If You Have Multiple Interests But Nothing Seems To Be Moving - Read This
Get things moving as a generalist
You have multiple interests. Many ideas you want to work towards.
Still, nothing feels like moving.
You stay in one place despite having many directions you could go in.
You think you aren’t motivated enough to take action, but the procrastination you’re facing is rarely a motivation problem.
You’re a generalist, and it poses you with a different set of problems. You need to identify these problems well.
Even your curiosities can become a distraction if you don’t handle them carefully, but if you do, they can set you apart.
The problem is, specialisation is not as effective as it used to be. That’s the truth.
You need a different set of skills that is tied only to you.
You’re already somewhat there. You are inclined towards multiple things and are good at them, but you aren’t leveraging them well.
You will see much advice out there that says to focus on just one thing for an extended period of time. Which is true to make the most progress in one domain, but this doesn’t mean to sideline your other inclinations.
Because if you do, you’ll be killing what could give an unfair edge.
This is what has helped me leverage my curiosities, take action, and consistently build on my goals even when it feels like nothing is working.
Your unrelated curiosities are your edge
You and I both have some curiosities that don’t make sense in isolation.
How can writing and storytelling go hand-in-hand with being a computer science student?
But I’d be thinking backwards if that was my point of view. Instead, this is an edge for me. One thing that sets me apart from the rest of the computer science students.
You might be inclined towards some things that don’t make sense either, a medical student interested in filmmaking and taking MMA training, but when you try to weave them all together and view them as a whole, it becomes YOU.
And you are your greatest leverage. One thing you could bet on anytime. Now, when you view your goals from this angle, you will know how to leverage yourself to achieve those goals.
Our curiosities are what have taken us from hunter-gatherers to setting foot on the moon. And it will make us a multi-planetary species.
That’s our true purpose. To build on our curiosities and pursue what makes us different from the rest.
But when you have multiple things to do, chances are you won’t do anything.
What to do then? How to get things started?
You’re overwhelmed by choices
Since there are many things you’re interested in, you will have many options to choose from, which leads to decision fatigue.
While doing one thing, you feel like you could be doing something else.
And no matter how much people push it, there is no such thing as multitasking. A human being cannot effectively perform multiple things at the same time.
So should you focus on just one thing and abandon all your interests?
Yes and no. Let me explain.
I had to write a newsletter, prepare for my final exam, create a content strategy for an entrepreneur, and post on LinkedIn & Threads.
So you know what I did?
Nothing.
Until I intentionally started writing the newsletter, and put everything else on hold.
When you need to be doing everything, you won’t be doing anything.
So yes, I focused on one thing, but it doesn’t mean I abandoned the rest. I did all that, but if I had tried to do everything at once, you wouldn’t have been reading this newsletter today.
This is the most effective way to actually get things moving, and I aim to carry this mindset with me.
At some point, I would need to choose between writing, creating a content strategy for my client, or coding a project. Whatever the requirements will be, I will need to choose one thing deliberately and lead with it.
You can’t go all-in on six things at once.
But there’s a phase when you’re doing better than ever, putting out your best, and still, it doesn’t even move the needle. You might be in it, or if you aren’t, you will be in future. How to get past that?
When nothing is working
This phase is pivotal because what you do in it will define your journey.
When you’re making every effort but nothing feels like working, be patient. We’re designed to expect awards instantly, and the current dopamine-infused environment has worsened it.
It feels like nothing is working out, so you move on to the next thing and start from zero again. You’ll be switching things too often, chasing the next big thing before any of it makes sense.
But when you’re building something meaningful, getting a return on your investment takes time.
It is supposed to be like that. Nothing will seemingly be working until everything does.
Still, it doesn’t mean to cling to the wrong thing. Some things need to be let go of for you to move forward.
What I find is the best way to determine whether to hold on or let go is to look at the big picture. Where will it lead me if I stay at it for five years?
Currently, writing content doesn’t seem to be working out for me. I’m not getting the results that I wanted, and switching seems right.
I could go all-in on building my SaaS and abandon this writing thing. But I know five years from now, my SaaS could fail or become obsolete, but the people I will have by my side will give me the leverage.
And to nail down to start and be consistent with multiple interests, this is what you need:
Be accountable to yourself
No one will notice if you aren’t being consistent, and frankly, no one cares. That’s not a bad thing.
But this means you need to be accountable to yourself, more importantly, to your future self.
The choices you make today determine your future.
Right now, you’re at this stage because your past choices led you here. You’re reading this newsletter because you chose to read it.
Once you understand that whatever happens is controlled by you, and only you can change it by taking control of your choices, you start acting like it.
Set a deadline yourself. Choose to create more than you consume. Show up uncertain. Do the thing even if nothing feels like moving.
It is easier said than done, but easy doesn’t exist if you want to build something meaningful. You need to choose your hard.
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