David Kadavy is a designer, podcaster, and writer. He is the author of Mind Management, Not Time Management, The Heart to Heart Start, and Design for Hackers. He previously served as a design advisor to Timeful, an AI-powered calendar app built upon his mind management principles. In 2015, Google bought Timeful and integrated some of its features into the Google Calendar app. David has spoken in eight countries and SXSW, TEDx, The New York Public Library, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and The University of Chicago. He is the creator and host of Love Your Work, a podcast where he dives into being productive, getting things done, and breeding Black Swans as a creative.

David joins me today to discuss mind management and how financial advisors can apply it to their businesses and lives for optimum results. He differentiates between top-down and bottom-up thinkers, and why breaking down a project into its most basic parts can be overwhelming and energy-draining to some people. He shares how you can audit your energy throughout a week to unlock your creativity. He also describes his approach to goal setting for a new year and underscores the power of letting your passive genius take over.

“Find pockets of time and energy and protect them so you can get the most value possible from that mental state.” - David Kadavy

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

David’s background and journey to learning mind management
What mind management is and why time management is a flawed concept
How financial advisors can apply mind management in their businesses and lives
David’s “Prefrontal Mondays,” identifying your big rocks, and the value of identifying when you’re most energetic and creative
Different mental states for different activities and why the prefrontal cortex is adverse to creativity
The importance of structuring your calendar and day according to your personal needs
“Top-down” vs “bottom-up” thinkers and why SOPs can be intimidating
MBTI types and the characteristics of Perceiving and Judging types
The four stages of creativity and the value of giving yourself time to incubate ideas

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Our Favorite Quotes:

“Being diligent with your calendar and scheduling is freeing and helps you think less during the day.” - David DeCelle
“Set aside particular time to proactively think through the things on your plate. Limit distractions and tackle whatever the topic is at hand.” - David DeCelle
“Dedicating time and space to a particular task helps parse what mental state you need for that type of task. A certain time, place, and environment will be better suited to some mental states than others.” - David Kadavy

Connect with David Kadavy:

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

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Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

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