Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
My name is Kent Mulligan, New Zealand born Australian resident currently splitting my time between Australia and California.
Your current job:
Founder and director of Australian men’s grooming and lifestyle brand Modern Pirate.
In which city are you located?
Melbourne and San Francisco with some travel inbeetween.
A word to define what kind of worker you are: Passionate and easy going.
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
The Xero accounting app, Evernote, Yelp and the Qantas app. I am working remotely most of the time so I can keep track of accounts/customers and process orders on the go with Xero. Yelp to find good food and entertainment and the Qantas app for snapping up deals on flights.
What does your office space look like?
Generally it’s a café or on my balcony at home.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
Random music from spotify or itunes depending on my mood. Mostly something mellow that doesn’t distract me too much.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
I usually create lists and priorities specific daily tasks and try to have my week planned in advance as much as possible.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
For me it’s being healthy and having a clear head before starting each day. I get up early, meditate, exercise, eat breakfast and drink a strong coffee before doing anything work related. Being organized and having an understanding of all aspects of the business really helps also.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
Taking the afternoon off!
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
“Just drive straight babe” My girlfriend says this to me when I am constantly asking for directions when we are on road trips. I have applied this philosophy to other aspects of my life.
What is your best tip for saving time?
Batching tasks and creating systems to avoid double handling (thanks Tim Ferriss) Spend less time with social media and online distractions and more time with real life distractions (note to self)
What is your routine start and end of the day?
I generally start the day early with some form of exercise. If I am near the coast its always surf, breakfast then work. If I am in the city it’s the gym or laps at the local pool.
Most days I will eat lunch at one of my local cafes before getting back into work for the afternoon. I try and shut things down by 6 pm and spend some time in the kitchen cooking dinner and enjoying a glass of wine and a quiet evening.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
Definitely my leather dairy/day planner! I am a big fan of writing on paper with a pen still!
