What this helps you with
Answer
When everything feels important…
…it’s often because nothing feels certain.
You’re not just prioritizing features — you’re navigating pressure, hope, fear, deadlines, investor noise, user feedback, and your own expectations.
Of course decisions feel heavier than they should.
The truth about prioritization
It only feels impossible when the context is unclear. Before the “what,” there are quieter questions that shape everything:
What stage are we really in right now?
What problem are we actually trying to unlock next?
What constraint matters most in this moment?
What assumptions are we taking for granted?
When these pieces aren’t named, everything feels equally weighted.
When they are named, the list reorganizes itself.
A grounding question to pull you out of the swirl
If we focused on one outcome for the next 30 days, what would meaningfully change the business?
Not what would look impressive.
Not what would quiet the anxiety.
What would actually shift reality.
Why this feels hard (and why that’s normal)
It’s difficult to see context while you’re living inside it.
Founders aren’t bad at prioritization — they’re just too close to the work.
A calmer way to move forward
When you think you have a prioritization problem, or you notice your team slipping into reactivity:
Pause.
Take a breath.
Name the context.rever
Then answer the question as if your best friend asked for advice.
That little bit of distance helps you see what’s true, not what’s loud.
When to use this
When you’re juggling too many inputs at once
When every feature feels equally important
When your team feels reactive instead of intentional
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About Author
Brittany Canty is the founder of Inciteful and a product strategist with 15+ years of experience building and scaling early-stage products. She helps founders cut through noise, avoid costly mistakes, and move forward with clarity.
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