You ever feel like you’re working hard but still off-track?
Like your brain is on fire, your calendar’s packed, and somehow… you’re still not moving the needle?
That’s not a motivation problem.
It’s a zone problem.
Every founder operates from one of four zones:
- Incompetence
- Competence
- Excellence
- Genius
Most of us spend way too much time in the middle two because they’re safe. But safe doesn’t scale.
And genius doesn’t play where it’s comfortable.
Let’s break this down and then rebuild your week around your genius zone.
Zone 1: Incompetence – Get Out, Fast
This is the stuff you suck at.
It drains you. It frustrates your team. And it slows your company down.
Examples?
Trying to write copy when you’re not a writer. Managing ads without a clue. Doing your own books (hello, reconciliation hell). (Or just avoid it all together and use Futureproof).
As a founder, the biggest lie you’ll tell yourself is, “I should be good at everything.”
Nope. You just need to own the things that you’re bad at and then delegate them.
ACTION STEP:
Make a list of all the tasks you procrastinate on or dread. That’s your Zone of Incompetence.
Delegate, automate, or delete.
Zone 2: Competence – Where Founders Get Stuck
Here’s the trap.
You can do these tasks decently.
People even thank you for it.
But you’re not world-class. You’re just getting it done.
And here’s the problem: competence becomes a crutch.
You tell yourself, “I’ve always done it this way,” and meanwhile your business plateaus.
An ecommerce founder I coach insisted on handling all supplier negotiations.
He wasn’t bad but he wasn’t great either.
Once he handed it off to someone with actual procurement chops, margins jumped.
ACTION STEP:
Audit your calendar. What are you doing weekly that someone else could do 80% as well or better?
Start training your replacement.
Zone 3: Excellence – The Danger Zone
This one hurts.
It’s what you’re great at. What people praise you for.
But it’s not what sets you free.
This zone is seductive.
You’re excellent at pitching, or building funnels, or writing killer code. So you stay there. You feel valuable.
You also set the bar so high knowing others will fail to live up to that expectation which tethers you further to that activity. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy for maintaining the status quo.
Excellence doesn’t equal destiny. Excellence keeps you in the loop. Genius gets you out of it.
Here’s the shift:
You have to be willing to disappoint people who love what you’re excellent at, to step into your zone of genius.
Let that sink in.
ACTION STEP:
Ask yourself: If I stopped doing this thing I’m excellent at, what fear comes up?
Name it. Challenge it. Then start training someone else to step in.
Zone 4: Genius – Where You Belong
This is the zone where time disappears.
Where you feel alive, magnetic, limitless.
It’s the thing only you can do.
Your unique flavor of insight, creation, or leadership.
For a SaaS founder, maybe it’s vision casting.
For an ecommerce founder, maybe it’s dreaming up product lines customers didn’t even know they needed. Think Jobs and the iPod.
Genius isn’t effortful; it’s expansive.
But genius needs space. And if your week is packed with tasks from the first three zones, there’s no room left for the thing that actually builds your company.
ACTION STEP:
What’s the one activity that gives you disproportionate results and energy? Your personal 10x factor.
Block two hours this week to do only that. Then double it next week.
Bonus Framework: The G.A.P. Filter
To rewire your week, use the G.A.P. Filter:
- Give Away → Incompetence and Competence
- Automate or Appoint → Excellence
- Prioritize → Genius
Build your schedule backward from your zone of genius. Not forward from your to-do list.
Final Thought
You weren’t meant to do all the work.
You were meant to build what only you can build.
And that starts with the courage to let go of what’s “good” to make room for what’s brilliant.
So here’s the question:
What’s one thing you’ll stop doing this week to reclaim your genius?
Write it down. Then tell someone who can hold you to it.
Because genius doesn’t need more hustle. It needs permission.
