How to Decide What to Focus on in Your Business, Without Second-Guessing

by Sean Foster | October 7, 2025  | Business Coaching

How NZ Business Owners Can Decide What to Focus On

Running a business often feels like spinning plates, every task looks important, every opportunity feels urgent. But trying to do everything at once leads to mental overwhelm and poor results. The key is knowing what truly matters and having the confidence to stick with it. Let’s explore how to decide what to focus on in your business, without constantly second-guessing yourself.

1. Why Business Owners Struggle with Focus

Many NZ business owners share a common challenge. In fact, according to Xero’s 2023 Small Business Insights report, 46% of small business owners in New Zealand admitted they struggled with clarity around priorities and decision-making due to competing demands.

This highlights a wider issue: business owners often juggle too much at once and lack structured frameworks to guide their focus. There are simply too many competing demands. With the fear of missing out or making the wrong choice we create paralysis. Instead of moving forward, you end up scattered, exhausted, and doubting every decision.

One way to cut through the overwhelm is by adopting proven strategic planning models. Our article Think-Write-Share: A Powerful Model for Strategic Thinking & Planning introduces a practical method that helps you process ideas, prioritise clearly, and create a shared focus with your team.

2. Cost of Poor Prioritization for NZ Small Businesses

When you spread yourself too thin, you:

• Dilute your resources and energy.
• Slow down progress on critical projects.
• Create confusion for your team, who don’t know what the real priorities are.
• End up working long hours without meaningful results.
• Focus is not about doing more, it’s about choosing both what matters most and what matters least, and committing to your priorities.

3. Practical Frameworks to Decide What to Focus On

Here are proven decision-making tools to help:

1. The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle): Identify the 20% of activities driving 80% of your positive results. Focus here first.
2. Impact vs. Effort Matrix: Plot tasks based on their impact and effort. Prioritise high-impact, low-effort tasks to gain momentum.
3. One Big Goal: Instead of juggling five major goals, pick one key objective for the quarter and channel your resources there.
4. Decision Filters: Create criteria to judge new opportunities (e.g., Does it align with our strategy? Does it serve our ideal customer?). If it doesn’t fit, park it.

Setting clear goals is another way to simplify decision-making. Our article Setting Goals for Success: 5 Tips to Define Clear Goals offers practical advice to help business owners set priorities that are specific, measurable, and achievable—removing the guesswork and making focus easier.

4. Avoiding the Trap of Second-Guessing

Second-guessing happens when decisions aren’t tied to clear priorities. To avoid it:

• Write down your decision-making criteria and revisit them regularly.
• Limit how often you review major goals. Constant tweaking stalls progress.
• Celebrate progress, not perfection.

5. How Business Coaching Boosts NZ Owners’ Decision-Making

This is where coaching adds real value. Business coaches often use structured frameworks that cut through noise and bring clarity. With an external perspective, you gain confidence that your priorities are sound and you avoid the cycle of overthinking.

For a practical example, see our article 6 Fundamental Steps to 90-Day Planning, which shows how structured planning simplifies focus.

Make Confident Business Decisions—Set Priorities Today

You don’t need to do everything to grow your business. You need to do the right things, consistently. By using simple frameworks and setting clear priorities, you can stop second-guessing and start making confident progress.

Want help finding clarity in your business priorities? Book a call with Sean and discover how to focus on what really matters.

Conclusion & Call to Action

Paying yourself as a business owner is about balancing your own work while protecting your business. Get it right, and you’ll build both financial security at home and strength in your business.

Ready to work out the right balance for you? Book a call with Sean and start making confident financial decisions for your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do I always feel overwhelmed by my business priorities?
Because without a framework, everything feels urgent and equally important, making it hard to choose.

Q: What’s the best way to decide what to focus on in my business?
Use tools like the 80/20 Rule, Impact vs. Effort Matrix, and quarterly goal-setting to simplify decision-making.

Q: How do I stop second-guessing my business decisions?
Tie decisions to clear criteria, review progress less often, and trust the frameworks you’ve put in place.

Q: Can a business coach really help with decision-making?
Yes. Coaches bring structure, accountability, and clarity, helping you focus on what truly matters.