6 Essential time management tips for CEOs

As your company grows, being a Founder & CEO requires a paradigm and mindset shift. You can’t manage daily tasks anymore. In this article I shall dig deep into the top 6 crucial time management tips for CEOs to help you focus more on your real priorities!

You could be working on your business or else you would be stuck working in your business.

Applying these time management tips for CEOs frees up your time = Boosts your profit!

It’s a simple equation:

• Time = Money: Your hourly work directly translates to monetary value.

• Time Management = Freeing up that “money” for other activities.

• Investing Freed-up Time = Boosting your business. Potentially double or even triple the profit you generate.

Proper time management grants you the opportunity to work on profit-making activities.

Here are 6 tips that you need today:

1️⃣ Spending, Wasting or Investing?

The first time management tip is becoming aware of how your time is spent:

• Investing Time: Activities that directly benefit your company’s growth and should be prioritized. Like revenue-generating projects that build strategic partnerships, and contribute to your long-term goals.

• Spending Time: Activities that might not be bad, but could be optimized. For example, attending a one-hour meeting where only 15 minutes are truly relevant.

• Wasting Time: Activities that don’t contribute to your goals and can be delegated.

Next, take a detached, helicopter view to analyze your work. Ask yourself:

• What are my core responsibilities?

• What tasks are essential for me to handle?

• What can be streamlined or delegated?

2️⃣ Delegate, Automate & Eliminate

Don’t waste time on repetitive tasks. Consider investing time in training someone else. This can free up hours & boost your time management in the long run.

Here’s how to delegate effectively:

1. Start Small: Choose a low-risk simple task you’re comfortable delegating.

2. Match Task and Person: Find the right person for the job. Discuss their needs (training, resources).

3. Regular Check-ins: Schedule meetings to track progress and offer support, but avoid micromanaging.

4. Let go: The psychological barrier. This might need some practicing of self-control

The goal is for your team to own their tasks and make decisions without constant input or approval from you.

Other than delegation, you can also automate and eliminate.

• Automate: Utilize apps, websites, and AI tools. This helps automate repetitive tasks & integrate different systems with each other.

• Eliminate: Eliminate activities that don’t contribute significantly to your company’s goals. This may involve saying no to meetings. Or eliminating tasks you hold onto for comfort, even if it feels initially risky.

3️⃣ Structure your workweek

• Weekly Themes: Divide your workweek into dedicated themes. Example: Mondays for internal meetings & Tuesdays for focused work on your business.

• Time Blocking: Specify certain hours for certain tasks.

• Protect Your Time: Set boundaries to ensure these blocks are respected.

• Seek Assistance: Consider utilizing an assistant or virtual assistant. To help with your time management.

Rule your calendar, do not let your calendar rule you!

4️⃣ Start Listening to Your People

I have listened to many podcasts and read many articles about time management tips for CEOs, but no one mentioned this critical one! By listening to what works, what’s frustrating, and employee ideas, it pays off in multiple ways.

• Reduced costs by freeing up time that was wasted before.

• Improved quality of deliverables, and overall better results.

• Innovation instead of simply going through the motions.

• Improved business operations.

Your people are the most important asset. Sometimes a CEO prioritizes client relations & customer requests. But underestimates the power of their people.

5️⃣ Meetings: Only What’s Necessary

Time management for meetings allows more focus and you get more out of the allotted time:

1. Purpose & Invitees: Always have a clear purpose for the meeting. Invite only those directly involved.

2. Meeting Assistance: Utilize tools that track discussion points & generate minutes. Also, tools that facilitate action plans for follow-up.

3. Pre-Circulated Information: Don’t waste meeting time presenting information. Share it with participants in advance so they can come prepared for discussion.

4. Diverse Perspectives: Encourage a variety of viewpoints. Use frameworks like “Six Thinking Hats”.

6️⃣ Eliminating Distractions

This is one of the most critical time management tips for CEOs! Phone calls, emails, and notifications constantly interrupt your workflow? By implementing these strategies, you can create a less distracting work environment:

• • Email Schedule: Check your email at specific times (e.g., three 30-minute blocks per day). Don’t constantly check your inbox.

  • Silence Notifications: Turn off notifications on your desktop and watch to minimize interruptions.

  • Background Music: Consider using calming background music to improve focus.

  • Structured Open Door Policy: Change your “open door” policy to designated times (e.g., 2-4 pm). This allows focused work periods for yourself.

Summary

Since Time = Money, you need the following time management tips for CEOs:

• Spending, Wasting or Investing?

• Delegate, Automate & Eliminate

• Structuring Workweek: Weekly Themes & Time Blocks

• Start Listening to Your People

• Meetings: Only What’s Necessary

• Dealing with Distractions

This article is based on the LinkedIn audio event with Sweden’s top CEO coach, Susanne Ekström.

Finally, do you want to step ahead?

The “LinkedIn Influence Accelerator” is a course for founders, coaches, and communicators. It is crafted for professionals who want to create a process for consistent business growth while enjoying time freedom, using Linkedin.

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