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What is the most important thing you should do next?

What is the most important thing you should do next?

In this issue: Why prioritizing is critical to get to where you want to go, how many priorities you should set (and the simplest path to finding it).

PJ Milani
September 09, 2025

🤔 INTERESTING

The image is divided into two sections, each depicting a different scenario. On the left, titled "WHEN YOU SET A PRIORITY," there is an illustration of an unfolded map, and a red location pin indicating a specific destination. This side represents organization and clear direction. On the right side, titled "WHEN YOU DON'T," there is an illustration of a chaotic pile of red location pins, with no map visible, representing confusion and lack of focus. The overall image contrasts the clarity and orientation that comes with setting priorities against the disarray results from not doing so. The image also includes a watermark, "@milianiCREATIVE," the creator of the artwork.

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❝

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

By the way, if you’re ready to start making visuals:

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📐 DESIGN

Last month I had a conversation with Fabio Cerpelloni about how to build a creative practice.

But is there a difference between creating for yourself and creating for others? I argue there is (in this section of the interview) on the impact creating for others can have on your life.

🔮 ENCHANTING

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE.art contrasting overwhelm and focus. On the left, a person is drowning in the water with only their hand visible out of the water , labeled “Trying to do everything.” On the right, the same person is calmly floating on their back, labeled “Prioritizing one thing.”

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If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will.

Gregory McKeown

One of my favorite insights on the word “priority” is from the book, “Essentialism”, by Greg McKeown.

Priority initially meant "one thing." The idea of multiple priorities is a modern dilemma and one that can mask the fact that there is no priority actually set.

🧠 ANALOGY

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE.art showing two potted plants side-by-side. On the left, a hand holds garden shears and snips a leaf from the top of the plant, labeled “SUBTRACT…”. On the right, the same plant is now taller and fuller, with more leaves, labeled “…TO GROW.” The image uses a pruning metaphor to convey how removing excess allows for healthier growth.

I often find myself being additive in my approach to productivity (“what else can I get done?”). But the secret to simplifying what you prioritize is pruning out excess. Through subtraction, there’s room to grow.

So what will you prioritize in this next season?

Please feel free to reply to this email (I read every one, though I may not be able to reply).

🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW

PJ Milani in glasses and a striped shirt excitedly holds up a copy of “The Way Things Work Now” by David Macaulay.

“The Way Things Work” by Dave Macaulay

I am just loving “The Way Things Work” by David Macaulay. If you want examples galore of how to teach visually, this book is cover to cover full of fun and insightful imagery to fulfill all your curiosities. It’s been one of my favorite finds this year.

An illustrated page from David Macaulay’s book “The Way Things Work Now.” The top half features a cartoon woolly mammoth wearing goggles and a red helmet, strapped to glider wings. Below, two educational diagrams explain the principles of flight: one shows how air moves over an airfoil to create lift, and the other breaks down the forces acting on a glider.

An illustrated page explaining how a self-winding (kinetic) quartz watch works. The top half explains piezoelectricity and quartz oscillators. The bottom half features a cutaway diagram of a quartz watch, showing how the wearer’s wrist motion causes an oscillating weight to move.

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