I’m not disciplined enough.”
- “Maybe I need a better routine.”
- “Maybe I’m just overthinking.”
But the truth was simpler.
I wasn’t lacking motivation.
I was lacking direction.
Once I understood that, I stopped trying to “push harder” and started trying to see clearer.
The Real Issue: Too Many Choices, No Clear Priority
My biggest problem was not a lack of opportunities, it was too many.
Every day, I could:
- write content
- learn something new
- tweak my website
- explore a new idea
- improve an old project
- start something fresh
All of them sounded useful.
None of them were clearly the thing to do.
I wasn’t stuck because I had nothing to do.
I was stuck because I had no filter.
Step 1: I Stopped Asking “What Should I Do?”
This was a small but powerful shift.
Instead of asking:
“What should I work on today?”
I asked:
“What problem am I actually trying to solve right now?”
That question changed everything.
Suddenly, tasks became secondary.
Problems became primary.
When I knew the problem, the work became obvious.
Step 2: I Picked One Problem and Ignored the Rest (Temporarily)
This was uncomfortable.
I had to accept that I couldn’t fix everything at once.
So I chose one problem, the most painful one, and gave it my full attention for a defined period.
Not forever.
Just long enough to see progress.
This removed the mental noise that came from trying to optimize everything at the same time.
Step 3: I Defined “Focus” in a Very Practical Way
For me, focus stopped being a feeling and became a rule.
My rule was simple:
If a task doesn’t directly help solve my current problem, it waits.
That’s it.
This didn’t make decisions easier emotionally, but it made them clearer logically.
Clarity came from constraints, not freedom.
Step 4: I Reduced My Daily Options on Purpose
I used to start the day with endless possibilities.
So I limited them.
I gave myself only a few allowed actions per day, all related to the same goal. No jumping. No multitasking across different objectives.
At first, it felt restrictive.
Then it felt freeing.
When options disappeared, execution became easier.
Step 5: I Accepted That Focus Means Saying No to Good Ideas
This was one of the hardest lessons.
Some ideas were genuinely good—but not right now.
I used to feel anxious ignoring them, like I was missing out or wasting potential.
Now I treat ideas like notes, not obligations.
They’re saved, not acted on.
That simple mindset shift removed a huge amount of pressure.
Step 6: I Used Writing to Think, Not Just to Plan
When my thoughts felt scattered, I stopped trying to organize them mentally.
I wrote.
Not polished writing.
Messy writing.
I wrote:
- what confused me
- what felt heavy
- what I didn’t understand
- what I was afraid of choosing
Seeing my thoughts on paper helped me notice patterns I couldn’t see in my head.
Writing became my clarity tool, not productivity content.
Step 7: I Narrowed My Time Horizon
One reason I felt unfocused was thinking too far ahead.
I was constantly worrying about:
- long-term success
- future growth
- where this would lead
So I narrowed my time horizon.
Instead of asking:
“What should I focus on this year?”
I asked:
“What deserves my attention this month?”
Shorter horizons made decisions lighter and less intimidating.
Step 8: I Let Go of the Need to Feel Confident First
I used to wait for confidence before committing to a direction.
That never worked.
What I learned instead:
Clarity often comes after action, not before it.
So I chose a direction that made sense, not one that felt perfect, and moved forward.
Progress reduced doubt.
Action created confidence.
What Changed After I Found Focus
The biggest change wasn’t speed.
It was calm.
My days felt simpler.
My work felt intentional.
My energy felt better.
Even when results were small, I knew why I was doing what I was doing.
That alone made the process sustainable.
Mistakes I No Longer Make
Looking back, here’s what I stopped doing:
- switching goals every week
- reacting to every new idea
- mistaking urgency for importance
- copying other people’s priorities
- waiting for perfect clarity
Avoiding these mistakes helped more than any hack or framework.
Why Feeling Unfocused Is a Normal Phase
I used to think being unfocused meant something was wrong.
Now I see it as a signal.
It means:
- you care
- you’re thinking
- you’re at a decision point
Confusion isn’t failure.
It’s a request for structure.
Who This Article Is For
This is for you if:
- you feel pulled in many directions
- you don’t know what deserves attention
- you’re early in your business journey
- you want clarity without pressure
You don’t need certainty.
You need a starting point.
Conclusion: Focus Came From Simplicity, Not Answers
I didn’t find focus by discovering a secret.
I found it by:
- choosing fewer things
- defining one problem
- committing temporarily
- letting clarity build slowly
If you feel unfocused right now, don’t judge yourself.
Simplify your view.
Pick one problem.
Work on it long enough to learn.
That’s what worked for me, and it’s often all you need to move forward.
📘 If you want a simple, practical approach to building clarity in business, you can check out my book:
Blueprint to Business Success, written in clear language, based on real learning and real mistakes.