3 Sure-Fire Ways To Become A 'Jack-Of-All-Trades'

Research shows that a 'polymathic' mindset is the trick to widening your knowledge and fine-tuning your skills.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | February 14, 2024

Polymathy refers to the possession of a wide range of knowledge or skills in various fields. A polymath, often referred to as a "renaissance person," is someone who excels or shows creative ability in multiple disciplines and has a diverse range of intellectual pursuits, such as mastery in the arts, sciences, humanities and other fields. Albert Einstein, for instance, was a polymath who excelled at both Physics and playing the violin.

A 2018 paper by Michael Araki suggests that individuals can also display "micro-polymathy," which showcases a person's ability to excel and integrate various facets of knowledge within a specialized context or a specific field, such as an artist who can sing, dance and act.

The Characteristics Of A Polymath

Here are two fundamental traits of a polymathic personality, according to Araki's research.

• Enjoyment of structured activities. Polymathic individuals tend to actively participate in a variety of structured activities—such as playing musical instruments or practicing sports—that stimulate new ways of thinking, require intense use of attention and the acquisition of useful skill sets. "While some people will be drained by engaging in structured activities in different domains, polymathic people will be exhilarated by it," writes Araki. Polymathic individuals have a distinctive tendency to pursue multiple interests beyond their main vocation, either simultaneously or sequentially. They do not differentiate between "work" and "hobbies" in terms of personal significance, viewing such non-vocational activities as inherently rewarding, contributing to a sense of personal satisfaction, broadening life experiences and complementing their careers.
• Making a positive impact. Polymaths strive to use their abilities to create positive change. They are characterized by their ability to integrate their extensive knowledge from different domains and apply it in innovative ways, providing valuable insights to complex problems. Araki writes, "Polymathy entails not only the accumulation of broad and profound knowledge but also the formation of useful connections between different bodies of knowledge."

How To Cultivate Polymathy

Research suggests that polymathy has cognitive, emotional and creative benefits including intellectual gains, improved adaptability, enhanced problem solving, increased satisfaction and a cross-pollination of knowledge, sparking novel and groundbreaking ideas.

Here are a few ways you can sow the seeds of polymathy in your own personality.

• Cultivate positive psychological capital. Internal motivations play a crucial role in influencing the attainment of polymathic knowledge, thinking skills and achievements. An effective approach to nurturing polymathy is by building positive psychological capital, which consists of four components. The first component is self-efficacy, the belief in one's ability to accomplish their goals, which empowers individuals to explore diverse areas and tackle challenges, fostering a mindset of continuous learning. The second is hope, which provides the willpower to set ambitious learning goals and the waypower to find paths to achieve them. The third is optimism, which encourages positive expectations and promotes an open-minded approach to learning and experimentation. The final component is resilience, the ability to bounce back from setbacks, which helps individuals navigate the inevitable challenges of learning across diverse domains and encourages the persistent pursuit of knowledge.
• Create the right environment. To nurture polymathy, it is essential to create an environment conducive to developing diverse knowledge and skills. Various external factors influence polymathy, such as access to opportunities for exploring different fields, exposure to diverse learning experiences, educational resources and structured activities that stimulate intellectual curiosity and skill attainment, as well as the impact of one's surroundings and a supportive community that values varied interests. It is crucial to reduce barriers to access based on one's socioeconomic status and acknowledge the importance of positive role models in shaping polymathic development. Educational models that promote interdisciplinary learning and flexibility in academic pursuits, curricula that value exploration, critical thinking and creativity and a cultural mindset that celebrates polymathic traits encourages a broader perspective on success and achievement, fueling lifelong learning.
• Practice and explore. According to a 2024 study published in Frontiers In Psychology, individuals can benefit from consistently immersing themselves in activities related to their interests or fields of study. The researchers write, "If students write 100 poems, they are more likely to produce an award-winning poem than those who write only one," suggesting that the more one practices an activity, the higher the likelihood that they discover or create something of high quality with it. Researchers also found that participating in creative activities in one domain can influence achievement and social recognition in different domains, even if they seem unrelated. Araki writes, "the lack of engagement in polymathic behavior may act as an inhibitor of the pursuit of creativity at the highest levels," emphasizing the importance of expanding one's horizons.

Conclusion

Cultivating a polymathic mindset could be the key to unlocking the full spectrum of human potential. This mindset not only enriches personal experiences but also empowers individuals to make meaningful contributions that ripple through the fabric of their lives and the broader world.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.