🚩 Tactical Memo 037: The Hidden Cost of Too Many “Important” Projects
Justin Bateh
January 14, 2026
Read time: 4 minutes
Welcome to Tactical Memo, my newsletter where I share frameworks, strategies, and hard-earned lessons for leaders navigating project execution, AI fluency, and leadership.
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👉 Why Read This Edition: You will learn why having too many “important” projects slows everything down and what to do today to fix it. Fewer projects lead to faster results.
The Briefing: Today’s Focus
Why everything feels important
What too many projects really cost
How I decide what stays and what stops
What you can do today to reduce overload
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Why Everything Feels Important
In most teams, every project is called important. Every request feels urgent. Every idea sounds useful. Leaders approve work because saying yes feels helpful.
The problem shows up later.
People work on many things at once. Work moves slower. Meetings increase. Decisions wait. No project gets full focus. Teams feel tired but nothing finishes.
This is not a people problem. This is a focus problem.
The Rule: Real Priorities Require Trade-Offs
A priority only exists when something else waits.
If everything moves forward at the same time, nothing moves fast. When leaders avoid choosing, teams pay the price. Focus creates progress. Too much work kills momentum.
A Tactical Playbook: How I Reduce Too Many “Important” Projects
1. I cap the number of active projects
I allow no more than three active projects at one time. Not per person. Not per team. Three total. Everything else waits. This forces real choices. When leaders refuse to cap work, teams spread effort thin and miss deadlines.
How you apply this:
Write down all active projects. Circle the three that matter most this quarter. Pause the rest.
2. I separate pressure from impact
Many projects feel important because someone is pushing hard. That does not mean the project matters right now. I ask one simple question. “What breaks if this waits one month.”
If nothing breaks, the project waits.
How you apply this:
Ask the question out loud in your next planning meeting. Watch how many projects lose urgency.
3. I demand clear business impact
Before work starts, I ask what changes when the project finishes. Does it save money. Does it reduce risk. Does it help leaders decide. If the answer is unclear, the project does not start.
Busy work still costs time.
How you apply this:
For each project, write one sentence that explains the impact. If you cannot write it, pause the work.
4. I slow starts so teams can finish
Starting work feels productive. Finishing work creates value. I slow down new starts so teams can close existing work. Fewer starts lead to more finishes.
How you apply this:
Delay starting one new project this month. Use that time to finish something already in motion.
5. I protect priorities from change
Nothing hurts execution more than changing priorities every week. Once a project becomes a priority, I protect it. New work must wait or replace something else.
How you apply this:
When new work appears, ask which current project will pause. Do not add without removing.
6. I make stopping work normal
Many teams keep projects alive because stopping feels like failure. I treat stopping as a smart leadership move. When work no longer makes sense, I say it clearly and move on.
Stopping work creates space for better work.
How you apply this:
Choose one low-impact project and end it. Tell the team why. Thank them for the effort.
What To Do Right Now
List every active project. Keep the list honest.
Circle the top three. These get focus.
Pause at least one project today. Tell people clearly.
Delay one new request. Ask what can wait.
Say this sentence: “If we add this, what do we slow down.”
These steps reduce chaos fast.
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p.s… As promised, click the link below to download my free cheat sheet and infographic vault.
Until next time,
Justin
✍️ From the Desk of Justin Bateh, PhD
Real-world tactics. No fluff. Just what works.
