How do you decide which business project to focus on when you have so many exciting ideas you can’t wait to birth into the world?

As a multi-passionate, there’s always a new shiny idea popping into your brain, a new product to create, a new niche to explore.  You’re spinning your wheels trying to pick the ONE thing to focus on in your business to reach your goals and bring clients and money in, and then nothing gets done. Isn’t there a way to do everything?!

Truth bomb: it’s not about picking one thing or doing everything. It’s about doing what matters to you now – and that’s usually more than one thing at any given time.

Question is, do you even know what matters to you now? If you’re not sure, here’s how to decide which business project to focus on now, so you can do what really matters to you without overwhelm or FOMO:

[Below is a summary of the podcast episode]

How Many Projects Can You Work On At The Same Time?

It’s not how many projects you should work on. It’s how many projects you have the capacity to handle at the same time – without dropping the ball on quality.

Some multi-passionates are master jugglers that can handle a dozen projects at the same time. Others prefer to laser focus their efforts on just one or two at a time. I like to work on two big projects and a smaller one on the side. It gives me enough variety without the overwhelm.

Either way, when you decide which business project or projects to focus on, I recommend you stick to 5 or less. Unless you’re a master juggler with a proven success record, anything more than 5 will lead to exhaustion and overwhelm (guess how I know?).

P.S. This doesn’t mean you can’t do anything else. These projects are your main priorities, but you can still pursue other things in your free time.

Related: How To Stay Focused When A New, Shiny Idea Pops Into Your Head

How To Decide Which Business Project To Prioritise

Now you have your magic number, it’s time to decide which business project to work on. Start by making a list of ALL the projects you’d like to do, including:

• Business ideas you want to start
• Products and services you’d like to create
• Marketing strategies you want to pursue
• Languages you want to learn
• Hobbies you want to take on
• Art and crafts projects you want to create
• Anything else you’d like to do

Then, run each project through these 3 criteria:

1. Value
2. Urgency
3. Profitability

Let’s take a look at each of them, shall we?

Value

How important is this project to you? Is it something you feel deeply called to do and that will help you reach your long-term goals or something you only have a shallow, passing interest in?

If it’s something you really want to do, but feel a lot of resistance to, this is usually a sign you MUST do it. Resistance comes up only when you’re doing something that really matters to you, when you’re fulfilling your calling.

If a project excites you and scares you at the same time, bump it up to the top of the list. 

Related: A 3 Step Formula To Never Let Fear Hold You Back Again

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Urgency

How urgent is this project? Would something bad happen if you postponed it? Most of the time, the answer is no. But if a project has a clear deadline approaching soon, that’s something you need to prioritise.

I’m not talking just about work deadlines here. You already know to prioritise those projects. Think about where the urgency is in your personal life, too. Let’s say one of your projects is to speak Spanish. If you know you have a trip to Spain booked in a few weeks, make this project a priority. Nothing bad will happen if you go without knowing the language – but your experience will be so much better if you do.

Profitability

As a multi-passionate creative, you can think of 100 ways to make money right now. But, you only have so much time to do them all, so prioritise the projects with the highest revenue potential.

For every project on the list, ask yourself:

1. Do you have everything it takes – money, time, people, and resources – to complete this project? If not, can you get them?
2. How long will it take you to make money from this project? Can you wait that long?
3. Is there enough demand for what you want to create? Have you validated the idea successfully?
4. Does this project make you happy? If it doesn’t, isn’t there another, more joyful way to make the money right now?

Profitability should never be the only criteria – and I certainly don’t recommend you do something you don’t like just for money.

You don’t have to. With your many talents and skills, you can do so many things. When you decide which business projects to focus on, prioritise projects that are the easiest, fastest, and most joyful way to profitability.

Schedule Them In Your Calendar

Now you’ve picked your projects, it’s time to put them in your calendar. I’ve learned from experience that if you don’t schedule it, it won’t get done.

Here are a few ideas to schedule your projects in your calendar:

• School Schedule Method: At school, every hour is dedicated to a different subject. If you need a lot of variety in your day, you can do the same with your schedule and dedicate a different hour to each of your projects. 
• Batching Method: If you prefer to immerse yourself in a task for a few hours, you can dedicate each day to a different project.
• Weekly Themes Method: If you love to focus on one thing (and you know that’s how you do your best work), you can assign each project to a different week (or month).
• Workweek Method: If some projects are more important than others to you, you can work on your priorities during the workweek and leave the rest for your weekend. 

These are just a few ideas, but you can tweak them to fit your schedule. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. You need to experiment to find out which one works for you. But wait, will you ever be able to finish everything if you use any of these methods?

Yes. Anthony Trollope managed to write 47 novels, 17 non-fiction books, 2 plays and over 20 articles and letters just by writing around 10 pages every morning.

Don’t underestimate the power of small, consistent action. Doing a little every day will help you reach your goals faster – while doing all the other things you love.

Related: How To Stop Worrying And Start Taking Action Towards Your Goals

Wrapping It Up

The fastest way to do all the things is to prioritise those that matter the most now. When you decide which business projects to focus on, pick the most urgent and profitable ones first, but make sure that at least one of them excites you and scares you at the same time. And all of them should bring you joy. Life is too short to do something you don’t love, especially when you have so many skills and passions to choose from.

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