We all have equal hours in a week: 168 hours. As a matter of fact, sometimes we wish we had more time.
According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, CEOs work an average of 62.5 hours per week and attend 27 meetings. Therefore, it is very important for them to use the time correctly.
Every CEO has their own productivity trick to best manage their time. Let’s take a closer look at 9 productivity hacks from 9 CEOs.
1) Elon Musk: Forget hierarchical structure and communicate directly when needed
Elon Musk warns that following the chain of command can sometimes slow down progress process quite a bit.
Posted on Inc.com in the article , the sentence in an e-mail that Elon Musk sent to his employees explains the situation:
“The message to be conveyed should be sent directly by the shortest path necessary to do the job.”
He decries and adds that the main problem in most enterprises is caused by inefficient communication between departments:
“The way to solve this problem is to allow a free flow of information between all levels. To communicate between departments, an individual participant should easily talk to their manager, a vice president, or a manager from another department. People should speak directly and do the right thing.”
2) Dustin Moskovitz: Schedule one day a week without meetings
Dustin Moskovitz, CEO of Asana, does not receive any meetings on Wednesdays. He also calls this the NMW (No Meeting Wednesday) rule. In the article on Asana’s blog, Dustin Moskovitz explains the Wednesday without a meeting:
“NMW’s top goal is to create a time gap for employees to fully devote their energies to their work.”
The situation described in detail in Paul Graham’s article Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule is, in essence, trying to prevent people from experiencing significant discomfort from the interruption of streaming times.
3) Josh Luber: Set specific intervals for short sleep
Josh Luber, CEO of StockX, encourages sleep during office hours.
He says that short naps are the best way to replenish energy during the day.
“I have found that the best way to maintain my productivity is to take a nap during the day. I increase my efficiency and energy by renewing myself with 11-minute sleeps twice a day.”
4) Sara Blakely: Make thinking a routine
Sara Blakely, Spanx’s CEO, devotes a certain amount of time each day to thinking. Her only problem is that her house is very close to his office (!)
In an interview , she explains that she has developed her own methods in this regard:
“I found a solution, as my friends call it, the ‘fake commute’ method. I wake up an hour earlier than my time to get to Spanx and wander aimlessly through Atlanta.”
Blakely also carries a notebook with her to make boring situations more efficient and writes down the thoughts that come to her mind in this notebook:
“Due to my job, I have to participate in many boring activities. Since I couldn’t leave my place, I started to carry a notebook.”
5) Katia Beauchamp: Make your email correspondence as fast as possible
Katia Beauchamp, co-founder of Birchbox, has a simple productivity trick: Adding a deadline for responses to emails.
Beauchamp emphasizes in an interview with Lifehacker that the practice of adding a deadline for this return is of great benefit in organizing priorities.
6) Jason Fried: Know how to say no
Basecamp CEO Jason Fried says saying ‘yes’ to every question is detrimental to your productivity. He argues that it should be more selective in this regard.
Let’s take a closer look at his advice on Liferhakcer:
“All the techniques and advice in the world are no substitute for saying ‘no’. I try to keep things to do as little as possible instead of constantly adding tasks to myself. Your time and attention are your most valuable resources. Know how to say ‘no’ to focus on what you need to do yourself.”
7) Meg Whitman: Try to make practical decisions
“When it’s time to make a decision, stop wasting time. A quick yes or no is much more important than a slow yes or no. This way, even if there is a problem, you can quickly grasp it and find a solution.”
Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, told Forbes in the interview making such a recommendation. It also highlights the importance of being clear to avoid overthinking:
“People can freeze themselves when analyzing a situation. Exploring the possibilities too much will limit your mobility. That’s why you have to think and act as quickly as possible. Although the things that will follow are bad, unexpected things have to happen to be able to control them.”
8) Jeff Weiner: Send less e-mail
LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner argues that few people send fewer emails. In a post he shared on LinkedIn, he noticed how much a clean email public box can lighten people up.
From this point on, which he realized, Weiner, who began to write only the necessary things in e-mail, says that this is a big step for efficiency.
“The result: Less email and a much more navigable inbox. I try to stick to that rule.”
9) Brian Chesky: Build better lists
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky creates an easy to understand to-do list every morning.
He talks about the importance of the to-do list when he is a guest on Master of Scale:
“Make a list of everything you want to accomplish during the day. When making this list, include as much detail as possible. Group a few similar tasks together. Then, get down to business.
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Continue grouping until the main headings are formed:
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List 20 things you need to do. You’ll find that you don’t actually need to do all 20 things. If you group them together, you’ll have done 3 big things.”
✍️ Author’s Note and Final Thoughts
When we look closely at the recommendations given; we can see that they basically aim to be more organized in daily life and to make small changes in some issues.
So these people don’t need to make big sacrifices to make time for themselves. Or they can’t do everything thanks to a magic wand. They make the most of the time they have with just some tweaks and minor changes.
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