Chapter Content
Okay, so I've been thinking a lot about, like, how we spend our time, you know? Because ultimately, how we spend our days, that's, like, how we spend our lives. That's it. Every hour, every little thing we do, that's what we *are* doing. So, it’s pretty darn important to actually choose the right things to focus on.
And, you know, you hear a lot of advice, right? "Follow your interests!" "Follow your passions!" And, like, yeah, okay, sure. But... I don't know, I've always struggled with that advice, to be honest. What even *are* interests and passions? I mean, I think sometimes I just kinda lie to myself and say I'm interested in things I'm good at. So, like, interest can be, you know, a little misleading. And passion... passion is just such a heavy word, isn’t it? I’m never, like, fully convinced I'm using it right when I apply it to my life.
So, here's what I've started doing instead, and it's been a game-changer, honestly. I focus on energy. Yeah, energy. Not interests, not passions, just pure, unadulterated energy. Because energy, that’s the truly scarce resource, right? When you actually have energy for something, man, you just…you go deep on it. You really push yourself to grow. You genuinely gain life from it. It, like, *fuels* you, you know?
So, as you're kinda, you know, sitting there, contemplating the big, huge question of your life, “How should I spend my time?”, energy really needs to be front and center. And to help with this, I use this exercise called pursuit mapping. Yeah, pursuit mapping. And it really helps to identify those pursuits that are, like, most likely to bring joy and, you know, outsized rewards into your life.
So, here's how it goes, and, seriously, you can use this. It’s pretty simple, really.
First, you gotta create your map. And it's just a blank two-by-two matrix. Like, think a square divided into four equal squares. On the bottom, on the x-axis, you've got competency level. It goes from low to high. And on the side, the y-axis, you've got energy. But it goes from energy-draining to energy-creating.
So, just to be super clear, energy-creating is any pursuit that literally *creates* energy in your life. You know, these activities leave you feeling energized, like they actually fill your cup up, you know? Energy-draining pursuits, on the other hand, they drain your energy, obviously. They leave you feeling depleted and, you know, just empty. High competency? That’s a pursuit you're skilled at. These activities, they often feel, like, almost effortless. And low competency? That's a pursuit you're a total novice at. They feel challenging, obviously.
Okay, so now you've got your grid. The next step is to actually place pursuits, both personal *and* professional, onto this matrix. Now, for the purposes of this exercise, pursuits can be defined pretty broadly. Like, you could say "strategy consulting," or you could get super specific, like "market research." It really doesn’t matter. And this step should include both things you're already doing *and* things you maybe want to try in the future, things that are on your mind.
So, for pursuits you're currently doing… first, figure out the energy aspect. How do you *really* feel while you're engaged in the pursuit? How do you feel *after* you're done? Do you find the pursuit…life-giving, even? Then, assess your competency. What's your view on how good you are at it? And, you know, don't just rely on yourself here. Ask other people who have worked with you on this. Ask them for their honest perspective. You might be surprised! Based on your responses, and the responses from others, just, like, put each current pursuit on the grid according to its energy and competency levels. Simple as that.
Okay, now for pursuits you *aren't* currently doing. This requires a bit more legwork. First, you gotta gather information. Talk to people who *are* doing these things. Ask them about the details, the nitty-gritty. Get a baseline estimate of your energy. And remember, the surface-level view of something can be totally misleading. You might think, "Oh, being a lawyer sounds glamorous!" But are you basing that on a TV show, or the actual, like, day-to-day grind? Seek to understand the true underlying details, not just the pretty stuff.
Then, experiment! Choosing the right pursuits is all about experimentation. Learn more about your energy for a given activity by, like, spending a day doing it, you know? Shadow someone. Take on a new role on a trial basis. Gather deeper information through small, reversible actions.
And, super important, always assume low competency at the start. With any new pursuit, just assume you're gonna start out with a low competency level. Until you get evidence to the contrary, it's the safest bet.
Based on all the info you gathered, you know, from talking to people and experimenting, just place each prospective pursuit on the grid, same as before, according to the energy and competency levels.
Alright, so now you have a populated pursuit map, right? It's all filled out. Now we can get to the good stuff, step two: identifying your zones.
There are basically three key zones to consider. First, the Zone of Genius. I read about this in a book and it really resonated with me. The Zone of Genius is that range of pursuits where you have excellent competency and high interest or passion. On our pursuit map, that's the top right quadrant, where your competency and energy collide. This is, like, your promised land, the sweet spot where you ideally want to spend most of your time, both professionally and personally.
Then there's the Zone of Hobby. This is the range of pursuits that, you know, create energy in your life, but you don't have a super high competency level, you know? This is where you should ideally spend the second-biggest chunk of your time. It's totally okay for things to remain in the Zone of Hobby. It's okay to be bad at things! But you'll probably find that pursuits you feel a lot of energy for tend to slowly shift to the right, as you improve at them. Things that start in the Zone of Hobby can often end up in the Zone of Genius over time, which is cool.
And finally, there’s the Zone of Danger. And this is the range of pursuits that drain your energy, but you're actually pretty good at them. It's a dangerous place, because you're gonna get positive feedback on your performance, and you'll feel tempted to spend more and more time there. But the goal is to avoid this trap, or to find ways to make these activities more energy-creating for you.
Now, there’s also that bottom left quadrant, right? The one with low energy and low competency. That’s what I would call the dead zone. Pursuits there should generally be avoided. But…but… there are instances where something might become energy-creating as you improve at it, right? Like, lots of new runners start out hating it, but then fall in love with it as they get better and fitter. So, like, completely writing these pursuits off might be a bad idea. Ask yourself, "Do I love the *good* version of this?" Like, if I imagined myself at a modest or improved competency level, would it give me energy?
Okay, last step: Align your time.
You've put all the pursuits on the map. You've figured out your zones. You now have a clear picture of the pursuits you should aim to spend your time on.
Now, the changes aren't gonna happen overnight. It's all about, like, slowly working toward incremental improvements. The goal is for most of your time to be spent on pursuits in your Zone of Genius. Your remaining time should be spent on pursuits in your Zone of Hobby. You wanna minimize the time spent on pursuits in your Zone of Danger. And you gotta eliminate the time spent on pursuits in the dead zone. Unless, of course, they pass that "Do I love the good version of this?" test.
If you work in a company, honestly, the best thing to do is to just have a clear, candid conversation with your teams and your managers about your pursuit map and your zones. If you're in a leadership role, encourage your whole team to do this exercise. If everyone shares their pursuit maps, it becomes way easier to, like, piece the puzzle together and figure out who should be doing what. If you're running into a wall with a company or a manager who just doesn't get it, it might be time for a change. The market's gonna figure it out eventually, rewarding the companies that allow their employees to thrive in their highest form.
And if you work on your own, you know, be brutally honest with yourself about which daily activities fall into what zones. Be ruthless in outsourcing things that aren’t in your Zone of Genius. Your results and your performance will improve in line with your ability to do this.
Choosing the right pursuits, it's just a direct path to a more purpose-filled, fulfilling, productive, and successful life. Learn to follow your energy, and you won't be led astray. Do the pursuit-map exercise and slowly start to work toward a world where your time is invested in the things that give you the greatest rewards. I really think it can change everything.