If you want to become a minimalist generalist, then the path is not as tough as you would imagine. On the other side, there are massive benefits to being a generalist that gets various things done with a minimalistic approach.
Benefits of being a minimalist generalist
Once you decide to become a minimalist generalist, it is likely that you would want to improve your odds at life in general. Here are plausible reasons why you should become a minimalist generalist.
Pick up multiple skills as a minimalist generalist
Being a generalist that does things in a minimal fashion allows you to learn various skills over time and apply them to your day to day work.
The ability to stack these skills gives you an unfair advantage in the modern world where competition is stiff and you cannot afford AI or automation to eat into your revenue.
Lead teams and spearhead projects
As a minimalist generalist, one of your superpowers is the ability to simplify processes for teams and guide projects to completion in the shortest amount of time.
Since you can pick up multiple skills and are aware of how things work, you can understand the problems of your teammates or colleagues and find the easiest route to completion.
Save time for yourself and work at your own pace
You can save time for yourself and maintain a proper work life balance as a minimalist generalist.
Instead of spending hours on a repetitive mundane task, you use minimalist principles to slow down the process to its process then look at its details.
Once those are in place, you can remove the unwanted steps and optimise for better performance in fewer steps.
This over multiple months will save you heaps of time.
Why do we need minimalist generalists?
The role of minimalist generalists in the work ecosystem allow them to create a fast functioning engine where works get done quick and the unnecessary time wasting is eliminated.
Find the best way forward for your business
Often businesses get involved in processes that do not benefit anyone in the end. There are multiple steps but no efficiency towards anything.
With a minimalist generalist approach, you can reduce hours spent behind pointless meetings and processes to complete tasks early.
Spot the inefficiency at your workplace
Low performing employees and those who love to waste time do not like minimalist generalists because of the clarity that is added.
You will often find employees wasting time behind various KPIs and frameworks but no work gets done.
They find various ways to not do something until the deadline reaches close to their necks and all of it is to justify the hours spent at office.
Being a minimalist generalist in daily life
Your personal life improves significantly if you are a minimalist generalist. Instead of finding time to waste, you are constantly looking to up-skill or learn new things. Curiosity becomes your driving force.
As a minimalist generalist, I have learnt the following skills:
- Writing
- Graphic design and video editing
- Augmented reality development
- Web development
Now these are for work and they help me make money. Apart from these, I have also learnt a few skills or indulge in a few activities to help me perform better. These are:
- Learning the guitar
- Playing football aka soccer
- Basic knowledge of wiring, plumbing, etc
I believe that everyone should keep on stockpiling skills and ensure they are learning a new skill each week even if it does not directly benefit them.
New perspectives as a minimalist generalist
One thing I have absorbed as a minimalist generalist is the ability to respect all trades while also being wary of not exaggerating about them.
Often you will look at a certain profession and think "Huh, what's so fancy about them?"
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you will have an expert in the profession telling you that the world would not function without that profession, or that your outlook towards life would be bleak without their services.
Now those two lines of thought may or may not be universally true always. What you can infer is that skills are skills and professions are professions - this is one of the best perspective as a minimalist generalist.
You are given a role to play and sometimes it is just that; nothing more or less.
How well you can play that role may determine how much you make.
How to become a minimalist generalist?
- Learn new skills each week
- Stay up to date with those talents and avoid skill decay
- Apply those skills to benefit you and the people you work with.
- Be curious about everything, even if it means using Wikipedia to look up every new term or word you come across.
Start your minimalist generalist journey
I am Anthony S. Mendes, a minimalist generalist with over 7 years of experience in various skills. Subscribe to my newsletter for insights and challenges I put myself through to bring new lessons to you.
Made with Superblog