Working on your second-best problem (for your career) feels productive.
No one will blame you.
But second-best problems give you second-best returns.
Incremental improvements, not career-changing leaps.
Example:
Your real problem is you don’t have a portfolio that proves you can deliver results.
But instead you start another course. You tweak your LinkedIn. You learn Cursor. All reasonable… but not the ONE thing that would actually move the needle.
How to find your #1 thing:
Ask yourself:
“If I could only work on ONE thing for the next 30 days that would 2-3x my career prospects, what would it be?”
Not two things. One.
If you can’t answer, answering that question becomes your #1 thing. *Inception*
Common #1 constraints by stage:
(yours might be different)
- 0-10 hrs → You don’t have a direction
- 10-50 hrs → You don’t know what skills you need
- 50-100 hrs → You keep questioning your path
- 100-200 hrs → You don’t have real-world experience
- 200-300 hrs → No one knows you exist
- 300-500 hrs → You can’t get past the interview
- 500+ hrs → You’re worried about job security and falling behind
Think of this as a progression. As you grow, the challenge that limits your progress changes. Each stage tends to have one dominant constraint, and that is your #1 thing to fix next.
Bottom Line:
Everything else is a distraction.
Identify your One thing. Fix it. Then move on.
Be focused and consistent,
Kirill
P.S. Most people already know their #1 thing. They’re just avoiding it.