Old guy here. I don't think you'll find the answers to the questions you're asking. Or, if you're like me, you will find answers. but they might change with ea

Old guy here. I don't think you'll find the answers to the questions you're asking. Or, if you're like me, you will find answers. but they might change with each new chapter of your life. At the risk of sound like a broken HN record, I urge you to check out Derek Sivers' FAQ at https://sivers.org/faq https://sivers.org/faq I am also finally reading through Cal Newport's immensely popular So Good They Can't Ignore You which directly addresses and challenges the questions and assumptions you've asked about. Sivers has some of his book notes online at: https://sivers.org/book/SoGood https://sivers.org/book/SoGood. Those notes give a good summary, but I'm getting a ton out of the book, too. TL;DR: Stop looking for The Answer -- it effectively does not exist. Get busy with something/anything, make small, iterative adjustments to your trajectories. Forgive yourself, don't beat yourself up. Don't get stuck in the tool/methodology churn trap. Pick something and go.