We’re all obsessed with time – saving it, slicing it, squeezing more out of it. But here’s the truth: it’s not your time you need to manage. It’s your energy.
Productivity isn’t just about how much you get done, it’s about how your work leaves you feeling. When you’ve powered through your to-do list, do you end the day flat and fried, or charged up and content?
We all know that burnt out feeling. And yes, workload can play a role, but often burnout stems from misalignment – doing work that drains you, demands too much self-editing, or pulls you away from what matters most. You can be highly efficient and productive but still feel completely depleted.
As author Oliver Burkeman points out, the goal isn’t to cram more tasks into every hour – it’s to treat your time as a limited, precious resource and spend it in ways that protect and replenish your energy. That shift in focus changes everything: the question stops being “How do I get more done?” and becomes “What’s worth doing with the energy I have?”
This is where your Zone of Genius comes in – the mental and energetic state where you're not just performing, you're thriving.
Coined by psychologist Gay Hendricks in The Big Leap, your Zone of Genius is the sweet spot where your natural talents and deepest passions meet. It’s where you do your best, most fulfilling work – the kind that feels effortless.
Hendricks outlines four zones we all move through:
- Zone of Incompetence – You’re not good at it, and you don’t enjoy it.
- Zone of Competence – You’re capable, but so are many others.
- Zone of Excellence – You’re highly skilled and praised for your work, but it doesn’t light you up.
- Zone of Genius – You’re doing what you were born to do. You lose track of time. It gives you energy instead of taking it away.
Most people build their careers in the Zone of Excellence – a space of mastery, stability, and external recognition. But this zone often involves building on other people’s ideas and needs. It feels safe, but it’s ultimately unfulfilling. Staying here too long can lead to a kind of quiet discontent: you’re succeeding, but it doesn’t feel like success.
The Zone of Genius is different. It’s not just what you love. In fact, it might not be something you initially love at all. It’s what you’re innately wired to do – the work that comes naturally, the work you’d almost do for free. When you combine that natural ability with years of refinement and practice, you unlock a level of performance that feels limitless.
For me, that’s coaching leaders and facilitating deep group work. It’s not easy. It can be raw, emotional, and confronting, but it energises me. I leave those sessions feeling more myself – not less.
That’s the clue.
Working from your Zone of Genius doesn’t mean you get to opt out of everything else. But it does mean being deliberate about protecting time and space for the work that lights you up. As Hendricks says, meaningful change starts with small steps, even just ten minutes a day devoted to cultivating your genius. Journal. Meditate. Reflect. Build the habit of tuning in.
This is also where Jordan Grumet’s idea of little p purpose in The Purpose Code comes into play – the everyday, bite-sized expressions of meaning that fuel us just as much as the big, capital-P “life purpose.” You don’t need to overhaul your entire career to feel more alive; you can start by seeking out and protecting those small moments of work that align with who you are and give you energy.
So how do you find your genius?
Start by asking:
- What work doesn’t feel like work?
- What gives me the highest return in satisfaction or results for the least effort?
- What do people consistently come to me for?
- When do I feel most like myself?
It might be mentoring, storytelling, strategy work, solving tricky problems, or bringing people together. Whatever it is, notice it. Then: Prioritise it. Protect it. Practice it.
Because the more time you spend in your Zone of Genius, the more sustainably you perform and the more fulfilled you become. You’re not just managing your energy, you’re creating it.
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters in a way that gives back to you. That’s the kind of leadership that’s not only more effective but is more joyful, more productive, and a hell of a lot more sustainable.
Want to harness your energy and dial up your genius? Let’s chat about how my 1:1 or team coaching programs can help you work in ways that fuel performance, purpose and joy.
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