A Generalist Productivity System
Creating a Life OS for a generalist seems like the perfect idea.
Now we just have to figure out how to go about it. Since generalists and other multidisciplinary people are multi-passionate. That means there are MANY areas to keep track of!
Here is the secret I've already done it! The PIOS, or PolyInnovation Operating System, is meant for people like you and me. The people who have many interests, and need a system to organize it all.
Forget the PARA method or Second Brain, the Zettlekasten, all of the systems of old. This is the new methodology made for the modern era.
While this is made for Generalists, Specialists can make use of it too!
Check the expanded PolyCast of this post:
WHY Specifically for Generalists?
Well for one I think it is about time we had something for US! Don't you think? We have been forced to live in a specialist society for the last 100 years. Keep in mind it wasn't that way before.
Productivity is something that is not only ingrained into our society, but is fundamental to human nature. From how your dopamine works in your brain (which is actually different for some people), to the needs of night owls versus early birds (as we needed people at night to fend off predators). There are so many factors that go into productivity systems.
However one factor that seems to be completely missing from what I can tell. Is that of the polymathic lifestyle. The generalists and multidisciplinarians of the world.
This makes me sad because not only do a huge part of the population get left out in the consideration. It is also ironic... this is because specialists surely need a system to organize their life.
However... THEY ONLY HAVE ONE THING TO KEEP TRACK OF!!
I can't believe how simple of an idea this is, but a generalist has MANY areas to focus on. It isn't spreading too thin, but just spinning many plates.
If anyone needed a system to organize their life, then it is the generalist.
Now like I said though anyone and everyone needs a system actually. I hope that the system I have created then can help any of you regardless of what you need.
Related:
HOW to use Tools to manage your Multidisciplinary life?
The number one challenge I think a lot of generalist minds face is decision fatigue. There are features you need in one tool, but other features in another. Then you get to the creative part of building out your dashboard or framework.
It took me YEARS to develop the flow that I made with the PIOS in Notion, and it took two eureka moments to get it to where it is now.
I still think there are parts that will require MORE eureka moments! 😂😂
The PIOS was made to encapsulate each layer of life. From the yearly down to the hourly, and in those layers you'll have things like the INPUT (Modular Degree or Resonance Inbox), to the OUTPUT (content or journaling). As well as, timeblocking, yearly reviews, etc.
In order to maximize the PIOS use case FOR YOU, then you need to add in your own personal methodologies. I purposely left some parts blank, so that if you had a Notion template for time tracking, then you could add that in.
Also a bit more prudently I made a system, that can be applied to a multitude of tools. That way you have choice. Currently I believe that the PIOS framework can be used in:
- Notion.so
- Capacities.io
- Obsidian.md
- Acreom
- Logseq
- and maybe Workflowy or Airtable (but not sure).
Meaning that regardless of what tool you are used to, or could learn, then you have a choice of which one.
If you're not part of the newsletters, then you should sign up ASAP!
I do three separate ones based on 3 areas of expertise, that I can share with you. From learning how to swim, learning about content repurposing, and maybe more related to this post; The journey to polymathy.
WHAT is Knowledge management?
It is the organizational effort to keep track of all of your notes, data, ideas, and life as a whole.
SO WHAT?:
You need something like this in order to achieve bigger goals in life. If you are constantly keeping all of your plans or ideas in your head, then you are bound to get overwhelmed. Whether you realize it or not.
I would never have been able to get to where I am now, and the amount of content I create now (one of my main goals in life), if I did not have a system backing me up. It didn't help that I moved between a bunch of tools, taking delays to get back on track, but now I can share those lessons with you.
Even the format of this post is based off of a template I made for the PolyInContent series. It gave me a consistent feel any time I was writing a post like this. In Notion I could easily apply that template, and same goes for what I am using now which is Capacities.
Related Post:
How to use these tools for your Generalist Productivity
While you don't necessarily need to use my PIOS to get started; I do think it would be wise to at least check it out, so that you know what can be achieved.
Curating your life using a productivity operating system, is crucial building a foundation towards success.
This post is not super in depth, but it gives you the overview of why it is so very important in order to have a productivity system. A life os, a second brain, or better yet: a PIOS.
I encourage you to duplicate the template into Notion and try it out. I will make more templates for people as time goes on!