How To Prioritize What Matters

How To Prioritize What Matters

After you commit to starting something new, the real challenge begins:

Figuring out what to work on — and what to ignore.

Most people confuse being busy with making progress.
But real progress only happens when your time, energy, and tasks are aligned with a clear end goal.

The 3 Phases I Used in Every Startup

Whenever I started something new, I broke it into three phases:

Proof of concept – Does this idea actually solve a real problem for someone?
Profitability and long-term viability – Can it make money early on and survive the next decade?
Scale and tighten – How large can this business become, and does it ultimately satisfy my definition of success?

If an idea can’t make money in phase 2, you’re relying entirely on funding and extreme scale — neither of which you fully control.

Most people start with phase 3.
Don’t do that. There are no shortcuts.

The Task Filter

It’s not enough to be organized. You need to be ruthless with your to-do list.

“You want this list to be filled only with tasks that move the needle within your organization.”
— Success, Intended

At Instafuel, we didn’t write down every little thing.
If a task took 2–3 minutes, we just did it.
If it made the list, it had to directly support the phase we were in.

That approach kept us focused on what mattered — and stopped us from wasting time pretending to be productive.

Culture Starts With the Checklist

We held monthly check-ins where everyone reported on their task lists.
Not just to keep people accountable, but to build a culture of follow-through.

You don’t need an office. And you definitely don’t need a big team.

You need clarity on what matters and the discipline to work on it every single day.

Try This 👇

Make a three-phase plan for your current project or idea
Write down only the tasks that actually matter to your success
If it takes 2–3 minutes, don’t write it — just do it

Once you filter the noise, you’ll be surprised how much progress you can make in a short amount of time.

Next up: How to stay focused, block out distractions, and keep building — even when everything around you is pulling for your attention.