Let's be clear. You are at the edge of transformation that redefines how you work, think and create. This is not a hype. It's a pivotal moment, like when the business first embraced Taylor's scientific management principles and a one-minute manager.
The new game changer is Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI was the biggest business breakthrough of the last century. It's not theoretical. It's here, it's real and it's evolving fast. So, lean on it and give us something valuable back: time.
Just from $107.88 Kiplinger Personal Finance $24.99
Be smarter, better informed investors.
Click on the free question
Sign up for Kiplinger's free newsletter
Remember profits and prosperity with expert advice on investments, taxes, retirements, personal finances and more – directly to email.
Profit and prosperity with the advice of the best experts – directly to your email.
After years of advice to startups, I can recognize the turning point when it arrives. Currently, we have one for time management, and AI is important.
Formerly known as the Building of Wealth, Kiplinger's advisor Intel is a curated network of trusted financial experts who share expert insights into wealth building and conservation. Contributors, including fiduciary financial planners, wealth managers, CEOs and lawyers, provide actionable advice on retirement plans, real estate planning, tax strategies and more. Experts are invited to contribute and are not paid for being included, so you can trust that their advice is honest and valuable.
Whether you're a founder buried in a pitch deck, a product manager juggling a roadmap, or a solo operator aiming to outperform, AI can brighten your load, sharpen your focus and guide your energy to where it really matters.
If AI can put time in the bottle…
Miles Davis once said, “Time is not the main thing. That's the only thing.” Time is your most limited resource. You can't create or recruit more of it, but you can manage it better. And that's where AI comes in.
The trick isn't just about using AI. I understand how it can amplify your efforts. Automate commonplace things. Speed up your research. Make your draft faster. I'll dive deep into the analysis.
Don't chase all the shiny tools. Identify bottlenecks and delegate them to AI. True productivity is achieving more by doing less and less unimportant things. This is not an easy path. That's about working smarter on a scale we've never seen before.
How AI has made my life (and business) better
To be honest, a while ago I was overwhelmed. As an entrepreneur, I lost control of my time the moment I started my own company. Do you think you'll become your own boss? It's wrong. You trade one boss for many people: clients, customers, vendors – you name it.
I became a slave to the calendar. Every Sunday night, I planned my week. Every morning, I dealt with the emergency that day. In the meantime? Meeting. phone. Meeting. phone. repeat.
That endless cycle left no room for truly important tasks, such as reflection, vision, strategy, leadership. If I'm not doing them, who is it? If I'm not just a CEO, but also a dishwasher and a stamp ricker, where is the leadership? Where is the intentionality? Where is it time to build strategic partnerships and lead my team with clarity and purpose?
That's when “buying my time back” became essential and where AI is implemented makes a difference.
It's a productivity powerhouse
Pop culture often reduces AI to chatbots that write children's books. However, let's improve the conversation. AI is a powerful tool for productivity. That's how I escaped email Ping-Pong to schedule a 30-minute call. 10 emails to find time? There's no more.
AI manages my calendar with more efficiency and intelligence than most people. It's not going to replace someone else's job. It's about relocating energy into a higher value job. It's better to spend my admin time elsewhere, and so is mine.
Which tasks are created for AI, not
Here's the real secret: AI doesn't just take things out of your plate. It can focus on what you can only do. That's the Litmus test I'm using now. If the task requires my voice, my experience, my leadership, it belongs to me. What if not? Automate. I'll delegate it. Leave it alone.
It sways with weeds. I'm chasing invoices, responding to customer emails, fixing website issues, and attending meetings that may be handled by email.
Meanwhile, we are waiting for vision, strategies and partnerships to move the needle. And I'm waiting. And sometimes it never ends.
If you don't focus again and refocus, you'll be spending too much time In businessand there's almost no time Above that. I've always seen it with founders who advise how to shift, but I've had to learn this the hard way.
Data does not lie. Most business owners only spend about 32% of their time working on the business, but when asked where they want to spend their time, they often say they want to spend more time in the business.
Almost three-quarters say strategic thinking, growth planning and leadership are really important. And they are right. That's where magic happens. That's how culture is built. That's the creation of value.
Don't leave money on the table
As entrepreneurs, we often miss opportunities when we fail to follow up. I left the money at the table because I had never followed up after receiving the out-of-office replies.
AI can invite me to reconnect and help me to remind them when contacts change jobs and maintain a relationship with personalized touchpoints. It's like a quiet, invisible value that combines over time.
Looking for expert tips to help you grow and maintain your wealth? Sign up Building Wealth (Suddenly called Advisor Intel), our free 2-week newsletter.
But don't fool yourself. Everything should be automated or not. The moment of checking your gut is still important. Human context and connection remain important.
Even if you are reviewing sensitive posts before they hit social media, we cannot outsource the essence of who we are, whether we rewrite a note that requires genuine empathy or not. That's our edge.
Time is not something you spend. That's what you invest in. That change in mindset changes everything.
Invite AI to the next meeting
If you're trying to figure out where AI fits all of this, here's what I'm telling my team and clients: Use it where it makes a difference.
For us, it's not about shortening the meeting. It's about making them more effective. People are still talking too much. We are humans.
However, AI is extremely valuable after meetings. Capture action items and summarize important points and flag deadlines.
It's not at the moment, but at follow-through, it's going to bring me back. And when I follow, it builds trust.
What is the cost of not investing in your time? It's about sucking the soul. You end up with a hamster wheel that is busy but unproductive, constantly reactive and never reaches the task of moving your business forward. You will disappoint yourself, your team, your clients. And ultimately, it will tire you out.
I'm measuring my success differently now. If I'm well appreciated, I know I'm doing it right, I'll follow through, I'm not avoiding my calendar, and I can sit for dinner with my family rather than screaming “I'm out there!” From another room. It's not just about balance. It's integrity.
Want to cut 10 or 15 hours a week?
So, if you feel overwhelmed, here's your starting point: employ one small AI tool – for meetings, drafting content, email management. Use it to free up time for the highest value work: strategy, relationships, and creative thinking.
Don't waste your time figuring out whether the meeting should be 2 or 3. Focus on the purpose of that meeting. That's where the real ROI lives.
The truth is: Embracing AI is not just about learning new, shiny tools. It's about rethinking how we value time. As entrepreneurs, our calendar is our capital.
Starting regular email, scheduling, basic research, and even delegating your first draft will unlock times we didn't think we had.
I'm not talking about the theory here. I watch it come back to people every week by getting smarter about where AI fits in.
But this only works if we are intentional. It's not about automating everything. It is about choosing what remains human and what is not necessary. This regains the space to guide, think, build and nurture relationships that drive growth.
What is the best AI tool for founders to regain time in ChatGpt? There are no real tools to help with fluff, leading expert advice, or chaos. Classified as what they do, I chose three:
- motion. Plan your day automatically by prioritizing tasks, meetings and deadlines.
- Concept AI. Combine tasks, documents, and projects into a single smart workspace.
- ZAPIER. Automate workflows between apps such as Gmail, Slack, AirTable, and more.
But you find yourself.
The future is not about crushing it violently. It's about being sharper, more focused, more present. And ai? That's not the whole answer, but it's an incredible lever when used wisely.
Start small. Start smart. And now I'll start.
Related content
This article presents and presents the opinions of contributors, not Kiplinger's editorial staff. You can check the advisor record on Seconds or finra.
