How AI Gives You Hours Back (and Helps You Sleep Better)

Ever felt pulled in every direction at once? Most founders feel this way. They juggle product launches, customer needs, and their own well-being. Let’s dive deeper into how AI voice bots, better workflows, and self-care can keep you moving.

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Early-Morning CrossFit vs. Non-Stop Startup Chaos

Years ago, I committed to a 6 a.m. CrossFit class three times a week. It was about more than fitness; it was about prioritizing my health before the day got hectic. By 7 a.m., I’d already met an important goal.

My early workout taught me an important lesson: you can’t always know how crazy your day will be. But you can decide when to handle important tasks. Today, founders can use AI to manage many tasks, like customer service. We are going to see more and more low-skill workflows move to AI. This way, you won't feel pain at 10 p.m. to fix problems AI can deal with in real-time.

Working Smarter: Practical AI in Customer Service

The day I learned to “work smarter” came after a major app release. We were unexpectedly overwhelmed by a flood of support tickets. Many were routine, but some were urgent. We wasted hours sorting through them. No number of hours could catch up. That’s when we built tools to rank tickets. Find those that were urgent and re-prioritize. Today we have many more options.

Enter AI Voice Bots and Modern Chat Systems

Why voice over text? It’s personal. People want a reassuring tone, not just another email or chat. With voice, you can instantly sense a caller’s mood or urgency—no guesswork. You hear tension or relief, so you know exactly how the call went.

• Voice Bots: They answer quickly. They handle common questions and can scale up as needed. They work 24/7.
• Clear Outcomes: A call recording reveals whether each moment is a success or failure—no confusion.
• Easy to start: Start with overflow so callers never get a busy signal. Every call gets picked up on first ring. Cover overnight shifts or after hours. Agument first then look for ways to replace.
• Integrate over time: As we have been introducing these solutions to customers, we begin with a static knowledge base. We then add more and more dynamic lookups and deeper integrations. The voice bot's intelligence layer can learn more about a company and its business than any human can. We now have customers where our voice AI tech is doing scheduling and booking including taking payments.

Talking to AI: My Favorite Shortcut

I often use voice-to-text (I love Wispr Flow) to speak my thoughts into ChatGPT. I can dictate nearly 200 words per minute—WAY faster than typing. This “talk it out” method helps me clarify my ideas quickly.

Try applying that efficiency to data entry or where you normally type. It's tough in a shared office space. For me, it feels like a Zoom call alone ;) but much more productive.

Protecting Your Sleep—and Your Next Day

CrossFit taught me to guard my mornings, but what about my evenings? If I stay up late, I lose sleep. Poor sleep leads to worse decisions, slower responses, and a foggy mind. It's not worth the trade-off. These days, I try to delegate those overflow tasks as much as I can. When it gets late just hit pause and use Loom to quickly add context or instructions. I'm fortunate to have EAs (from Athena) that work overnight and it let's me keep going on items even when my bedtime aproaches.

Better sleep = clearer thinking.

The Bigger Win: Expanding Your Vision

You might think automating and delegating tasks only frees up time. But the unexpected perk is that it helps you think bigger. You can plan new features. You can connect with more customers. Or, you can explore new ideas.

It isn’t just about doing less—it’s about enabling more impactful work.

Closing Thought

You can’t have it all, but you can prioritize. A quick morning workout and a clear evening cutoff can change your schedule. Also, finding small wins with AI or delegating tasks will transform your startup life. Check out my latest podcast: The Hard Truth About Health & Hustle: You Can’t Have It All. It’s a deep dive into why boundaries, better systems, and a touch of AI might be your key to sustainable success.

See you next week!

-kevin

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The Hard Truth About Health... Mar 25 · Founder Mode 30:54   ​

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