How to Stay in Your Zone of Genius (and why this matters)

When we first start off in business, many of us begin as a one-woman operation. This makes sense, as most of us don’t have a lot of money to invest in support, but we have time, energy, and our commitment to our vision.

If you’d take a moment to think of everything you’ve learned to do in order to create a successful business, I’d bet you would have a pretty impressive list of skills and knowledge.

Whether it’s building your website, writing sales copy, creating your content calendar, designing social media graphics or setting up systems for following up with leads, at one point or another you’ve probably done everything that needed to be done for your business to thrive.

And while you CAN do it all, do you really Want to be doing it all?

My guess is that you started your business to do the work you love and that over time you grew used to doing it all, because that’s simply what you’ve always done.

Every so often, as your business grows, it’s helpful to take a step back and look at what might be changed to better support you, your clients and your business.

From my work with clients, I know that when you focus on your zone of genius, the work that doesn’t even feel like work to you because it lights you up, you’re able to serve at a higher level and make a greater impact.  Even better, when you have a team supporting you and each team member is working on projects within her zone of genius, it takes your business to a whole new level.

If you’re not sure how to stay in your zone of genius, here are some tips to get you started:

1. Take an honest look at everything you’re doing (or want to be doing) in your business.

Yes, this takes a bit of time at first, but trust me, it will be worth it.  You can’t move your business to the next level unless you know where you are right now.

Think of this as giving yourself time to be the CEO of your business. Write down everything you’re doing on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

If there are ideas or projects that you haven’t had time to implement, you can write those down too.  We’re not saying all of this needs to get done, we’re just getting it out on paper so you can easily see everything on your plate and make some clear decisions about how to move forward.

2. Make a list of everything that feels like it’s in your zone of genius.

To make sure we’re on the same page here, your zone of genius is where you excel. This is work you truly enjoy doing, work that seems to come naturally to you and allows you to shine.

While the work you do with clients should be on this list, it’s likely there will be some other tasks that make the list too. 

For example, if you love writing and find it to be a great way to connect with your audience, keep writing on your zone of genius list.

If you love engaging on social media and find that interaction to be an energizing part of your day, then keep social media engagement on your zone of genius list.

Allow yourself to be honest. It doesn’t mean you’re handing over every task that isn’t on your zone of genius list. For now, you’re just looking at what tasks you’d ideally like to focus on.

3. Look for tasks that can be simplified, paused or stopped.

Again, this is where you’ll need to be open and honest with yourself. In the online business space, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with ideas and fall into the trap of feeling like you have to do it all. 

However, being busy isn’t the same as being productive. Trying to do too much means that you have less time and energy for the work that matters most.

Looking at the list of tasks you’re doing daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly, are there tasks that could be simplified?

For example, instead of writing different posts for each social media platform, could you write one set of posts for the week and rotate them on each platform? Could you cut down from being active on three social media platforms to focusing on one or two?

Instead of doing a livestream and writing a blog post each week, could you choose the one you enjoy the most?  If you do a livestream, could you have it transcribed and turned into a blog post?

If there are tasks you feel have to be done, but aren’t in your zone of genius, look for how they can be simplified to save you time and energy.

As you’re looking over your list, take note of tasks that feel like they’re taking up more time or energy than they’re worth; meaning that they really aren’t contributing to the success of your business.

What might happen if you stopped doing these projects or tasks?  If that feels too scary, think about the possibility of putting these projects or tasks on pause for 90 days.  

If it helps, you can think about it as an experiment. You’ll put these projects on hold for 90 days, focusing your energy on your zone of genius, and can reevaluate in a few months. At that time, you can always work them back into your plan if you feel they’re necessary.

4. Look for what can be delegated.

If you haven’t yet hired support, I know it can be scary at first.  At the same time, I know that if you’re able to hand over even a few small tasks on your plate, you’re going to be amazed by what this can do for you and your business.

Not sure what to hand over first? Look at your original list and take note of the tasks that have to be done, but that you dread doing.

These should be tasks that help your business run smoothly but you know they’re taking up too much of your time and energy.

For example, if you know you need graphics for social media or blog posts but you know you struggle with design, you could begin by hiring someone to take care of creating graphics.

If you feel like you’re wasting too much time on social media, you could hire an assistant to post or schedule your social media posts. If you like, you can even find someone to help with social media engagement.

If you know you need regular content for your blog and newsletter, but you don’t enjoy either task, you can find someone to create content for you. Remember that you can always set up a process to review content and make adjustments so that it fits your voice.

If you’re used to doing it all, that’s okay, most likely that’s what’s helped you build a successful business. 

However, as your business changes, you’ll most likely need to change as well.  What worked at the start won’t necessarily take your business to the next level. After all, as you serve more clients, you’ll have less time and energy for all of the other tasks required to grow your business. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and that there simply isn’t enough time to do it all, perhaps it’s time to rework your plan and stay in your zone of genius.

And if you know you’re ready to delegate, let’s talk. My team and I love taking care of the details and together, we can help you free up more time and energy for the work you do best. Sign up for your free Business Lifeline Call right here.