CEO & Executive Time Management: 10 Wildly Effective Tips

As an executive productivity coach, I always see CEOs and executives chasing their tails trying to catch up on their tasks.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

That’s why I’m letting you in on a few CEO time management strategies to help you reclaim your time, streamline your workflow, and be a better leader.

In fact, these strategies are the same ones Carey and I used to grow our business and family while working fewer hours and traveling the world.

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

💡Key takeaways:

As a CEO or executive, you’re incredibly busy – but there are VERY effective ways to help you lead more effectively, while growing your business and having more time for yourself.
Some of the most effective ways to improve your time management as a CEO or executive is to audit your time and say no to things that don’t serve you (which you’ll learn here below).
On average, CEOs work 58 hours per week – but you can design your own schedule and life.

How do you manage your time as a CEO?

As a CEO, you make high-stakes decisions, steer the vision, and manage teams.

That takes skills like:

Leadership
Communication
Strategic thinking
Decision-making
Emotional intelligence

But more importantly, it requires being intentional with your time, energy, and focus.

And that’s something most CEOs want to get better at.

The key?

Managing your time in a way that works for you and allows you to focus on what drives your business instead of mundane tasks.

For example, Carey and I rely on our FAST model.

And as head coach at Lifehack Method, my schedule is PACKED with live calls and meetings (like many CEOs).

To make the most of my time, I start the day with deep work blocks and save shallow work for the afternoon.

Of course, how CEOs manage their time is always different.

For example, Elon Musk works from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

🕖7-8 a.m. Wake up, check phone, shower, and drop kids at school before heading to work

🕗9 a.m.-8 p.m. Work (avoids calls and emails)

🕗8 p.m.-10 p.m. Business dinner

🕙10 p.m.-1 a.m. Head home, unwind, go to bed

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, also starts his day early:

🕓4-7 a.m. Wake up, check emails, exercise, head to work

🕢7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Meetings

🕐1-2 p.m. Lunch

🕑2-6 p.m. Work, head home

🕖7 p.m. Dinner

🕤9:30 p.m. Bedtime

But Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, enjoys slower mornings.

🕡6:30-10 a.m. Wake up, exercise, cook breakfast for the kids, head to Amazon

🕙10 a.m.-12 p.m. Deep work

🕐1-5 p.m. Meetings, warehouse visits

🕔5 p.m. Head home

🕥10:30 p.m. Head home

Want to create the ultimate CEO time management strategy?

Then keep reading, because the systems I share below changed everything for me – and helped me work less, earn more, and be happier than ever.

10 most effective ways to manage your time as a CEO or executive

As a CEO or executive, you are BUSY – and 85% of CEOs feel they have no control over their schedule.

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of believing that time management won’t help because your schedule just… sucks.

Listen.

You could have the busiest schedule in the world, but I promise there are ways to optimize it.

Take my student Mike, for example.

He joined the Lifehack Tribe after he left his job as an executive on Wall Street to launch a business.

When I started coaching him, he was so busy that he was finding it hard to focus, get things done, and stay organized.

But he quickly learned to prioritize, get clarity, and redesign his workflow.

In just three weeks, he’d landed multiple million-dollar projects!

And with these CEO time management tips, you can do it, too.

Here’s how.

1. Set boundaries (say no)

Believe it or not, boundaries are a vital part of CEO time management.

And they’re not just for you.

…Even though they make it easier to maintain a work-life balance and avoid being one of the 79% of CEOs who work on the weekend.

They’re also great for your team.

How else will they know what they can – and can’t – expect from you?

And I know that some CEOs believe that you have to work yourself to the bone to make a difference.

But the reality is that setting boundaries around your schedule and communication policy won’t make you less productive, successful, or competitive.

They’ll just make your leadership journey more sustainable.

2. Audit your time

Ever feel like your time just disappears?

Then I want you to try a time audit.

When you audit your time, you track every hour – at the office and home – for two weeks to find out exactly how you spend it.

At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have hard data that shows you:

How you spend your time
Which tasks you focus the most on
What your priorities are
Which meetings take up too much of your time
Areas that could be improved
Opportunities for outsourcing or delegation (which I’ll talk about later)

Chances are, you’ll surprise yourself.

And that’s why it’s such an incredible tool for CEO time management.

When you know where your time is going, you can identify and eliminate “low-hanging fruit” to optimize your calendar.

Hear more about time audits in this video:

But there’s one other audit I want you to conduct.

An energy audit.

Keep track of when your energy levels are highest and lowest, and build your schedule around them.

For example, my highest energy moments are in the morning, so I schedule deep work blocks before I start to slow down in the afternoon.

3. Get rid of unnecessary meetings

I firmly believe that meetings are the ultimate productivity killer. 🔪

In fact, studies have found that nearly 75% of them are entirely ineffective.

That’s why I minimize meetings as much as possible and recommend you do, too.

Sounds impossible, right? Aren’t CEOs and executives inundated with meetings and calls? 🤝

Not if you have the right tools.

Deciding to limit ALL Lifehack Method communication to Asana was the best decision Carey and I ever made.

That approach has allowed us to reduce meetings to:

One team meeting every other week for our coaching staff
One team meeting per week for our operations team
Very few one-to-ones

You could also try screencasting first to help others troubleshoot or solve a problem. If it doesn’t help, then you can schedule a meeting.

But some meetings just have to happen, right?

When those crop up, schedule them effectively!

That means waiting to have them until the end of the week when energy is typically lowest.

4. Set goals

The best CEOs have goals.

Why?

Because goals help you:

Prioritize
Stay motivated
Measure success
Focus on what matters most
Perform at your highest level

But they have to be the RIGHT kind of goals: SMART. 🧠

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound – and it’s the key to setting goals you can finish once you’ve started.

Once you’ve determined what you’re working toward, try to leverage your goals.

In other words, determine which goals will move the needle the furthest distance in the shortest amount of time – and do those first.

5. Plan ahead

As an executive coach, I always ask my clients who feel overwhelmed if they plan ahead.

And nine times out of ten, the answer is no.

And that KILLS me – after all, Carey and I swear by pre-planning our weeks.

📚We even wrote a book about it!

Why?

Because planning ahead is a key strategy to making the most of your precious time.

We designed our Winning the Week Method to be used for everything from project management to communication. 🏆

It’s a great way to gain clarity and plan for anything that could be thrown your way.

It’s a simple five-step process.

Step one: Review your last week. What went well? What could be improved?

Step two: Set goals for this week. Whenever possible, break them into smaller actionable tasks.

Step three: Prioritize your tasks (which I’ll discuss next).

Step four: Set aside dedicated blocks of time for those priorities.

Step five: Review and adjust as needed.

I’ll teach you the ins and outs of the formula and why it works in this guide.

And hey, sometimes your weeks are all over the place, right?

The truth is, you can still plan for even the most chaotic weeks.

In fact, that’s when it’s more essential than ever.

Carey and I talk about planning unpredictable weeks in this video:

6. Prioritize tasks

CEOs or executives have mile-long to-do lists – and it can be overwhelming trying to determine what to do first. 📋

Remember what I said about leveraging your goals earlier?

You can do it with your tasks, too!

Out of sheer instinct, most of us gravitate toward getting the smaller, more manageable tasks out of the way first.

But all you’re really doing is putting off the bigger, more important ones.

So, just as you’d do with your goals, figure out which task has the most leverage and can make everything else easier.

It will propel you to new heights.

For example, when our client Kathryn learned to prioritize and leverage her tasks, she saved so much time that she was able to start her own consulting business!

I’ll tell you how to prioritize tasks in this quick video:

But sometimes you need a little extra help – and that’s where task managers like Asana come in.

Not only does it help us prioritize and re-prioritize instantly, but it also ensures Carey and I never miss deadlines, keep all our tasks in one place, and remember everything we’ve got going on.

Figure out if it’s right for you with this video:

We love it so much that we launched an Asana Mastery course to help you make the most of it, too!

Check it out here.

7. Block time

For a lot of CEOs and executives, multitasking seems like a no-brainer.

But when you get right down to it, there’s no point in trying because it won’t work.

Multitasking is actually just rapid task-switching, which reduces your productivity by as much as 40%.

That’s productivity you can’t afford to lose!

Instead, start blocking out dedicated time for each task on your calendar. 📅

It’ll help you avoid chaos, transition more smoothly between tasks, and kick procrastination to the curb.

Better yet, batch your tasks!

When you do, you’re far more likely to reach a flow state – which boosts productivity by a staggering 500%.

But it’s not just for tasks.

Don’t be afraid to block time just for focusing or thinking. 💭

Unscheduled time will allow you to tackle complex problems, handle unplanned interruptions, develop new ideas, and get clarity without pressure.

To get started, try our Sticky Focus Game.

I’ll tell you to play in this video:

8. Delegate effectively

Don’t be afraid to hand some of your responsibilities off. 👐

Doing so is an absolute game-changer for CEO time management.

In fact, research has found that CEOs who delegate well see a 33% higher growth rate and generate 33% more revenue than those who don’t.

Still trying to decide what to delegate?

Here’s the key: unless you’re the only one in the company who can do it, you can delegate it.

Seriously – focus on what really needs your expertise and get rid of the rest!

Just do it wisely and delegate tasks to the people with the right skills and expertise to handle them.

Sometimes, delegation feels like more work.

Either you chose the wrong person, or your instructions weren’t clear. Hint: It’s probably the latter.

So be as transparent as humanly possible in your instructions and expectations.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working with a virtual assistant or team member.

ALWAYS take the time to walk them through each task, start to finish, and promote transparency in your strategy.

Carey will show you how to delegate effectively in this video:

Pro tip: you can outsource personal tasks like home management and laundry, too!

Want to learn to delegate like a pro? Then check out our Outsourcing Mastery course.

9. Use tech tools

You’ll be AMAZED at how much time you can save if you have the right kind of technology. 💻

Here are some tools to add to your tech stack:

Digital calendars are one of the best ways to keep your schedule organized.
Asana will help you manage entire projects with visual boards, comments, and more.
Cloud storage systems like Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud make it possible to access all of your documents from anywhere at any time, on any device.
Video conferencing tools, like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, simplify meetings and communication.

And, finally, AI.

As AI evolves, so does its ability to help with time management for CEOs and executives.

If you haven’t used it yet, chances are, you’ve given it some thought.

After all, 79% of CEOs believe AI will enhance business efficiencies, and another 87% say its benefits outweigh its risks.

But if you’re still hesitant, remember – it’s there to help you.

At Lifehack Method, we use it to take over our most dreaded tasks, like creating SOPs (standard operating procedures).

Instead of asking my team to spend hours creating step-by-step SOPs, I just have them use Loom – and they’ve finished in minutes!

They film themselves doing the task, have Loom generate a transcript, and drop it into ChatGPT to turn it into an SOP.

Seriously, that’s all the prompt is: “Turn this transcript into a step-by-step SOP.”

I explain it in this quick, three-minute video:

But we don’t stop there.

Carey and I are constantly exploring and testing Asana’s AI capabilities, like smart summaries, editor, rules, and goals.

We also make sure our entire team is using AI.

Each month, we have them identify at least one new way that AI can help them do their jobs better and faster each month.

10. Have a daily routine

And, finally, the most important of any CEO time management tips I could offer.

Create AND STICK TO a daily routine.

A daily routine will help you lead with more clarity and effectiveness. It will also help you:

Several well-known CEOs have routines, including:

Jack Dorsey meditated for an hour and walked five miles to work each day while he was CEO of Twitter.
Warren Buffet eats breakfast at the same McDonald’s each morning, plays bridge after work, and goes to bed at 10:45 each night.

As you build your own routine, block time first for the activities that refill your cup.

It might be a morning workout, healthy breakfast, or quiet reflection. But a good routine also sets time aside for things like family, reading, or just being outside.

I have two workday routines that I swear by – my “start work” and “finish work” routines. Read about them here.

Now that I’ve shown you the best CEO time management tips, you might be wondering…

“How many hours do I actually have to get everything done?”

That’s what I’ll tell you next, so keep reading!

How many hours do CEOs work in a day?

Studies have found that the average CEO works about 58 hours per week.

That’s just over 11 hours per day.

But remember, that’s the average.

Some CEOs work far more, like Elon Musk, who works 120 hours per week (17 hours per day). Others work less than 40 hours.

What you should strive for depends on several different factors, including your goals, industry demands, and, most importantly, how well you manage your time.

Want to make the most of the hours you do have?

Then keep reading, because in the next section, I’ll give you a time management template you can use to do exactly that!

Use this CEO time management template!

Ready to get started on your CEO time management journey?

Here’s a template to help you out:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
7-8 a.m.	Morning routine	Morning routine	Morning routine	Morning Routine	Morning routine
8-9 a.m.	Deep work	Deep work	Deep work	Deep work	Deep work
9-10 a.m.	Strategic planning	Team meetings	Strategic planning	Team meetings	Strategic planning
10-11 a.m.	Team meetings	Client calls	Team meetings	Client calls	Team meetings
11 a.m.-12 p.m.	Emails and admin	Emails and admin	Emails and admin	Emails and admin	Emails and admin
12-1 p.m.	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1-2 p.m.	Project work	Project work	Project work	Project work	Project work
2-3 p.m.	Client calls	Deep work	Client calls	Deep work	Client calls
3-4 p.m.	Deep work	Strategic planning	Deep work	Strategic planning	Deep work
4-5 p.m.	Networking	Networking	Networking	Networking	Networking
5-6 p.m.	Emails and wrap-up	Emails and wrap-up	Emails and wrap-up	Emails and wrap-up	Emails and wrap-up

What’s next?

There you have it! A step-by-step guide to CEO time management.

Ready to take your productivity to the next level?

Then you’ll want to grab our Winning the Week worksheet.

It’s a simple front-and-back worksheet that will help you get better clarity, control, and relief from your busy schedule.

And you can get it for free here:

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