How to Narrow Your Focus (when you’re multi-passionate)
I have three blogs, make music and art and have two YouTube channels. Unsurprisingly, I sometimes struggle with focus.
And it’s not even a motivation issue. I just feel equally pulled in multiple directions all at once…so I end up glitching and freezing instead of actually doing something.
Attention management is part skill, part intention part strategy. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve found some things that help me as a multi-passionate.
These are my favorite moves for how to narrow your focus.
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1. Get (sorta) Clear
What do you want to focus on?
Or better yet, what do you not want to focus on?
Step one of narrowing your focus is identifying the things you actually want to spend your time and energy on.
This is extra tricky if you’re multi-passionate, because that list can shrink and expand or pivot at a moment’s notice.
But for now, just write down everything that comes to mind. We’ll fine-tune things in the next step.
Explore more:
➤ The Multi-Passionate Handbook
2. Create A Connected Focus Loop
Once you create a master list of everything you want to focus on, you need to organize it, ideally getting down to just 3-4 projects that are most important to you.
These are the things you are (or want to be) most known for.
Answer this question:
What would show up first if you were on a Wikipedia page?
Your core areas of focus create what I call a ‘focus loop’. You can read more about focus loops here, but the main goal is to have them be connected in some way.
This way you can stack them on top of each other, so when you work on one, you’re really working on them all.
(this also makes your work more authentic and harder to copy)
For example, I love making art, music and videos while traveling. But art, music and filmmaking are all separate projects…unless I stack them. I can record myself making travel-inspired art with some travel-inspired guitar in the background…then sprinkle in some aesthetic travel clips or narration on top.
That’s a pretty sweet three-layered project that lets me pursue all three of my core passions at once.
Is it extra work? Yea, but it’s honest and fun.
If you’re struggling to identify your focus loop, here are some tips to clarify things:
Align things to your values and personality
Try stuff out and don’t feel guilty for pivoting
Be selfish—design the lifestyle of your dreams
What gives you energy? What leaves you feeling drained?
What do you always spend your time on when procrastinating with other stuff?
3. Make the Big Stuff Small
Now that you’ve defined your core projects (your focus loop), it’s time to make things bite-sized.
Since each one of your focus areas is really just one big goal, we can break things down into mini goals.
Because staring up at a big mountain (even if it’s just one) leads to glitching and overwhelm.
And focus is tricky when you’re overwhelmed and glitching.
Here’s how:
Break down your big goal into its component pieces
Chip away at those tiny steps, one at a time
Aim to do just 1% each day. If you do more, cool—if not, whatever. Either way, the compound effect is real.
4. Fix Obvious Focus Bottlenecks
A lack of focus isn’t always your fault. Sometimes, it’s external. These are focus bottlenecks. If you can, try to fix them.
For example, too many open tabs, doom scrolling and a super messy desk are all distractions.
Luckily, there are simple solutions to a lot of this modern junk, like deleting social media off your phone, decluttering your space or embracing more minimalism.
If it’s noise around the house, I put on headphones. And if I need fresh energy, I go to a cafe.
Sometimes all you need is a simple tweak in your environment.
Just identify what’s distracting you and then try to fix it.
5. Add A Little Pressure
Focus sometimes needs a nudge. A little pressure goes a long way.
For example, urgency (like a deadline or a public challenge) boosts motivation and accountability.
Or you can set an alarm to go off every hour.
Pressure turns up the heat a bit and helps narrow your focus.
Just don’t give yourself too much time (or too much pressure) either.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now.
Later ✌️
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
