Finding your "zone of genius"
I've been thinking a lot about the modes of life in which I feel like I have tons of creative energy. When I'm operating in this zone, my efforts feel natural and like I'm moving with the flow.
Other tasks, however, feel incredibly difficult. Every part of them is a grind. Operating in these modes quickly drains my battery.
This contrast led me to explore what my friend Jeremy Enns calls "operating in your zone of genius" – that sweet spot where your natural talents, passions, and energy align. We discuss this concept here:
I especially like this quote by Thelonious Monk (the famous jazz pianist and composer):
"A genius is the one most like himself."
Whenever I've made significant progress in my business and life, it's been when I've leaned into what makes me uniquely... me.
Finding your Zone of Genius
For me, I've been able to identify my zone of genius in two ways:
First, I pay attention to the activities where I feel "most like myself."
For me, that's when I'm connecting with interesting people, following my curiosity, and building things. Throughout my life, I've been energized by pursuing ideas that fascinate me. Here are a few examples from earlier in my life:
Putting on a rave in high school
Organizing trips to music festivals and snowboard resorts
Starting a snowboard shop in my early 20s
Putting on a film festival in my hometown
Later in life, that meant going to every conference and event on tech and startups I could find. These pursuits culminated in me starting Transistor.fm with my friend Jon Buda.
I've noticed that I have a natural enthusiasm that can bring energy into a room, and I've learned to embrace that rather than hide behind shyness as I did in my younger years.
Finding your zone of genius isn't about forcing yourself into some idealized version of success—it's about recognizing your unique combination of traits and the activities in which those traits flow naturally.
The second way to identify your zone of genius is through feedback from others.
My friend Jason Pearl snapped this photo of me at a wedding and said, "This is the most Justin picture ever."
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He's right. I'm in my zone here! I love socializing with people at weddings, meeting new people, and getting curious about their lives. (In this moment, I was asking these two guys to give me advice on how to thrive in my 40s.)"
These external observations can be incredibly revealing. Friends and colleagues will notice patterns in your behavior and strengths that you might take for granted.
What do people consistently praise you for? What do they come to you for help with, even when you haven't offered? These patterns are clues to your zone of genius.
Don't imitate others
As Jeremy pointed out in our conversation, the most successful creators are authentic versions of themselves.
I think about late-night talk show hosts: Conan O'Brien was utterly different from David Letterman, who was, in turn, very different from Jay Leno. Each of them built a career by leaning into their zone of genius. Conan was quirky, absurdist, and willing to make himself the butt of the joke. David was sardonic and ironic, while Jay was affable and appealed to a mainstream audience.
It can sometimes be helpful to emulate others to see if it "fits" us (the same way we try on clothes), but ultimately, we have to find our own style.
What does this mean for me?
Naturally, we're always going to face tasks that we have to do, that drain us, that aren't in our "zone."
But my goal for myself is to arrange my life and work so I'm spending more time in activities that work with my energy (not against it). I'm wired for open-ended days full of exploration, rather than rigid systems. When I try to force myself into highly structured environments with detailed planning requirements, I feel constrained and drained. Instead, I need to create space where I can experiment, connect with people, and pursue ideas that genuinely excite me.
This doesn't mean avoiding all difficult work—building Transistor has certainly involved plenty of challenges. But it does mean being intentional about how I structure my days.
Here's what working in my zone looks like:
Creating something every day (blog post, podcast, YouTube video)
Having lots of social engagement with people I like throughout the week
Allowing myself to follow my curiosity rather than sticking to overly rigid schedules
Building environments where I can bring my natural enthusiasm and communication skills
Delegating more tasks (I still put way too much pressure on myself to do everything)
"Body doubling" when doing tasks that I really don't like - usually this means getting on the phone with an employee to help work through a task that's challenging for me
The Power of Complementary Zones
For Transistor, this has meant recognizing that I thrive in certain areas: connecting with customers, shaping product direction, creating content, and sharing our story. Meanwhile, Jon excels at software engineering, building the product, and technical implementation. By leaning into our respective zones, we've built something better than either of us could have alone.
Your Turn
What about you? Where do you feel most like yourself? What work energizes rather than depletes you? Sometimes it takes other people to reflect this back to us—friends, family, mentors, even therapists can help us see what we might miss in ourselves.
Cheers,
Justin Jackson
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