How To Prioritize The Priority Maze... The Ugly Truth!

We've all been there. Your mind is cluttered, and you've got a thousand things on your plate.

Now imagine that—but with $0 revenue and no clear path to launch.

Basically, starting from zero, aiming at your biggest milestone: launching 🚀

So how do you find clarity in a world full of distractions?

How do you turn a thousand tasks into a clear, structured plan?

Side note: to be super honest, we had a hard time doing this at Packaly, and while we grew to $200K MRR, it got tougher and tougher…

However, this was one of the top questions I received after the first newsletter three days ago. It resonated with me because I'm going through it right now…

I recently left the company I founded 7 years ago, and now I'm starting from scratch.

How do I get organized? Where do I begin?

Getting Structured

Here's how to clear your mind before it becomes an overwhelming pile of ideas: 🤯

What you need to get going:

• A clean (no notes) notebook and pencil

• A clean to-do app like Todoist, Notion, or Apple Reminders—just make sure it's empty

• A quiet workspace like your home office or noise cancelled headphones in a cafe..

• A fully blocked morning—no distractions (put that phone in Airplane Mode!)

The key here is starting with a blank slate. The notebook is crucial to keep this focused—isolate your ideas, leave out all the clutter.

As you start, you'll notice other things popping up in your mind—side issues you feel need attention.

Write them all down. Get everything out of your head. I use a quick system to mark tasks by urgency: U for Urgent, L for Later, N for Not important.

Make it your own:

After putting everything on paper, you’ll start to feel calmer, with a clearer view of what you need to do.

From there, I like to move into a digital version.

Notion and Todoist are my go-to tools for this—though both serve different purposes.

Notion is great for organizing projects and ideas, while Todoist keeps me on track day to day and feels a bit more structured.

Creating Real Structure

The idea here is simple: brain dump, organize, and take action. Start with a clean slate to free your mind, and you'll be ready to move forward with clarity.

Notion: Your connected workspace for wiki, docs, and projects:

Todoist: A trusted task manager used by millions:

These tools are about making it your own—finding a way that works for you and helps keep things clear.

Give it a shot. Start with a blank page, quiet time, and see what comes out.

Why a Quiet Space Matters

A quiet space is essential because it allows you to focus deeply without interruptions.

When you're trying to bring order to your thoughts and create a roadmap, distractions can derail your flow and make it harder to connect ideas.

In a quiet environment, you give yourself the mental space needed to think clearly and creatively.

It becomes easier to see the bigger picture and to plan each step logically.

However, if you work well in a bar or coffee corner with noise cancellation on or in a meeting room at a shared workspace, go for it!

Find the thing that works for you but make sure to zone-out.

Why Dedicate a Full Day

Dedicating a full day to planning is key to creating a solid roadmap.

When you give yourself an extended period without distractions, you can dig deeper into your goals and challenges.

It’s not just about writing down tasks—it’s about understanding the connections between them, setting priorities, and figuring out what matters most.

A full day of focus allows you to build momentum, dive into complex problems, and come out with a structured plan that feels achievable.

It’s the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling in control, ready to take the next step confidently.

Making sure you handle priority first

Now, all these tips are great but the most important thing is clarity when it comes to what to do first.

Start thinking about your todo list as a list of items that you all need to get done, but some items might be blocking other items.

For example:

You cannot register a business at the chamber of commerce without a company name (even a placeholder is enough), and you cannot get a bank account for your business without a company registration… See the dependency here?

Start making a list of things that take time or have processing time, and a list of items that are 5-15 minute tasks.

Get the time consuming items out of the way and start crushing out the simple and short tasks later, but make sure to follow the dependencies.

Great, where do I start?

1. Get your notebook, find your quiet spot and start a free trial for your todo app.

2. Move to the quiet spot when you have your essentials…

3. Put your favorite focus playlist on, and start jabbing down these tasks on a piece of paper the old fashioned way

4. Done? Put them in your TODO app.

Now, it’s 3 months later, you have made significant progress and get stuck again? Repeat the process and just clear your mind.

Tip: I do this whole process twice a month or when I feel stuck. It really clears your mind.