I am addressing this to the Polymaths, the Multipotentialites, the Generalists, the Jacks and Jills of All Trades, and everyone in between.
You're all part of the Multidisciplinary Spectrum, and we are on the rise across the globe. Living in this Digital Renaissance.
Embracing Your Multidisciplinary Journey
One thing a lot of us struggle with is accepting that we are more generalistic. As society across the world has pushed towards this specialist mindset. Ever since the 2nd industrial revolution.
We are currently going through a digital industrial revolution, and very quickly companies and even individuals are realizing that that narrow path is no longer good enough.
Thus the external pressure to narrow or niche down is decreasing, and that makes it easier to come to terms with being multidisciplinary.
For some of us, like myself, I knew that I wanted to do many things. I didn't care if that made me an outlier.
Although now we are slowly becoming the majority.
Celebrating the Strengths of a Multidisciplinary Approach
By being diverse in our skillsets it allows us to become even more than what we were before. Akin to the branching trees of a forest, the animals can jump between the branches, and create a network.
Alternatively, you can look at the roots, and how they spread across a vast ecological network.
Multidisciplinary or even just Interdisciplinary individuals have that same network effect. Twofold. By being multiple Trees THEMSELVES.... OR by being the bridge between two other people. Perhaps your tree is still young, and you're not quite deep in that field as you'd like.
However you are deep enough that you can converse with someone of that field. Then you can take their learnings, and communicate it to the person next to you. Helping others be part of a multidisciplinary team.
Point being that there is a lot of ways this kind of lifestyle can be helpful.
Overcoming Challenges Unique to Multidisciplinary Paths
Where specialists might be too entrenched in their field to be able to see the trenches/fields next to them. The opposite can be true for us, we are so wide that we can't go within the trenches.
Meaning people don't know how to put us, as we don't fit into a box. You might say "I don't WANT to be in a box" BUT as psychology has proven our brains work in that way. Even if it is just a temporary box.
If you go to someone and they can't describe you in their head, then they aren't going to pay attention to what you are saying. It isn't their fault, it is how they are wired. Even US are wired that way to a degree, but I think when it comes to a multidisciplinary person to another multidisciplinary person.
That in situations like the one described above, then we have an easier time being in that confusion. Our brain still wants to put the person in a box, but we are more okay with not having that box just yet. Then later on we can put that person in maybe two boxes, and that will be satisfactory.
Simply trying to explain the interpersonal dynamics.
Other challenges may include shiny object syndrome, or imposter syndrome. Which usually occur due to a misunderstanding.
While some people may be flighty, I tend to see this a lot in Multipotentialites more often than not, it doesn't mean they haven't put in the work towards that discipline.
Strategies for Harnessing Your Diverse Skills
I created the 🧠 PIOS Omni-Brain framework because polymathic people have a hard time juggling all the different plates.
This came out of a need to effectively manage our time, and I think it works quite well. It is adaptable to your needs, and more importantly in my opinion adaptable to whatever Tool you want to use.
One of the major things from the PIOS that I want to bring up here are: Phases.
Think of this as a abstraction layer above projects, goals, and tasks. All of which fall under the aforementioned Phase. Each phase being an area of your life that you are pursuing.
I.e. area of knowledge, one of your disciplines, a skill you are trying to learn, or a niche of your content ecosystem. All basically meaning the same thing, an interest of yours that you are trying to pursue in some way.
Other strategies would include time blocking on your calendar, interleaving your phases in unique ways, taking either Interleaving or Juggling approach, etc.
Maintaining Balance and Focus in a Multidisciplinary Career
I see the Pareto Principle to be a blessing and curse. As it really IS true in a lot of cases. However I have experience the ability to do other ratios as well.
To those who don't know the Pareto is just simple the 80 / 20 rule, spending 80% of your time on one thing, and the other 20% on another thing.
In other circumstances however I find the 10/80/10 to be more fitting. Especially for polymathic people.
10% of your time on a previous endeavor; keeping the flame alive if you will.
80% of your time on the current Phase, and building that up as quickly as you can.
10% of your time on a future endeavor; sowing the seeds of it for the future.
Additionally, I sometimes toy with the idea of 20/60/20 if the current endeavor isn't too time sensitive.
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Advanced:
When you have lived an intentional polymathic lifestyle for a while. Meaning you have put in the work to balance out your various Phases effectively for a long time.
Then you might start to experiment with more ratios.
For example one in particular I did last year, or tried to. Was the 33/33/34, and my attention was split 3 ways. I think I did well overall in the time that I had focused attention.
However due to unforeseen circumstances 3 months of 2023 were taken out of my time. Meaning I wasn't able to do the full year, and I think that impacted my success on it. If that wasn't the case I think I would have done better.
Your Unique Impact on the Future
Each person has a unique fingerprint, and I don't mean the one on your actual fingers. I mean each of your combinations of skills and areas of knowledge is DIFFERENT.
You have something of value to the world because you see the world differently. In a new light if you will.
Each one of your Phases or areas combines together In You, and that changes your Lens of what you see. Maybe that lens is exactly what is needed to solve a particular problem.
However if you do not market yourself effectively, manage your time effectively, or understand your own phases effectively; Then you will fail to get that opportunity, or worse fail to be successful WITH the Opportunity.
Please prepare your multidisciplinary-polymathic self.
