According to a recent study, CEOs work, on average, 62.5 hours a week. This leaves little time in their routine for socializing, wellness, and other important activities. As such, if you’re a CEO who feels as though you are constantly burning the candle at both ends, you aren’t alone! This reality underscores the necessity of time management tips for CEOs, as effective time management is vital for achieving a healthy work-life balance and avoiding burnout.
However, this is not something that you simply have to accept as part of the package of running your own business empire. In fact, you can run a business without being chained to it – and learning to do so is crucial for your long-term health and well-being.
One way in which you can achieve this goal is by learning to make the most of your time. This ensures that you work both diligently and efficiently without having to spend countless sleepless nights behind your desk.
Read on to discover just some of the ways in which you can give yourself the gift of time as a busy CEO!
Here Are the 11 Time Management Tips for CEOs
1. Start by refining your priorities
It is natural to consider your business your #1 priority. After all, you’ve invested a great deal of time, money, and energy into getting it up and running. However, it is important to remember that you have other priorities, too, that must be given equal weight and attention, such as staying on top of your health or developing a healthy work-life balance. While setting aside time for these tasks may feel like a diversion from crucial work, when you’re properly caring for yourself, you’ll find that you can work to a much higher standard.
2. Invest in time-saving technology
Time management tips for CEOs often include leveraging technology to maximize efficiency. One of the easiest ways in which you can give yourself the gift of time as a busy CEO is by investing in time-saving technology. After all, this means that tasks you would have otherwise spent hours working on can be completed in just a few clicks of a button!
With a little research, you can quickly find tools that automate or speed up a large majority of the work you carry out on a daily basis. For example, if you feel as though you spend a great deal of time putting together invoices, you could invest in an AP Automation platform that does this on your behalf. Not only does this make it much easier to chase payments from clients, but it also ensures that your financial records are accurate and up-to-date.
3. Write a daily to-do list
Putting together a daily to-do list is one of the easiest ways to make sure that you are spending your time wisely. This is because it can help you to stay on track without giving into distractions. However, while you may be used to doing this at work, you should also try to put together to-do lists for your personal life too, focusing on tasks such as self-care.
4. Work on task prioritization
Among the many time management tips for CEOs, task prioritization is one of the most beneficial. This is because, by starting each day by identifying the most critical tasks, you can stay on top of any approaching deadlines without leaving things until the last minute.
5. Try the Pomodoro Technique
If you feel as though a lack of focus is what is causing you to lose track of time, then you may want to try out the Pomodoro technique. This is a time management strategy that encourages you to work in 25-minute blocks, with short breaks in between tasks. By embedding this into your daily practices, you can cut down on distractions while ensuring that each task receives the devoted attention it deserves.
6. Expand your team
As your business grows, the amount of work required to keep it afloat will grow, too. This means that handling everything independently is out of the question, especially if you want to build a life for yourself outside of your business. To effectively manage this growth, time management tips for CEOs become crucial for scaling the business successfully.
As such, it is important that you start hiring new employees as quickly as possible. This will take a lot of pressure off your shoulders while also giving you the chance to take your business to the next level. After all, new employees bring new skills, ideas, and perspectives to the table.
When hiring for the first time, you should:
- Clearly identify your needs or the kind of roles that must be filled
- Write compelling job descriptions and listings
- Carefully screen applications, resumes, and cover letters
- Invite 5-10 candidates to interviews to ensure you’ve found the right fit
You should also make sure that you’re representing your business in the best possible light. This will make it easier to capture the attention of the top talent within your industry.
7. Consider outsourcing
Hiring new employees can get expensive, which is why you will likely have to settle for gradually expanding your team as opposed to hiring multiple employees at once. Of course, this can feel like you’re doing too little if you’re still drowning in your work as a result of this. However, this can easily be remedied by outsourcing! This way, you can still get the support you need without having to go through the effort of hiring a full-time employee.
Ideally, you should focus on outsourcing roles or tasks that are time-consuming and take you away from other, more valuable tasks. For example, you could hire a virtual assistant who is able to take on daily administrative duties on your behalf.
8. Stop working overtime
This step may seem impossible for many CEOs or business owners. However, these are crucial time management tips for CEOs. By doing so, you’ll discover that your time at work becomes significantly more productive and efficient. This is because it means that you are actually giving yourself a break, reducing your stress and allowing you to work to a much higher standard.
If you tend to work late in the night without realizing you are doing so, try setting alarms to signify the EOD. Even if you don’t stop right away, this will encourage you to become more mindful of how you are spending your time moving forward.
In addition to this, you should also track how much time you spend at work each week or on specific tasks and review this periodically. This will help you to identify the ways in which you may be wasting time instead of saving it, giving you the chance to do something about it moving forward.
9. Have hobbies and interests outside of work
When you are passionate about what you do, it’s easy to want to dedicate 100% of your time to your work. After all, it may not even really feel like work. However, you need to start treating it that way. Otherwise, you will never have a life outside of your business. One way in which you could achieve this goal is by making sure that you engage in hobbies outside of your work.
Not only is this a great way to build a better work-life balance, but it can also provide you with a much-needed outlet for stress, frustration, and anxiety. Furthermore, it can also provide you with the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals.
Fortunately, there are countless options to choose from when it comes to picking up new hobbies in adulthood. For example, you could return to an activity that you once loved as a child or try something entirely new, be that an exercise class or creative activity.
10. Take time off when you need it
Taking time off when you need it, such as when you are feeling unwell or experiencing high levels of stress, is also crucial. This is because there is little benefit to working when unwell. Not only will even the most simple of tasks take much longer to complete, but you’re also much more prone to making mistakes during this time. However, when you take time off to rest and recover, you can ensure that you’re on top form again in no time whatsoever.
One of the essential time management tips for CEOs is prioritizing personal time. Taking time off when needed, in addition to regular breaks, allows you to optimize your effectiveness and ensure your time works for you.
11. Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is another great way to ensure you are making the most of the time you have on your hands. This is because it ensures that you’re entering work each day with enough sleep/rest under your belt while also giving you the chance to stay on top of your health. If you find it hard to shut off at night, try to limit the use of technology after 8 pm, and don’t use your phone for at least an hour before trying to go to sleep. This will kick your body’s sleep-wake cycle into action.
Final thoughts
Time management tips for CEOs are essential, even if it doesn’t initially seem so. There are numerous steps CEOs can take to gain control of their time. While excelling in business is crucial, CEOs are also individuals who need to find a balance between professional and personal life.
