Distraction vs. Divergence: Why Your Multiple Interests Aren't the Problem

🗞️ This Week’s Thought

Last month, I was overwhelmed.

I was trying to manage four projects simultaneously: updating my portfolio, launching a new mini-course, starting a podcast, and redesigning my website.

Progressing in one interest felt like playing whack-a-mole because as soon as I made progress in one thing, two or three other projects would suddenly demand my attention.

This month?

I’ve picked two projects to focus on. Just two.

Here’s how out of focus I was leading up to today.

A few months back, I accepted a freelance gig to write a dinner theater play.

It was paid with a four-month deadline.

If I hadn’t been scattered, I could’ve written a stellar script.

Instead, when the client called two weeks before opening night, I locked in and delivered something forgettable.

But I’ll admit that I’ve made real progress in the past three weeks, far more than I did when working on multiple projects simultaneously over the last three months.

Do you ever feel like your creative pursuits are fighting for space on your calendar?

🔗 The Stack

Now that you know how to spot strategic divergence, here are a few resources to help you embrace it.

🎧 The MultiPod

The first-ever community of dedicated multipotentialites.

Real stories from real people.

It is a shame-free zone where you can embrace the desire to do it all.

🎧 Best of “Multipassionate Like a Boss”

A podcast for multi-passionate people hosted by Jennie O’Connor.

She understands all of your passions and works to help you achieve them all.

🎧 NPR’s “How to Do Everything”

From “how to open a Velcro bag quietly” to “how to write gooder,” this podcast is perfect for curious minds.

💡 One Way Forward

The Difference Between Distraction and Divergence

That chaos taught me something unexpected.

Our culture mislabels every new interest as a distraction.

But not all distractions are created equal.

Here’s what I learned from my little experiment: society likes to say that our multiple interests are merely “distractions” from our “real work.”

The truth is that there is a massive difference between being distracted and being divergent.

Distraction is reactive.

It’s mindless task-switching.

You could be bored, flooded with work, or trying to avoid something difficult.

You’re all over the place, and there’s no real goal.

Divergence is strategic.

It’s a purposeful exploration of interests that complement and support one another.

The breakthrough is learning how to audit your projects using what I call “the connection test.”

Here’s how the connection test works: pick any two of your current interests and see if you can draw a clear line between them that shows how they make each other stronger.

I learned this when I got into 3D animation.

I’ve been experimenting with After Effects for years, honing my skills in visual effects.

And even though I wasn’t learning 3D animation at the time, I always assumed that VFX was a separate interest.

Turns out, they’re connected.

They share many terms and principles, so when I finally took up 3D animation, it came easier.

I’d already learned the fundamentals.

However, the pottery class I signed up for, as well as the coding tutorial I started, were distractions disguised as divergent interests.

I’ve lost count of how many Udemy courses I’ve bought and never finished.

One was a JavaScript course because I thought I wanted to become a web developer.

A month in, I quit.

Turns out, I didn’t want to code, and AI’s taken over half of it anyway.

Your turn: Think of two of your current projects right now.

Try to find one specific way they connect or strengthen each other.

If you can’t see that connection, you might be looking at a distraction instead of divergent growth.

The focus here isn’t to do less work because you have to; it’s to do it better and finish something worthwhile.

💬 Creative Capital

Make Your First $100 with a PDF: Small Wins That Build Big Confidence

You don’t need a course or a fancy sales funnel.

All you need is one helpful PDF that solves a specific problem.

Here’s what works:

• “5 Email Templates for Freelancers Who Hate Following Up” ($15-25)

• “The 15-Minute Daily Planning Sheet for Creative Chaos” ($10-15)

• “Photography Shot List for Small Business Owners” ($20-30)

Sell just four to ten copies, and you’ve hit your first $100.

While $100 is $100, what’s more important is proving to yourself that your scattered knowledge has value.

That first sale helps build momentum for everything else that comes after.

My first sale was an eBook on crafting the perfect online dating profile.

Yes, for a brief moment, I considered becoming a dating guru.

Please don’t ask.

Strangely enough, it sold to a small group and made $120.

The only thing is that I spent $100 on ads.

So, I netted $20, which I spent on Wendy’s.

But that first sale?

Surprisingly, it validated that someone would pay for what I knew.

This weekend: Choose a problem you solved recently and create a PDF of 3-5 pages.

There’s no need to think too hard about this.

Just help someone the way you wish someone had helped you.

📣 Try This

I am just opening my inbox this week, so feel free to ask me anything about managing multiple interests, starting a creative side business, or sorting out the multipotentialite mess. 

Click reply right now and tell me what troubles you most (creatively).

I’ll answer every email personally.

I promise not to use bots, templates, or prewritten responses.

It’s just a conversation between two multi-passionate creatives. 

These questions might kickstart some ideas: 

• How do you decide which project to focus on today?

• I have six ideas but no time—help?

• How do you explain what you do to people who expect one answer? 

The best questions might become the topic of a future newsletter.

So, you’re helping future readers while helping yourself.

📊 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.

New here? Check out previous issues in the archive.