MULTI-PASSIONATE | MISTAKES | PRIORITIZE | FOCUS

Learning how to focus and prioritize as a multi-passionate can be tough. You have a ton of ideas, you love them all, and you wish they all happened yesterday, right?! I get it, I’ve been there and that’s where a lot of my clients are when they first start working with me.

Creating priorities and actually following through with the priorities you set is a great goal to have as a multi-passionate. But I’m a firm believer that you don’t get to your next level of growth without acknowledging where you are right now.

So, in the spirit of seeing where your greatest opportunities for growth are, let’s go over 3 common mistakes you may be making as a multi-passionate and what to do instead.

Mistake no. 1: Feeling like ALL of your ideas needs to be acted upon TODAY

You don’t want your brilliant ideas to gather dust, so you start taking action on all of them at once. After all, shouldn’t you be able to “do it all” as a multi-passionate?

Here are a few reasons you might be feeling pressured to do “all the things” right now.

You’re worried that if you don’t act on these ideas, someone else will.

You’re afraid that you’ll lose interest if you don’t get started now.

You’re concerned that something else will come along that will distract you.

You don’t like the idea of being told to do “one thing” so you go to the other extreme and try to do it ALL.

Listen, I’ve been there. But the reality is that when you cave under the pressure to do all the things at once, you may find that you’re not able to gain meaningful momentum on anything.

What to do instead

Instead of doing everything at once, try cultivating a flexible long-term view that allows you to see how one of your ideas can help you gain skills, knowledge, and experience that will make bringing forward your next idea easier and more enjoyable.

From there you can dedicate a Season of Focus to the idea that you choose to prioritize and once you gain some momentum on it (and get some of your energy back), you can move on to the next thing- with new skills and knowledge gained!

For example, let’s say you want to launch a podcast and also start selling merch. Both of these projects seem totally doable, so you don’t see why they shouldn’t both happen at the same time.
But as you look further and begin to think about how these projects will play out long-term, you realize that having an audience that listens to your podcast will probably make it way easier to sell your merch!

You start to imagine making a huge announcement on your podcast that you’re working on something new, and you even think of a fun giveaway to help promote your new tee shirts while incentivizing people to leave a review on your podcast.

From this perspective, you see that choosing to prioritize your podcast (for now) could make launching your merch shop in the future even more fun and enjoyable.

Loved this tip? Make sure you check out my FREE training for multi-passionates: How to Create Clear Priorities So That You Can Finally Break Free From the Pressure of Doing All the Things at Once. Register HERE.

Mistake no. 2: Thinking that a new project management software or a cute planner is going to magically create clear priorities for you.

Oof, I know this one hits home. How many times have you thought, “Okay! That’s it! I’m ready to get myself organized and set some priorities! I’ll get a new planner and that should do the trick!”

Then you open your planner and start trying to make sense of the 5 different projects you’re trying to manage at once, only to realize that you feel MORE overwhelmed than when it was all in your head.

Here’s the thing: If you try to outsource your ability to create priorities to software or a planner, you’ll never learn how to create a PROCESS for creating priorities that actually works for you!

Of course, using a planner and/or a project management software can definitely help, but let’s not ignore the fact that they are not magical “fix alls” when it comes to prioritization and focus as a multi-passionate.

What to do instead

Watch my free training for multi-passionates: How to Create Clear Priorities So That You Can Finally Break Free From the Pressure of Doing All the Things at Once.

There you’ll learn about my Priority Mapping Method, which was created specifically with multi-passionates in mind. I know firsthand that being told to just “pick one thing” is blanket statement advice that does more harm than good. This training goes into depth on how to gain clarity, align your priorities, and stay focused so that you can follow through in a way that will actually resonate with you as a highly creative person.

Once you understand how clarity, prioritizing and focus work together, you’ll be on your way to having a PROCESS for prioritizing, so that you’re not relying on a planner to do that for you.

And hey, once you’ve got a handle on that process, by all means, treat yourself to a new planner!

Mistake no. 3: Choosing something to prioritize but second-guessing yourself so often that you don’t have the confidence to follow through.

So you’ve finally figured out what to prioritize, but then a flood of self-doubt starts to pour.

This might sound something like:

How do I know if this is the right thing?

Am I even going to be able to stick with this long-term?

I haven’t been able to complete anything in the past, what’s going to make this any different?

Ugh, being multi-passionate is so hard!

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It’s totally normal to have these doubtful thoughts the moment after you decide to put your focus on a specific project. But often, the result of going down that doubt spiral is that you spend so much time second-guessing yourself that all of your OTHER ideas start to look way better.

Next thing you know, you’ve lost focus on the project you prioritized and turned your attention towards a shiny object to find some relief.

What to do instead

Something that I love to coach my clients around is the concept of allowing your projects to be your teachers. When you look at your projects in this way, you’ll stop second-guessing yourself.

The way to do this is to focus on the PERSON you’re becoming as you follow through with your project, instead of focusing all of your attention on the project as something that’s outside of you.

This creates a connection to your work that can stand solid even when those doubtful thoughts arrive.

Here’s what that transformation might look like for you:

How do I know if this is the right thing?

New perspective: I’m always doing what’s right because I have decided to practice trusting my own judgment.

Am I even going to be able to stick with this long-term?

New Perspective: Even if I don’t stick to this long-term, I’m excited to follow through and finish it so that I can learn all the lessons that this project holds for me.

I haven’t been able to complete anything in the past, what’s going to make this any different?

New Perspective: This project is different because I am different!

Ugh, being multi-passionate is so hard!

New Perspective: Being multi-passionate is interesting and cool. I’m learning so much about myself and enjoying the process.

Let’s wrap this up

If you’ve found yourself making any of these common mistakes when it comes to prioritization and focus as a multi-passionate, I hope you see that there’s another way to approach each one of them.

If you’re ready to learn how to create clear priorities so that you can finally break free from the pressure of doing all the things at once, be sure to register for my free training below!