What motivates my character mid atlas? Why is it even there?

Ok a pre-ample. I have never gotten to "end-game" in any league; I am lucky if I finish lvl 10 maps. My problem is that I am not mechanically great and my reflexes are too slow so I lose to much exp and eventually give up after weeks of going nowhere.

But... The atlas always had something for me to strive for and make progress. Caveat here, I haven't played poe in years so my atlas knowledge is not current but I do recall atlases where a quadrant did something, you needed to do something to get access to junior bosses etc to slowly advance the map to the end game.

But with this new free flowing, any map can be any level scenario I am completely underwhelmed. I am still working on the 6+ quest and know I have to find the citadels but it doesn't matter what maps I choose, what direction I go, I don't feel progress. Just another map uncoverred.

If you have to find 3 citadels then why not have 3 sections of the atlas so you know that you go in this direction for one of them, another direction for the second etc.

I miss having to complete map x because it was the only way to get map y to progress. I have no goal when I log in each day to play other than to try and maintain waypoint levels which I am unable to do anyway.