Know your zone of genius

One of the things I tell my clients over and over again is:

You can’t be good at everything.

It’s a life-changing mantra.

So many of my clients are high achieving, type A personalities, who are perfectionists and really struggle with the idea of delegating or outsourcing. I understand the struggle, trust me. The issue with trying to have control over all aspects of your professional and personal life, no matter how big or small, is that something’s gotta give. When you attempt to do it all, it’s inevitable that it will be at the cost of something else.

Know your zone of genius

The first question to ask yourself is: what is your zone of genius? What are your strengths and where do you add value? Once you know this, you know exactly the area you should be taking control of.

At what cost?

Next, ask yourself, what are the areas you struggle with? What are the areas that take you out of your core work? When you are spending time and energy doing something that could be done more efficiently by someone else, isn’t the smart decision to delegate? Whether it’s taking an emotional, physical or financial toll, there is always a consequence when you try and do it all.

What to delegate

Many of my clients come to me for professional styling and branding. They realise that by investing in this in the short term, they will save both time and money in the long term. This means that they can focus on what they’re good at and leave the rest to me!

By hiring someone to do something that isn’t in your zone of genius, you are freeing up time to do a task that can only be completed by you. If you think in terms of investment, you can pay someone $100 to do something (faster than you!) that allows you to complete a task that is worth twice that (that only you can do anyway).

Whether this is outsourcing accounting, bookwork, social media, cleaning, cooking, styling, food preparation, administrative duties…there are so many areas of life where the burden can be eased, allowing people to expend their time and energy more productively.

Reframe it

Work out what is getting in your way with your struggle to delegate. Is it that you think you can do something better yourself? Try and reframe the language. Rather than failing to delegate a task to a junior staff member because you think “it’s faster if I just do it myself,” try thinking “what could I do instead while he/she does x.” It’s a slight shift that makes all the difference.

If you think to yourself that it’s too expensive to outsource a certain task, think about the value of your time, how much faster someone else more qualified or able could do it, and what you could instead achieve within that timeframe.

Embrace your zone of genius and nurture it, and this means letting go of tasks that aren’t essential.

Embrace it

Sure, there are certain tasks that we might have to do that we really don’t enjoy. That are certain tasks we might not have to do that we love. Hold on to them! Productivity is multifaceted and when you know your zone, you know exactly what you can and should let go of. It’s not admitting defeat, it’s not failing at anything, it’s about working smarter not harder.

If you’re ready to be empowered and take that next big step in your development, I’d love to work with you. For a no-obligation chat, call 0405 440 366 or contact me.