Kayvon 00:00
So you asked me Kayvon? How do you manage your time? Short answer, I don't manage my time. Now here's the concept. Here's the thinking behind it. Okay, time, can I really manage time? I don't think so. Because I cannot get more, I cannot get some of it back. I cannot save some of it for later. So time just goes at its own pace, its own speed, doesn't care about how I feel about it, or what is it that I am going to do. So time just goes, it cannot be managed. It's a resource that is just there. But what I do with it is going to make the difference.
Pete Mohr 00:43
Hey, it's Pete and welcome to another edition of the simplifying entrepreneurship podcast. It's the series designed to provide the tips and tools that will help you cut through the chaos and overwhelm and create the clarity that will transform your business and life as a leader. Always remember, clarity creates confidence and the confidence ignites momentum. Today I had the opportunity to speak with Kayvon and Kayvon has been a regular guest. If you've listened to the simplifying entrepreneurship podcast before, you've heard Kayvon, a love talking about all things around simplifying entrepreneurship and simplifying life as an entrepreneur and leader with Kayvon. We have a lot of similar takes on things and say we're going to talk a lot about time management is time management, even a thing. Lots of great stuff and some good conversations and great tools and tips ahead here. We'll dig right into it with Dr. Kayvon. Kay. Hey, Kayvon How you doing today?
Kayvon 01:43
I am very good. Peter, how
Pete Mohr 01:45
are you? Awesome. It's great to see you again. Yes. Always enjoy our conversations. Yes, yes, we always have good ones. And today, we're gonna get into time. So how are you managing your time? That's the big question of the day here today. And one of my favorite quotes is by Dean Jackson, at least that's where I heard it. And it's there are only 24 hours in a day, you can't have less, and you can't buy more. What's your thought on that came on?
Kayvon 02:12
I like that a lot. Especially you can play more part because I'm going to give a short answer to your first question. Sure, then explain it a bit more. And we'll get back to it sounds good? Cool. Yeah. Okay. So you asked me cave on? How do you manage your time? Short answer, I don't manage my time. Now, here's the concept. Here's the thinking behind it. Okay, time, can I really manage time? I don't think so. Because I cannot get more, I cannot get some of it back. I cannot save some of it for later. So time just goes at its own pace, its own speed, doesn't care about how I feel about it, or what is it that I am going to do. So time just goes, it cannot be managed. It's a resource that is just there. But what I do with it is going to make the difference. And I'm going to add another concept to this and bring it together. At the end of the day. Time doesn't matter anyway. Because let's say you are going to create something, I'm going to use this podcast episode. As an example. Our listeners and our viewers will get this podcast episode if Sanoma 1015 minutes or whatever. Yeah, I don't think any of them cares how long it takes for you and I to record that 10 or 15 minutes. If it's 30 minutes, good for you. If it's two hours and 30 minutes, still don't care, right? So the amount of time that we put in something doesn't matter the amount of result that we create matters. And the results are created by higher engagement, I would organize my time according to my engagement. So basically, I don't do time management. I do engagement management. Yeah. Like, yes. I like to manage my engagement with the task, because that's what creates the results. We all know the difference of the experience in when you're engaged with a task, or you're not. Yeah, there are other concepts like our strengths and unique ability, time blocking, morning time, afternoon time, a peak time, all of those, they can all come together and help us in manage our engagement in the right time blocks in a day. So we get the most results. So time management by itself is not the thing. It is a tool for a bigger goal at the end of the day. So I hope that makes sense.
Pete Mohr 04:35
Yeah, it does. I mean, there's so much to unpack there. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I can see some other episodes coming down the line as we can explore some of these particular things and go deeper into them. A lot of those I certainly use as well. But I think there's there's a lot of things there that we can unpack and bring to our listeners over the next you know, several episodes on all of this sort of stuff. I'm excited to let's do it. Yeah. salutely Absolutely. Tell me a little bit more sort of about how you can simplify time and what the benefits of that is when you talk about the engagement side of things and and what you're doing to become more effective and more productive. And all of that kind of stuff.
Kayvon 05:17
Yes, to really plainly, simply look at it. engagement has a couple of characteristics to it. And one of them is the enjoyment of the task. So the joy factor is something that I consider when I am working with my schedule. And this is what I mean, let's really, really simplify it. There are only three types of tasks. The ones that I love to do. Yeah, the ones that they are May, and the ones that I hate. Doing, like doing taxes for me. Yeah, some people like that. Yeah, don't. Right. So I love doing them. I'm okay doing them. I really don't want to do that. That's one factor to consider. When I'm scheduling my day. Right? I got to make sure that I have those ones that I really don't want to do. But I need to do them have my schedule. Because if it's if I don't pay attention, that you keep postponing them to the next day and the next day, and we we end up doing our taxes on the last day, last minute before midnight, kind of
Pete Mohr 06:21
procrastinator, right? Because it's those things you just hate doing?
Kayvon 06:25
Yes. Also, it is directly related to time, because when I enjoy doing something, it's in my strength, I get results, the interaction, all of that I like it, I am able to hold my attention longer on that task, right? The stamina is higher because of that, you know, Joy feedback delegate from the task. So I consider when I put them in my calendar, in my case, there are 90 minute periods. For the tasks that I'm okay doing, but they need to get done anyway. I go somewhere around 30 minutes. 45 minutes, max. Right? Rarely 45 minutes. Just let's just go with 30 minutes. Yeah, I'm working with you. Yeah, simpler. 30 minutes, but and the ones that I really don't want to do? Guess what? Doesn't matter how unpleasant a task is? You can do it for 10 minutes, right? Yeah, 10 minutes is not gonna kill you. Yeah. So that's what I do. I just schedule them in 10 minute bursts. Maybe I do two or three in one day or repeat that 10 minutes every day kind of thing. Yeah. But over time, all of them add up.
Pete Mohr 07:34
When you're doing one cave, one that you don't like doing and it's gonna take longer than 10 minutes? Do you just break them down? Is that how you manage that
Kayvon 07:42
that's one approach at the same time our psychology kicks in. Because the hardest part about any task, regardless of the level of enjoyment is getting started. So that motivation of getting started, if I think I'll discuss that I really don't like doing. And I need to do this for another an hour to imagine the level of strength of procrastination or resistance towards it. But if you think okay, I only have to do this thing for 10 minutes, Hey, make it five minutes. Yeah, in the next five minutes, my opinion doesn't matter how it feels doesn't matter. In the next five minutes, I'm going to get engaged with this house, and I'm gonna start I'm going to do it. But more often than not, after that five or 10 minutes, we find, I can still go for a bit longer, more. So I commit to only the starting I commit to only 10 minutes. But what actually happens is that you end up doing it for a good 2025 30 minutes. And a good amount of progress is being created by removing that level of resistance. Yeah, or many situations, you know, sometimes you do the 10 minutes. And by the end of it, you really don't want to continue. Good job, you know, you committed to something, you got it done, you get to stop if you're like,
Pete Mohr 08:55
just behind me here, it's tiny habits by BJ SS. And one of his sort of ideas is that B equals MA P and behavior equals motivation, ability and prompt. If you're missing one of those three, you don't do the behavior. And it's interesting, how do you motivate yourself? Do you actually have the ability to do it? And do you have the prompt to do it, you know, and one of the things that I also aspire to when I'm working on those kinds of things is just to delegate it to somebody else. It's that idea of who not how right from Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy just recently wrote a book but actually letting somebody else take that off your plate for you. So it still gets done. Because a lot of those things, we may hate them, but they still need to get done right cave on. Yeah.
Kayvon 09:41
And the thing that you hate the listener, yeah. Somebody else may really love. Absolutely. There are things that they enjoy. So give them a gift of doing the task for you. And you mentioned the Dan Sullivan. I certainly learned a lot from Dan. Yeah, and on that concept he was saying his default First question when his face to face but something that he needs to get done, his first question is, can I get the same results without doing this kind of get away? From doing this? So that question of the who not? How is the first question he has, which is a big difference between an entrepreneurial coach and mentor like him to our natural tendencies when we start with entrepreneurship, or we don't change our habits, our natural habits, which is, the first question is usually how I'm going to do it? No, no, it should be who, and go there. So all of that could be in the service of I just keep the tasks I really enjoy doing. Or I'm okay doing, you know, because you know, the tasks that you enjoy, they also very demanding on your creativity and energy and all of that. And there are things that you can just do, like, I don't know, in my case is paying the bills. Yeah. You know, David Allen calls it brain dead tasks, you don't really need to be at your best not be able to pay the bills, right. So I just do them and the things that I do not enjoy, I find the person that I trust. Yeah, and, you know, enjoy having conversation with them. In my case, my accountant, everything comes I just, here we go. My job is to be organized in sending them to you. You deal with it. Exactly. Yeah. Every time we meet, where do I sign?
Pete Mohr 11:23
I like that. I like that. What happens when you're doing that is it's freeing up your time, you know, like we said, There's only 24 hours in a day. But by doing that you're freeing up the time so that you can work in your passion. Yeah, that kind of work gives you more energy. It's not as draining it's, there's less anxiety and stress and all of the other things along with it, because you're working in the area that you love, like you said that first area of the three parts. Yeah, I think that was awesome. Yeah, frees
Kayvon 11:51
our time, reduces frustration. And you were talking about tiny habits increases motivation, for sure, there is only a certain amount that we can create motivation. But there is a lot that we can do to influence it. So that's, that's one of the things you just set it and forget it. When it comes to this kind of task. It always goes out, somebody else is going to do it.
Pete Mohr 12:11
Thanks so much Kayvon. So we're kind of coming up against a time crunch here. So I just want to kind of roll into a couple of questions here to cap things off for the day. So in your work, how do you help entrepreneurs and business leaders simplify entrepreneurship, I help
Kayvon 12:26
them but taking back control, and getting back and staying on track of getting things done, basically, because one of my good friends, Alex scharffen, he talks about entrepreneurs as momentum based creatures. So keeping that momentum, and keeping the wheels turning all the time is very important, not only for the health of the business, but also for happiness, fulfillment, mental health, productivity, all of the inner game of entrepreneurship as well. If things are moving, we're happy. Some things may go well or not well, but as long as we are moving forward, we are happy. So one of the things that I do is always help them to do that. And that's always through getting things done with implementation. So simplifying implementation, I think, is the main thing that I can do to help my clients.
Pete Mohr 13:18
Awesome. So as we finish up our conversation today, just ask you for one last thought to encourage and challenge our listeners, on all the things we've been talking about here in this episode.
Kayvon 13:29
The who not how question, but I like to challenge our perspective on that for a second. Yeah, this camera that I'm talking to you, I did not make it No. Right. These computer, my clothes, my house, none of them. So we all paid for them. Somebody else did the work for us. Yeah. Like some people think I got to do some things myself, No, you're already delegating, you're already using who. And there is this imaginary line that we think on the other side, or you let other people do it on this side. I have to do it myself. And my point is that line is imaginary anyway. Just leave it. Actually, the thing that I want to summarize this is finished a sentence. If you want something done, right, you have to and delay my answer is do it yourself. Right. But let's change that if you want something done right. Hire an expert. Yeah.
Pete Mohr 14:28
Cool. That's great. Kayvon thanks so much. Thanks for spending time with me today. Just ask you to share with the audience on how they can get ahold of you if they want to reach out to you.
Kayvon 14:38
Right on social media everywhere. I am Dr. Kevin Kay. You can look at my website, simplified deadzone. I'm working on this program, which is all about the implementation and making it happen. Easier implementation advantage, so simplify that zone slash implementation.
Pete Mohr 14:55
Awesome. We'll see you again and an upcoming episode of simplifying entrepreneurialism. Fun. Thank you very much right on,
Kayvon 15:01
take care, bye.
Pete Mohr 15:06
Well always enjoy my time with Kayvon. And I hope you did too. So thanks for spending some time. With us today, think about how you can apply some of these topics of the day today around time management and simplifying entrepreneurship. I liked cave ons take of time cannot be managed. And it's what you'll do with it that makes the difference in the results are really what matters. And he talked about engagement management as opposed to time management and some neat language around that how to become more effective and productive and engaging your time. And around that the three types of time that he talked about sort of the stuff that you love to do the stuff that's math, and the stuff that you hate to do, and how to time block around that loving the time around 90 minute timeframes, the maths stuff around sort of 30 minutes, and the stuff you really don't like to do, but you have to do around 10 minutes. And the idea that it's just a matter of getting started, that's the hardest part committing to starting is the key is what Kayvon had mentioned today, we also talked a little bit about who not how, and the idea to start delegating all the stuff you don't like doing. And we've talked about that in a previous episode to around the idea that if you just start listing everything you do, and separate those into the things that you're either really good at, and you really like doing the stuff you're really good at, but you don't like doing the stuff that you're not so good at but you like doing and the stuff that you're not so good at and you don't like doing well, that bottom one that last one the stuff that you're not so good at and you don't like doing you need to elevate and delegate you need to elevate yourself and delegate that to somebody else. And that's going to create some more time for you as we started off talking about the idea that there's only 24 hours in the day and you can't buy more. But what you can do is you can get some of your time back by delegating some of the things that you really don't like doing. So for more information on my coaching and we talk a lot about time management with my coaching clients. It's a big piece of the entrepreneurial puzzle and the leadership puzzle. You can visit more coach that's mo hr.co Ach more coach or email me directly at Pete at more coach. Or you can follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook on all the social connections as well as simplifying entrepreneurship to watch some of these videos if you'd like to prefer to watch some of them on video and see us having those chats about these conversations on our YouTube channel at simplifying entrepreneurship. So until next time, make it a great day
