Screenplay, 3D Animation, YouTube Script... All in One Week

🗞️ This Week’s Thought

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes in frustration, my Trello board taunting me.

Last month alone, I started a new screenplay, signed up for a 3D animation course, and began outlining a script for a YouTube channel.

I always take on more than I can realistically handle, a struggle many multipotentialites know all too well.

The cycle is familiar: first comes the excitement, then the overcommitment.

Reality sets in, and you realize there’s no way you can do it all.

Overwhelm takes over.

Then, just when you should regroup, a shiny new idea pulls your focus.

And suddenly, you’re back at square one.

It’s a frustrating cocktail, and many of us are struggling to cope with it.

If that sounds like you, welcome to the club.

In this first issue of Many Paths Weekly, I’ll share with you a system to help you cut through the noise and finish what you start.

🔗 The Stack

Ali Abdaal - Part-time creator systems and productivity for people with multiple interests

Matt D’Avella - Minimalist filmmaker sharing practical self-development and creative workflows

Roberto Blake - Creative entrepreneurship, personal branding, and turning skills into income streams

Sara Dietschy - Tech-savvy, creative content covering everything from cameras to business strategy

Thomas Frank - Study techniques and productivity systems that work for multi-passionate minds

💡 One Way Forward

The 3-Lane Focus System for Multipotentialites

I get it. You shouldn’t have to focus on just one thing. You have multiple passions.

If only you had structure to avoid the overwhelm that comes with creative ADHD.

Let me introduce you to the 3-Lane Focus System, an attempt at organizing my many interests without feeling like a failure every time I pivot.

How It Works

Imagine this: you’re driving down a three-lane highway, each lane serving a different purpose.

Lane 1

Lane 1 is where you spend 60-70% of your time making money.

It’s your day job, the thing that keeps the lights on.

It could also be a freelance gig or a small business.

My current day job is as an IT Manager.

It’s not the sexiest lane, but it funds everything else, like my Happy Meal toy addiction.

Seriously, it’s a problem.

Lane 2

Lane 2 is where the magic happens.

Here, you spend 20-25% of your time learning a new skill or developing a passion project.

It keeps you awake at night, flustered with excitement.

This lane changes every 3-6 months as your interests develop.

Currently, I’m creating a micro-SaaS app that may never see the light of day.

But it’s fine with me because I’m trying something new.

Lane 3

Lane 3 is where your established skills or hobbies live.

You’ll spend 10-15% of your time here with no pressure to grow or monetize your content.

These skills or hobbies keep you sane and happy.

My hobby is drawing characters.

I have loved to draw ever since I was a child.

Over the years, the drawing has turned into a full-fledged skill, one I maintain purely out of joy.

I don’t even post my art on Instagram. It’s solely for me.

Making It Work

Weekly Planning

Schedule blocks of time in your calendar for each lane as you would for a meeting.

Lane 1 accounts for most of your hours, but Lanes 2 and 3 also have protected time.

For example, you might spend Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm working as a UX designer and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 pm to 10 pm developing your mobile app.

You might spend Saturday afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm playing the guitar.

Project Rotation

Adjust your interests to match your goals.

Your screenwriting obsession from last year might graduate from Lane 2 to Lane 3, with your newfound interest in sculpting taking its place in Lane 2.

Progress Check-ins

Ask yourself every week, “What’s working?”

Are you achieving your goals?

What skills or projects feel forced?

Using the 3-Lane Focus System doesn’t mean you have to stay in your lane (See what I did there?).

You can swap in new projects, drop ones that no longer meet your needs, and adjust priorities.

The system is flexible.

Why This Works

First, it permits you to pursue multiple passions without feeling guilty.

I can’t tell you how many times I banged my head against the wall, ashamed for not finishing a project to pursue a new one.

The 3-Lane Focus System enables me to sort my interests.

I’m no longer a “scatterbrain.”

I’m strategically diverse.

Second, it sets boundaries.

The boundaries prevent you from ignoring or abandoning projects.

However, you also won’t let a single project consume all your free time.

Third, it respects how our brains work.

We get bored.

We grow and discover new things.

It’s normal, and there’s nothing wrong with having multiple passions.

The 3-Lane Focus System works with you, not against you.

Do you know what the best part is in all this?

Once you generate income with your Lane 2 projects, you can transition them to Lane 1 and select a new explorer project.

It’s like crop rotation but for your creativity.

💬 Creative Capital

One-off Sessions

Let’s discuss a monetization strategy that won’t have you hiding under your blanket: one-off sessions.

Instead of handling long-term clients or spending months building courses that no one seems interested in, why not offer one-off 60-90-minute sessions aimed at solving a specific problem?

Why this works for us, multipotentialites:

• No long-term relationship, which could take away time from pursuing other interests

• Low pressure—you don’t need to be an “expert,” helping someone solve a problem is enough

• A low-effort way to validate how many people will pay for your services

• You can do the sessions from the comfort of your couch or even bed via video calls

Real example:

• IT Manager: “System Setup & Security Consultation” at $100-200

• 3D Artist: “Character Design Feedback & Direction Session” at $75-150

• Screenwriter: “Script Review & Story Structure Session” at $80-160

Getting started is simple:

1. Choose a single skill you’re confident in.

2. Create an outline of what the session would cover and what goal you want to achieve.

3. Post on LinkedIn or reach out to three people in your network.

4. Charge less than you think you should, especially for the first few sessions.

What’s great about this is that if it doesn’t work out, you don’t waste a ton of time building something no one wants.

And if it works out, you now have an additional source of income to support your lifestyle.

📊 Your Turn

Many Paths Weekly is for creative, curious minds who want to explore multiple interests and turn them into a source of income.

Each week, we dive into tools, systems, and strategies for multipotentialites who refuse to pick just one lane.

Enjoying this? Hit reply and tell me what you’re working on. I read every email.