Do you often find yourself…jumping from one idea to another? Feeling overwhelmed with too many projects, not knowing which one you should tackle first? Do you sometimes feel disperse, like your mind shifts from one thing to another? Do you feel like your creative focus floats away in too many different directions? Do you have many interests that don’t seem to match together? Do you know a lot about just a few things and a little about a lot?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions you might have lived your whole life being a ‘polymath’ without even knowing it. But before we jump into conclusions, let me first unpack this concept and introduce a little bit more about what a polymath is and why you might be one.

By definition, a polymath is ‘a person whose knowledge expands to a significant number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems’.

Some of the most remarkable scientists and artists of history were polymaths. Galileo Galilei. Descartes. Laplace. Pasteur. Darwin. Aristotle. All polymaths.

But, how can we define the modern polymath of today?

In essence, nowadays we can call polymaths those individuals who are multidisciplinary and dynamic, who are hungry and curious to continuously learn or experiment with new things and actively pursue a wide variety of interests, talents, and skills, which they creatively integrate together to bring disruptive solutions or ideas to life.

Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, or Jeff Bezos could very well fit into that description, but not all polymaths are globally renowned multi-millionaires. In fact, it is quite likely that to this day you’ve crossed paths with multiple individuals of this kind. I certainly have, and I’d even say I’ve had the chance to work side by side with a few.

Moreover, although you might be no Steve Jobs, if you love to geek out and learn, if you are self-taught in diverse disciplines, if you often find yourself going down the rabbit hole aiming to achieve proficiency in different skills and fields… chances are you could be, to a certain extent, a polymath yourself.

It’s not so much about how you label yourself, however. It’s more about identifying these specific traits in yourself and learning how to deal with them in the most efficient way so you can make the most out of it.

You see, I wouldn’t call myself a polymath, but I am fairly multidisciplinary, with mismatched talents and interests from very different spheres. Along with it also comes finding myself jumping from one idea to another and getting lost in my own rabbit holes that take me down the path of the many projects I want to pursue. If this feels relatable, you’ll also know that it has its pros and cons.

So before I dive into talking about how to deal with being a polymath or a multidisciplinary individual of some sort, I first want to map out the common issues or problems associated with having this type of personality.

Being a polymath can sometimes result in…

There was a time where I kind of feared not being too specialized in anything in particular. Not excelling in any specific field. Being ‘quite good’ at a variety of unlinked areas didn’t seem as good as being ‘the best’ at something. I thought I had to find and pursue that one thing that would be the area where I ‘stood out’. Turns out however, that being a generalist, is not so bad after all.

In fact, in today’s world, I’d say diverse interests are more of a blessing, rather than a curse. The same way that being a generalist rather than a specialist could be an advantage rather than a weakness. It all depends on how you combine them, but studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between the number of interests and competencies one develops and creative impact.

Polymaths are a bit like ‘jack of all sorts’. Specialists tend to focus on what is specific to their field, narrowing down their scope, while polymaths can be great integrators. Through their curiosity and thirst for learning ‘a little about a lot’ they can bring the best of what others have created and integrate it in their core field.  Polymaths bring atypical combinations of skills and knowledge across fields, and then integrate them to bring to life disruptive ideas.

Most people who are multidisciplinary or fall within the ‘polymath’ description to some extent report a general feeling of overwhelm. They usually have a trail of unfinished projects behind them (whoops – raise your hand if you’re guilty of that one too) due to an overload of ideas that pop up in their heads and which seem equally exciting. Trying to pursue all of them at once, usually ends up leaving them with a feeling of frustration for not being able to properly finish any of them.

For some, it goes the other way. The overload of ideas results in an inability to make a choice, and finally results in deciding not to pursue any of them at all. Simply because they can’t make up their mind on which one they should focus on first, which leads to prolonged procrastination.

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Some polymaths go through a bit of an identity crisis. They have these moments where they go like – What am I, really? What is ‘my thing’? Which path should I focus on? – To an extent that sometimes they struggle to know how to position and introduce themselves, or feel lost in describing themselves to others as who they are and what they do. This makes it difficult to manage their personal brand and to decide how they want to show up, but worse so, it can sometimes mislead them to think that their worth is linked to their craft or whatever discipline they decide to stick to.

Ever battle with any of these issues yourself? If so, you are not the only one. These are common issues that go hand in hand with people who have a very broad scope of multiple interests and are trying to fit them all together. If you’re trying to figure out your way forward within your multidisciplinary chaos, here’s a little glimpse of how you can deal with it.

Most polymaths tend to be ambitious individuals and overachievers who fall into the trap of comparing themselves to other people they look up to in terms of success. In the long run, this can be very counterproductive and frustrating.

Your path is yours, and doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. The only thing that matters is that you keep going forward, one step at a time.

So ask yourself: what does success mean to you? Personally, not the commonly accepted version of it. Because that might or might not fulfill you, even if you achieve whatever that milestone is.

When defining your own version of success, try to base it on things that you can control rather than on things that are out of your hands. Like for example, other people’s opinion.

It’s normal to seek external validation to some extent, it feels good, but if you base your success out of that, you might find yourself a few years from now being seen as ‘successful’ by others, and still not being happy yourself – because whatever you have achieved is not truly aligned with what you wanted, what fulfills you, or your own personal values. What a waste of time, don’t you think?

So yes, it’s good to have references who inspire you and people you look up to, but make sure you are not holding yourself hostage of an image created by someone else.

“Ahhhh I have fifteen different ideas and I don’t know which one to get my hands on first!”

I experience this on a regular basis. And I equally love it and hate it. Not knowing where to focus my time within a big list of projects that I’m excited to start working on right now can be a little disheartening sometimes.

If you also have a ton of ideas but don’t know which one to pursue as your core and main priority, then you could probably use a better decision-making framework. I know it has certainly helped me in choosing where to put my focus, and it might be of help to you too, so here it is.

Ask yourself:

Is this aligned with my purpose? Purpose should always come first. Many people are hesitant about what their purpose is or whether they have a purpose at all, but they do. Your purpose is a given. It is not to be created, but to be found. Deep down, we all intuitively know what our purpose is and in many cases, we will naturally drift towards it.

What does pursuing this project require of me? Think in terms of time, money, energy, resources, sacrifices… sometimes we don’t realize that what we like about a project is actually a feeling or mental idea of it, rather than the project itself and it is only when we start getting involved in it and having to give away other things in return that we realize we are not ready for that trade-off. So try to be honest with yourself when deciding if you are willing to give what it takes to pursue such a project. Sometimes people forget that there is an opportunity cost to everything we do. Remember that your time and resources are not infinite.

How long will it take me? Figure out what is the timeline of the project, and then add extra time (most of the time we tend to be a little too optimistic with our ETAs and, at least from my experience, projects usually end up taking x2 times than estimated at first) before you decide if you are willing to be invested for that long.

How seriously do I want to take this project? You can choose to pursue a project professionally or as an amateur. Choose which discipline you want to take seriously and pursue as a vocation versus which ones are going to be simply hobbies. A simple way to evaluate whether a discipline is good to become a professional project of yours is making sure it intersects with the three following: skills, passion, and something that the market wants to pay for. I am bringing this up because not all of our talents or passions need to collect coins. We can choose to pursue a project just for the sake of enjoying it, without having to achieve any certain goals around it, which is perfectly fine and can be extremely liberating. In the end, it’s your choice to make, but differentiating the two can help you better prioritize and allocate time for each.

What will I gain? (What is its ROI?) I’m not only talking in monetary or financial terms here, I am actually referring to what you will gain in return from a very broad perspective. It could be anything from learning a new skill, developing proficiency on a field, connections that widen your network, positioning… anything. But whatever it is, it should be fulfilling for you (and therefore be aligned with your purpose as I mentioned above).

So there you have a simple little framework with questions that can help you in picking out your next project whenever you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed with ideas.

The only way (literally the single way!) to combat Analysis Paralysis is to just start.

Get started with something, anything. You can talk all day about the big stack of awesome projects and ideas you have, but what are you actually doing?

Quote from the book ‘Poke The Box’ by Seth Godin

As an ENFP-A type, I’m sometimes guilty of getting overly excited about my ideas, doing lots of talking around them… and then lose myself somewhere around the execution. This is something you can absolutely work on though, and which can be improved with the right organizational tools, better planning, and prioritizing.

If you are not familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) I suggest you read up on it a little (or take the test here); you might find it quite revealing in regards to having a better understanding and self-awareness of who you are.

“While they are great at generating new ideas, they sometimes put off important tasks until the last minute. Dreaming up ideas but not seeing them through completion is a common problem. ENFPs can also become easily distracted, particularly when they are working on something that seems boring or uninspiring. ENSPs are flexible and like to keep their options open. They can be spontaneous and are highly adaptable to change. They also dislike routine and may have problems with disorganization and procrastination.”

While I’m not a big fan of people boxing themselves into generic test-based definitions, I still think this one does have a certain usefulness when it comes to identifying some of our personal patterns and behaviors. In fact, Myers’ ENFP kind of nailed it here. Feels relatable to you as well?

If you can also recognize yourself within this group, you will probably be familiar with feeling the urge to jump onto the next thing after getting started on a certain project, and after a little while, on to the next one, and so on. However, good things take time, and more importantly, they take consistency. So if you really want to see your projects coming along, you are going to have to get started, find your focus, and stick to it.

I’m going to say that again so it sinks in: STICK. TO. IT. At least for a given period of time before you allow yourself to jump onto the next thing. Get into motion and stay in motion.

There is no personality type ‘better’ than another. Each of them has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and identifying yours and working on your self-awareness is the first step needed to start managing them for a better you. To improve yourself, you first have to know yourself. And remember that you are the greatest and most important project you will ever work on.

Many creatives tend to pin down their own personal value to their craft. But you are not what you do. You are valuable, worthy and deserving of love and respect no matter how much or how little you produce. Rather than being defined by what you do, the goal is to be defined by who you are. Deciding that your life, your career, your brand… is going to be defined by the ways you show up, instead of the specific things that you do.

Work on developing a very grounded sense of self-worth and respect and give yourself some credit for the things that you have already accomplished. Don’t let any judgemental bunch burn out your creative flame. Focus on entertaining your curiosities and trust the process. Staying hungry, while giving yourself that boost of confidence will actually fuel whatever is next for you.

So the next time you are faced with the paradox of choice just remember that the key is that every single day you are trying to do your best to align your actions and your vision with who you want to be.

May you never discredit that your work matters, your consistency matters, your ideas matter, and your presence matters.

Keep it up,

Maitane