Having time management and productivity issues? Well, our guest today, Kevin Kruse has this to say, “We can’t manage time but we can manage our attention, our energy, and our focus.”
Kevin Kruse is a serial entrepreneur turned writer and speaker who is passionate about productivity and leadership. In this episode, Kevin discusses some important aspects in his recent book, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. Kevin interviewed four groups of people, specifically billionaires, Olympians, students, and entrepreneurs, and he found some commonalities of productivity habits among them.
The things and insights you can glean from this episode might actually surprise you! So listen in to help you get started and become more productive.
Here are the highlights of my conversation with Kevin:
What he learned from Mark Cuban: The evil of meetings
Not an efficient way of communication
Meetings are worse than phone calls. Phone calls are worse than emails. Emails are worse than text messages.
Meetings are killers in terms of productivity
Stop doing a to-do list! Work from your calendar.
- A 2014 study showed that 41% of to-do list items are never completed and 50% of the items on our to-do list we put it on the very same day
- Understand what you value and time-block that.
- Time-block in 15-minute chunks. Map out your calendar ahead of time.
Handling emails:
Kevin’s 3-21 email technique:
- 3 times – Doing the email process three times a day.
- 21 minutes – which means 20-25 minutes of email time
- Set a goal of zero inbox as much as you can.
Follow the 4D’s:
- Delete
- Delegate
- Do it quickly (in less than 5 minutes)
- Defer (schedule time by turning the email into a calendar event)
Treat emails like any other task and not as a means to procrastinate.
Time is the most valuable asset.
- Be willing to say no to certain things.
- Work smart, not hard.
How to remember and apply these productivity habits: [E-3C’s]
- Energy
Maximize your energy. We can’t manage time but we can manage our attention, our energy, and our focus. Start with the fundamentals. Rest, eat healthy, and exercise.
- Capture
Capture everything into a notebook. Don’t try to remember things. Write it all down.
- Calendar
Work from your calendar. Don’t put tasks on your to-do list. Put it on your calendar to help you become more realistic about getting things done. Say no to things you don’t have the time for.
- Concentrate
Concentrate during your working jam sessions.
One more thing…
Drop – Delegate – Re-design
Kevin mentions a Harvard experiment wherein four activity trainers went to companies talking employees into looking at their calendar per week and asking themselves three questions:
- Drop – What would happen if you just dropped it?
- Delegate – Who else can maybe do it?
- Redesign – If you can’t delegate it, redesign and ask:
- How can the same outcome be achieved in less time?
- What would you do with it if you only had half the time?
Just by doing this, people are able to save an average of 6 hours of desk work and 2 hours of meeting time every week. Take the time to pause and be thoughtful before diving into your routine.
Connect with Kevin by sending him an email at kevin@kevinkruse.com
Episode Resources:
Check out Kevin’s book, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management
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