If you’ve ever found yourself excited about way too many things at once, starting a new hobby, signing up for another course, exploring a business idea, or researching a cause you care about, you’re not alone. Welcome to the beautiful, chaotic, and often expensive world of being a multipotentialite.
I know this world well because I live in it every single day.
I’m Nafisa, first daughter, introvert, community builder, cybersecurity researcher, marketing and communication manager and sometimes book collector. My life is a patchwork quilt of passions. Some days, I’m building Novellisteer (my baby brand for multipotentialite women and first daughter like me). Other days, I’m writing about insider threats in cybersecurity. And then there are moments when I’m knee-deep in client sourcing for Damiel Badra.
- The Time & Money Tug-of-War with Multiple Passions
- Why Multipotentialites Struggle with Time and Money
- The Juggling Act: Trying to “Have It All”
- Lessons I’ve Learned About Managing Time and Money with Multiple Passions
- How to Decide Where Your Time and Money Should Go Right Now
- The Bright Side of Having Many Passions
- Final Thoughts
- Drop your thoughts in the comments below
It sounds exciting, and it is. But here’s the truth: time and money are the biggest bottlenecks in this lifestyle.
And if you’re like me, the urge to “have it all” can push you into a dangerous juggling act where you risk burning through your savings, your energy, and your mental bandwidth.
The Time & Money Tug-of-War with Multiple Passions
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a multipotentialite and first daughter, it’s that my interests don’t ask for permission before showing up. They don’t wait for me to finish one passion project before another one comes knocking.
It’s like this:
One month, I’m head over heels for learning photography, researching cameras, watching editing tutorials, and practising shots at golden hour.
The next month, I fell in love with baking artisan bread, scouring Pinterest for crumb structure inspiration, and buying flour like I own a bakery.
Each passion feels like the one while I’m in it. I want to give it my full attention, my free hours, my weekends, and yes… my money.
But here’s the hard truth:
Time and money aren’t infinite. And when you have many passions competing for them, you can quickly find yourself in a juggling act that leaves you drained, broke, and wondering, Why can’t I have it all?
Spoiler alert: most of us can’t, at least not all at once.
But we can have a fulfilling, multi-passionate life without sacrificing our sanity or our savings.
Why Multipotentialites Struggle with Time and Money
1. We want to go deep… in everything
When I get interested in something, I don’t just dip my toes in the water; I jump straight in like it’s a pool party and I forgot I can’t swim.
The problem? Passion doesn’t respect bank accounts or calendars.
If I’m learning about tea culture, I’m not satisfied with just buying a box of tea bags from the supermarket. No, I want to try loose-leaf tea, explore matcha, learn the ceremonies, maybe even travel somewhere to experience it firsthand.
The same happens in cybersecurity, I’ll want the certifications, the conferences, the courses, the books, the workshops.
2. We underestimate the hidden costs
Passions are sneaky. They start small, “Oh, I’ll just buy a few supplies”, but before you know it, you’ve turned your living room into a mini library, craft studio, or tech lab.
In my case, one “small” interest in stationery spiralled into researching notebook brands, buying planners from Aliexpress, collecting pens, and then deciding I might as well sell them under Novellisteer.
3. Our time gets pulled in too many directions
If you’re working a corporate job (like I do as a Marketing and Communications Manager), time is already limited. Add side hustles, hobbies, events, learning goals, and a social life (if you’re lucky), and suddenly, you’re running a full schedule that leaves no room for rest.
The Juggling Act: Trying to “Have It All”
The biggest trap multipotentialites fall into is thinking we can balance all our passions equally at the same time.
I’ve tried this. Spoiler: it’s a recipe for exhaustion and, ironically, feeling like you’re failing at everything.
Here’s what it looked like for me in 2024:
- Working full-time, six days a week.
- Building Novellisteer’s content pillars.
- Writing my cybersecurity thesis.
- Working as a freelancer
- Doing research for Tales of Textile.
- Learning French because… why not?
My calendar looked like a game of Tetris, and my bank account looked like a deflated balloon.
Lessons I’ve Learned About Managing Time and Money with Multiple Passions
1. Accept That You Can’t Do Everything at Once
This was hard for me. As a first daughter, I’m used to carrying everything. But I learned that just because I have ten passions doesn’t mean they all have to grow at the same speed.
Now, I rotate my focus:
- This quarter might be heavy on Novellisteer content.
- Next quarter might focus on Cybersecurity.
2. Give Each Passion a Budget
Impulse spending is the enemy. I now assign a monthly “passion budget”, a fixed amount that I can spend on any passion project. When it’s gone, it’s gone. This forces me to prioritise.
For example, if I’ve already spent my budget on tea accessories this month, the fancy cybersecurity book will have to wait.
3. Learn to Cross-Pollinate Your Passions
One of my favourite hacks is finding overlap between passions. My love for writing + my interest in cybersecurity = two newsletters (Not So Linear + What Happened in Cybersecurity Last Week). My interest in stationery + my brand-building = Novellisteer’s future shop. Cross-pollination saves time and money because one project can feed multiple passions.
On The Blog: Are You Multipassionate, a Multipotentialite, or Just Plain Confused?
4. Build “Seasons” of Focus
Think of your passions like crops; you don’t plant and harvest everything at the same time.
When I’m in a “research season” for cybersecurity, I dial back heavy investments in other passions. When I have a client via Damiel Badra, I focus my time there and let Novellisteer run on lighter content.
5. Let Go of the Guilt
Multipotentialites feel guilty for not doing all their passions justice. But guilt is unproductive. I remind myself: I’m not abandoning my passions, I’m just pausing them. They’ll be there when I return.
How to Decide Where Your Time and Money Should Go Right Now
Here’s the decision-making process I use:
- Ask: Which passion has the biggest impact on my current life goals?
- If I need financial stability, I’ll focus on the passion most likely to generate income soon.
- Ask: Which passion is calling to me the loudest right now?
- Sometimes you just know what you need to nurture.
- Check: Can I combine this passion with something else I’m doing?
- If yes, it’s a winner.
- Check: Do I have the resources (time, money, energy) for this right now?
- If not, it goes into my “later” list.
The Bright Side of Having Many Passions
Yes, it’s exhausting. Yes, it can drain your wallet. But being a multipotentialite also means:
- You’re never bored.
- You’re constantly learning.
- You’re building a unique, layered life story.
For me, even with all the challenges, I wouldn’t trade it for a single-passion life. My time and money may not stretch enough to “have it all” at once, but over a lifetime, I can experience it all.
Final Thoughts
Being a multipotentialite means embracing both the abundance and the limitations. Time and money will always be finite, but creativity and resourcefulness are not.
So if you’re like me, juggling passions with a calendar that looks like an Olympic sport, remember this: you can have it all, just not all at once.
And maybe that’s the beauty of it.
Drop your thoughts in the comments below
- Which of your passions currently takes up most of your time and money, and how do you balance it with others?
- Have you ever had to let go of a passion (even temporarily) because of limited resources? How did you feel about it?
- If money and time weren’t an issue, which passion would you fully dive into first and why?