What this tool does
The What Should I Do Next? tool is an AI-powered decision helper designed to cut through analysis paralysis and help you identify the single most impactful action you should take. By analyzing your current situation, your goal, and your constraints, the tool applies leverage-based thinking to recommend an action that will move you closest to your objective with the resources available. Instead of giving you a long list of tasks, this tool focuses on finding the one action that creates the most progress, following the principle that not all actions are created equal - some create disproportionate results.
The tool is particularly valuable when you feel overwhelmed by options, stuck in indecision, or uncertain about where to focus your limited time and energy. It helps you think through your situation systematically by asking you to articulate your context, your desired outcome, and what limitations you are working with. The AI then processes this information to identify high-leverage opportunities that you might have overlooked.
How it works
The tool uses a three-part input model to understand your situation comprehensively. First, you describe your current situation - where you are right now, what resources you have, what challenges you face, and any relevant context. Second, you specify your goal - what you are trying to achieve. Third, you optionally list your constraints - limitations on time, money, skills, or other factors that affect what actions are feasible.
Once you submit this information, the AI analyzes your inputs using several frameworks. It considers the Pareto principle (80/20 rule) to identify actions that might produce outsized results. It evaluates constraint theory to find which constraints are truly limiting your progress. It applies systems thinking to understand how different actions might cascade through your situation. The result is a recommended action along with reasoning for why this action was selected, its potential impact, estimated effort required, a concrete first step, and alternative actions to consider.
Who should use this
**Entrepreneurs and founders** building products or companies who need to prioritize ruthlessly with limited resources. When everything feels urgent and important, this tool helps cut through to what actually moves the needle.
**Project managers and team leads** who are juggling multiple initiatives and need clarity on where to focus team energy. The tool helps identify which of many possible actions will create the most progress toward objectives.
**Career changers and job seekers** navigating complex decisions with multiple possible paths forward. The tool helps analyze the situation and recommend high-impact moves.
**Students and researchers** facing large projects or thesis work who need to break through overwhelm and identify the next concrete step.
**Anyone feeling stuck** in a decision or paralyzed by too many options. The tool provides a framework for clear thinking and a specific recommendation to act on.
Worked examples
**Example 1: Startup Launch** Situation: "We have a functional MVP for a project management tool. Team of 2 developers. Talked to 15 potential customers, 8 said they would try it. No revenue yet. \$3,000 in savings." Goal: "Get first 5 paying customers in the next 3 weeks." Constraints: "Can only work evenings and weekends (about 20 hours/week total). No marketing budget."
Recommended Action: "Email the 8 interested prospects personally with a special founding member offer - lifetime discount in exchange for payment today and a testimonial." Reasoning: "These are warm leads who have already expressed interest. Converting existing interest is higher leverage than generating new awareness. The founding member angle creates urgency and gives them a reason to commit now."
**Example 2: Career Transition** Situation: "I'm a marketing manager at a mid-size company for 5 years. Getting bored. Interested in product management. Have read some books about PM work but no direct experience." Goal: "Transition to a product management role within 6 months." Constraints: "Can not afford to take a pay cut right now. Limited network in product space."
Recommended Action: "Identify a product initiative at your current company and volunteer to lead or support it, framing your marketing expertise as valuable for understanding customer needs." Reasoning: "Internal transitions are easier than external ones - no pay cut needed and you already have credibility. Marketing skills translate well to PM work. This creates proof points you can use for future external applications."
**Example 3: Creative Project** Situation: "I want to write a book about my experience building remote teams. Have an outline and about 5,000 words of rough content spread across notes. Keep procrastinating." Goal: "Complete first draft within 4 months." Constraints: "Full-time job. Can realistically commit 5-7 hours per week. Energy lowest in evenings."
Recommended Action: "Block 90 minutes every Saturday and Sunday morning (when energy is highest) exclusively for writing, starting this weekend. Target 1,500 words per session." Reasoning: "Consistency beats intensity for creative work. Morning weekend blocks avoid low-energy periods. 3,000 words/week times 16 weeks exceeds typical first draft length. Starting this weekend creates immediate momentum."
The leverage principle
This tool is built around the concept of leverage - the idea that some actions produce disproportionately large results relative to the effort invested. The Pareto principle (often called the 80/20 rule) suggests that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. In practice, this means that among all the actions you could take, a small subset will create most of your progress.
The challenge is identifying which actions have this leverage. Common characteristics of high-leverage actions include: they remove a bottleneck or constraint that is blocking multiple other things, they create compound effects over time, they open doors to additional opportunities, or they provide critical information that changes your strategy. Low-leverage actions, by contrast, tend to be incremental improvements that do not fundamentally change your situation.
When analyzing your inputs, the AI looks for signals of potential leverage. It considers what your true constraints are (often different from perceived constraints), what actions might unlock other actions, what provides the most learning, and what creates momentum. The goal is not to find the "perfect" action but to find one that is clearly better than average at moving you toward your goal.
Tips for better recommendations
**Be specific in your situation description.** Instead of "I'm working on a startup," describe what stage you're at, what you have built, what traction you have, and what resources you have available. The more concrete detail you provide, the more targeted the recommendation can be.
**Quantify where possible.** Numbers help the AI understand scale. "Small budget" is vague; "\$2,000 total budget" is actionable. "Some interest from customers" is unclear; "5 people on a waitlist, 12 more who said they're interested" gives useful context.
**State constraints honestly.** The recommendation is only useful if it accounts for your real limitations. If you realistically only have 10 hours per week, saying "I have flexible time" will lead to a recommendation you can not execute.
**Be clear about your goal's timeframe.** "Grow my business" is too vague. "Increase monthly revenue from \$5,000 to \$10,000 in the next 90 days" gives a clear target to optimize toward.
**Include failed attempts.** If you have already tried things that did not work, mention them. This prevents the AI from recommending something you have already determined is not effective for your situation.
FAQs
Q: How is this different from just making a to-do list? A: A to-do list captures all the things you could do; this tool identifies the one thing you should do. The difference is prioritization through leverage analysis rather than just listing tasks.
Q: What if I disagree with the recommendation? A: The recommendation is a starting point for thinking, not a command. If it does not feel right, examine why. Sometimes the recommendation reveals an assumption you had not questioned. Other times, you have context the AI does not have. Use it as a thinking tool.
Q: How does the AI know what is high-leverage for my situation? A: The AI applies general principles of leverage and constraint analysis to your specific inputs. It does not have domain expertise in every field, so it works best when you provide rich context. Think of it as a thinking partner that applies frameworks, not an expert consultant.
Q: Can I use this for team decisions? A: Yes, though you should describe the team context in your situation. The tool works for both individual and team scenarios, though for major team decisions you may want to use the recommendation as a starting point for discussion rather than a final answer.
Q: What happens to my data? A: Your inputs are sent to the AI for analysis but are not stored after generating the recommendation. We do not retain your situation descriptions or goals.
Q: Why only one recommended action? A: Research on decision-making shows that too many options leads to analysis paralysis. By forcing a single recommendation, the tool pushes past indecision. If that action does not resonate, alternatives are provided, but the focus on one helps drive action.
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