I’m a proponent of the many paths approach, the idea that the human mind functions best when it has multiple avenues of activity to explore and proceed down. However, what I believe really empowers the many paths approach is the connectedness of the different avenues. Essentially, by engineering your activities so that each one supports every other it is possible to attain otherwise unattainable achievements. I’ll give you an example from my own plate of activity (of the interconnectivity of avenues, not of unattainable achievement).
I keep a master project list. It currently has seven entries, six of which are related to the reading-writing spectrum, and all of which support one another. Here’s how it works:
I read (project 1) old and new books, and online material sourced through Reddit, Twitter, newsletters, and browsing. What I read is then filtered and entered into my commons (project 2), into my scrapbook (project 3), is directly incorporated into my blog (project 4), or tagged as research for my current book (project 5). This reading and writing then serves as practice for my editorial work (project 6). Further, what I write in longform, shortform, or for editorial work, informs what I read online and off, how I read it, and what I’m looking for.
The aim here is a more organic structuring of activities. Consider the human body and it’s various systems—respiration, digestion, the senses, the muscles. Each one has its own particular function but they all contribute to and enable the grand function. That is the ultimate goal: every project supports and informs the other, and they all align for the achievement of a higher end.
Swell & Cut 