Am I really a Polymath?

Recently I learnt a new term - “polymath”. Right after I understood what it is I though - that is a perfect description of me. It was like finally hearing a diagnosis what is going wrong with me. But for some reasons most videos and articles I found showed a polymath person as a great advantage only. So I wanted to reflect and think: am I a really polymath person or I just followed the trend?

Maybe you are struggling with many interests as well and want to follow all the available paths you see, learn all the skills. Maybe you and I are polymath. Or maybe not.

So, what or who is a Polymath?

A polymath is someone who is good at many different things — not just one. They don’t stick to one job, one skill, or one area of knowledge. They keep learning across many fields throughout their whole life.

The word comes from Greek. It means “one who knows many things.” Famous examples include Leonardo da Vinci (painter, scientist, engineer), Benjamin Franklin (politician, inventor, writer), and Thomas Jefferson (architect, scientist, writer, president).

But here’s the key thing: a polymath is not just someone who knows a lot of random facts. They are someone who can connect ideas from different areas and use them together to solve problems or create something new.

Think of it this way: a specialist goes very deep in one thing. A polymath goes deep in many things — and can mix them all together.

How we can evaluate ourselves? I tried to combine a list with simple yes/no answers.

1. You are curious about many different things

A polymath does not just get interested in one topic. They get pulled into history, then science, then art, then cooking, then music — and they go deep into each one. Their curiosity does not have a wall around it.

Do you often find yourself going down a rabbit hole learning about something totally new and unrelated to what you were doing before?

2. You learn new things faster than most people

Because polymaths have knowledge in many areas, they already have a “framework” in their head. When they start something new, they pick it up faster because they can connect it to something they already know.

When you start learning something new, do people around you often seem surprised at how quickly you get it?

3. You get bored doing only one thing for too long

Polymaths struggle with staying in one lane. They feel stuck or restless when forced to specialize in only one thing. They need variety to stay engaged and motivated.

Have you ever quit a job, hobby, or course — not because it was too hard, but because you already felt like you had learned enough and wanted to move on?

4. You see connections between different topics

This is one of the biggest signs. A polymath will be talking about biology and suddenly say “this is exactly like what happens in economics.” They see patterns across very different fields that most people would never connect.

Do you regularly notice that ideas from one field remind you of something completely different — and the connection feels obvious to you, even if others don’t see it?

5. You have gone deep (not just broad)

Being curious about many things is not enough. A polymath actually masters several areas — not just knowing a little bit about everything. They have at least a few areas where their knowledge is genuinely serious and advanced.

Are there at least 2 or 3 very different areas in your life where you could have a deep, technical conversation with an expert — and hold your own?

6. You love to learn on your own

Polymaths do not wait for school or a course to tell them what to study. They read books on their own, watch lectures, experiment, and teach themselves new skills because they just want to know things.

Do you regularly teach yourself something new — not because you have to, but just because you want to?

7. You are comfortable being a beginner again

Most people feel embarrassed being bad at something new, especially as adults. Polymaths do not mind it. Starting from zero in a new field is exciting to them, not scary or embarrassing.

When you try something brand new and are not good at it yet, does it feel exciting rather than frustrating or embarrassing?

8. Your career path looks messy or non-linear

Polymaths often have a strange resume. They might go from being a nurse to a software developer to a chef to a writer. To other people it looks random. To them, it makes total sense because every step taught them something valuable.

Does your career history — or the skills you have collected — look unusual or hard to explain to someone who expects a normal, straight-line path?

How to read answers

I think the rule is simple: the more Yes you have the higher probability that you are a polymath person.

1. 6–8 YES answers: You very likely have a polymath mindset. The pattern is clear.

2. 3–5 YES answers: You have strong polymath tendencies. You might just not have had the space yet to explore them fully.

3. 0–2 YES answers: You might be more of a specialist by nature — which is not a bad thing at all. The world needs both.

It does not mean that being a polymath person is about being smarter than all the rest. It is more about they way you learn, think and follow your curiosity.

From what I read and from my experience (I scored 8/8 here) being a polymath person is not that easy sometimes. Many polymath spent years trying to understand what they should do. Because we tend to do lots of things, trying to excel in all of them. That is impossible, but it does not influence us.

What about me?

As I wrote - I scored 8/8 from this list. When I did the research about polymath, again, it was like I finally found a description of: why I have so many interests, why my career has so many direct shifts, why I enjoy learning new stuff.

While it has its benefits - it also comes with a lot of self-doubts and disorientation in life.

But, at least I know now what is going on with me and I can try to guide myself knowing this.

I watched a video - what to do people with many interests. And in short the suggestion is to build 3 buckets and distribute time better.

Here is mine list:

1. Money making (skills that can pay my bills)

• coding, software development

• photography

• making youtube videos

2. Souls stuff: do because it make me feel alive

• playing video games

• playing guitar

• doing sport

• parenting

• writing from time to time

• cooking

• traveling, walking

• reading books

3. Curiosity shelf: everything else

And the idea is to put 80% of efforts into bucket 1, 20% into bucket 2 and plan these activities. And hold bucket 3 for future. Then stick with this plan for 9-12 months and then reevaluate.

That is the suggestion. The hardest part for a polymath person is to actually stick with one main topic. That is the challenge.

Let’s see if I manage it.