I don’t have time to do everything I want to do. I have too many hobbies. I don’t know what to focus on right now. Do I need to put my passions on hold? I’m not progressing fast enough.
Maybe you’re a generalist. And maybe what you need isn’t more pressure to fit the role of a specialist, but rather a set of ideas, tools, coaching, and other resources specially designed to benefit you.
Generalists have been the groundbreaking artists, world-changing inventors, and revolutionary thinkers in all ages of history, and the modern world is in fact a golden age for generalists. I’m an extreme generalist, and I love living this way. If you’re a generalist too, I want to help make you better at it.
Welcome to True Generalist, the website for generalists.
An innovative website to help those people who feel frustrated not knowing what hobby or talent to focus on.
Ruth M.
Blog offers easily digestible insights written in plain and simple English on important topics from investing to health and fitness. Useful resource for managing one’s interests, passions and goals.
Lizzy D.
You, generalist
A generalist is any person with a sincere interest in wide a variety of subjects—as opposed to a specialist. Other terms that refer to the same idea are “multi-passionate,” “multipotentialite,” and “multi-hyphenate.”
This website is not a set of arguments for why you should seek out new interests and become more of a generalist yourself. Wherever you fall on the specialist/generalist spectrum, I want you to stay there, if you’re happy there. But if you are a generalist, I want to help make you better at it.
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What’s here?
This website is a collection of resources to help generalists be their best selves. Once you subscribe, you’ll get email updates whenever we publish new articles, productivity tools, interviews and other content, and when there are deals on coaching or premium tools.
You’ll be glad you subscribed
If you’re a generalist, this content is made for you with love. Are you really going to let Macy’s/Pinterest/HelloFresh have a seat in your inbox, but not us? :'(
Rest assured, we won’t ever spam you or sell your info. This is a community, and this project comes from a place of passion, not a need for quick money.
We want to see generalists thrive. They’re uniquely positioned to do great things, especially in the present time and place. Being a generalist is a gift, if you do it with purpose.
Limited Offer:
If productivity coaching is something you’re interested in:
Email subscribers get a complimentary 1-hour coaching session, instead of the usual 30-minute session. We’ll have more time to work on your goals and needs—all for free! More about coaching
Frequently asked questions:
What’s a “True Generalist?”
I’ll tell you what it’s not:
The opposite of a True Generalist is a “by-default” generalist: a person who floats around between many interests, not out of a genuine joy of engagement, but out of something negative—maybe a compulsive need to escape focused work, maybe a fear of failing at their main pursuit (or even having a main pursuit to fail at). By contrast, True Generalists are better at applying their focus, because they recognize that they may only have an hour today for this or that activity, and they need to make it count. And True Generalists are more comfortable with failure, because they accept that by spreading their efforts, they’re sure to encounter more paths where success just doesn’t pan out.
True Generalists know that it takes conscious effort to have a life that balances all their interests. They make long-term plans for big projects; they follow systems of practice to grow their skills; they don’t let things “slip through the cracks” and stagnate, unless they’ve made a conscious decision to do so.
How often will I get emails from True Generalist?
You can expect email updates no more than 2x per week, and likely less often than that.
How do I unsubscribe?
Any emails you get from True Generalist will include a one-click unsubscribe link. You can re-subscribe at any time.
Can I contribute to True Generalist?
Yes, we would love that! Contact True Generalist to learn more.
I, generalist
My name is Patrick Farley, and I’m an extreme generalist. I’m further down the far end of the specialist/generalist spectrum than anyone I’ve ever met.
I’m an artist who studied physics, a lifter who can code, a writer who runs stock trading / portfolio strategies, a philosopher who plays the drums, a spreadsheet-loving nerd who cares about aesthetics. In the last couple years I taught myself a new language, joined an online community organized around some blogs that I read, and got to an intermediate level at parkour. I do also have a social life; I like going out in the city and throwing house parties. Even my day job, technical writer, is about two different things: being analytical to understand the technology, and creative to present it comprehensively to the public.
And I love living this way—I’m never going to change. I get interest and fulfillment from a lot of different things, and I’m grateful that I’ve found a way to do them all. I created this website to share what I’ve learned and to connect with other generalists who want to live with ambition and purpose.
Welcome to True Generalist, a website for us.
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