Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone:
From The Flow by Focus
First, What’s Your “Comfort Zone”?
There’s a ton of talk in productivity circles about “breaking out of your comfort zone”.
But a lot of what’s out there doesn’t cover what your comfort zone is, or why you should push yourself past your limits.
The first thing you should know? You have more than one comfort “zone” in each area of your life, from school to work to home.
Your comfort zones are the places where things are not too hard, not too easy, but just right.
In your comfort zones, you’re most likely:
Doing things you’re already good at
Getting big rewards from a small amount of effort
Happy with a fairly repetitive routine
When you frame comfort zones this way, they sound pretty sweet, right? After all, who’d want to leave a place where everything is perfectly comfortable?
To answer this question, we need to consider what happens after you leave a comfort zone.
🗺️ All 6 Zones, After Comfort
You’re considering venturing outside one of your comfort zones — now what?
If you see the journey through to the end, you’ll discover six zones of mastery waiting for you along the way. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
😰 1. Fear Zone
This is the initial resistance you’ll feel when breaking out of your comfort zone, whether it’s your first time or your latest attempt.
In this zone, your mind will be buzzing with “What if?”s. You might feel some imposter syndrome setting in.
How to Tackle It: Remind yourself that this zone is temporary. Instead of letting fear hold you back, acknowledge it and take the first step forward — you’ll often find that the fear isn’t as daunting as it seemed.
🧑🎓 2. Learning Zone
This is where the first baby steps of growth happen. It’s where you learn to get more comfortable making mistakes and admitting that you don’t quite know what you’re doing yet.
You’ll likely be able to see and feel your progress, which can motivate you to keep going.
How to Tackle It: Know that every master started out at square zero and get a handle on the basics — just like you are now. If they did it, you can do it, too.
🙇♂️ 3. Stress Zone
If you’ve ever attempted a goal more than once, you’re probably familiar with this zone. It usually comes:
After the first setback or roadblock
When you’re feeling unsatisfied with your progress
As a result of external influences you have no control over
How to Tackle It: Journal! Get your thoughts out of your head, and they’ll have a lot less power over your behaviour. For just a moment, place absolute trust in yourself and talk yourself through your stress. You got this!
🎢 4. Growth Zone
This is where a good bit of the magic happens. As you navigate the stress zone, you’ll become more resilient and better equipped to break through future roadblocks.
You’ll also have lots of “aha!” moments where things are finally starting to click.
How to Tackle It: Slow down to observe yourself in the Growth Zone. Notice those bursts of self-pride, excitement, and accomplishment you feel as your speed and competency improve.
🌸 5. Change Zone
You’re really starting to get the hang of this new thing. Not only do you have a solid grasp of the basics, but you’re also starting to add your own style and explore more advanced stuff.
At this point, you can review other people’s work, spot mistakes, and pick up new techniques more quickly.
Your potential is also expanding rapidly. As you continue to grow and learn, new opportunities become available to you.
How to Tackle It: This isn’t the time to rest on your laurels — continue to explore and find new paths and avenues. You never know where they might take you!
🧑🏫 6. Teaching Zone
You’re now ready to pass what you’ve learned on to others. This includes not just your practical skills, but also your personal experience and lessons learned along the way. You never know how your unique take might benefit someone!
How to Tackle It: Now that you’re in the Teaching Zone, never forget that the first step of this journey is the Fear Zone. Every person you mentor will need to break through it just like you did — encourage them, and guide them with kindness and compassion.
💭 A Few Things To Remember
Now that you’ve got a good idea of the zones, here are a few final things to keep in mind as you evaluate your own comfort zones!
🛡️ Comfort zones exist for a reason
Your comfort zones are not inherently “bad” or something you should constantly be trying to break free from.
They help you feel safe and give you a place to retreat when life is especially debilitating or traumatic.
💡 Remember your reason
Know the answer to one simple question: Why are you keen to break out of this particular comfort zone? Keep this answer top of mind as you continue on your adventure.
🛣️ Everyone’s path is unique
Those six zones we covered above? They’re just a general guide. You might find yourself skipping right to the Growth Zone, or spending a long time in the Fear Zone.
This isn’t a race — move at your own pace, and trust the process!
🪞 Try not to compare yourself to others
When your inner critic tries to compare your progress to someone else’s, remember that you can gently tune out that voice by focusing all your attention on your path.