What is CEO Time?
Over the past year in our Advisory Practice, we’ve introduced the action of scheduling CEO Time to our clients. (And by “introduce,” I mean: force them to pull out their calendars and schedule it – ha). Most have really embraced the concept <insert heart swelling>. And we’ve found that once creative entrepreneurs get into the swing of making it a priority, they wisely begin to ask: what really is CEO time? What should I be doing, AND: how do I make time for it… when other things feel more demanding?
What is CEO Time?
So first, let’s define it.
The Ellevated Outcomes definition of CEO Time is: a block of proactively scheduled, uninterrupted time for you to work on your business. “On the business means:” you are planning or actioning activities for your future state. When you’re in CEO Time, you’re in proactive mode.
What is it not?
CEO Time is not production work; it’s not client work, nor crafting or fulfilling production orders. It’s not even executing your marketing (meaning: posting on social media or networking) or following up on late payments.
CEO Time looks like…
- Meeting with your business advisor 😉
- Attracting, managing, & developing talent
- Developing strategic partnerships & marketing planning
- Money forecasting
- Creating new products – what most creative entrepreneurs want to be doing
When, How Long, & How Often is CEO Time?
Your CEO Time should be first thing in the morning. Even if you’re not a morning person – whenever your morning starts is the time to schedule it. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen. If you wait until the afternoon or evening, it will get overtaken.
Personally, I schedule mine to begin before “the workday,” usually starting at 8am. I organize and plan my priorities from 7:30-8:00, then my CEO Time is from 8-9:30. My body and brain enjoy an early-start and early-finish day; but I think that everyone should work with their internal clocks.
Your CEO Time should be 90 minutes. Some amount of time is better than no time, but schedule 90 minutes on your calendar.
How often goes back to my infamous “it depends.” For Ellevated Outcomes’ current business stage, I have 3 CEO Time Blocks per week. Discipline is the name of the game!
When we begin working with new clients, we require 1x/week. It’s an adjustment for everyone, so if it feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. But I promise: everyone can find 90 minutes per week. Part of our value is helping people identify where they’re spending unnecessary time and money; so an outside set of eyes is always helpful to unlock new time and money.
How do I make time for it… when I really don’t want to?
I can’t overstate this enough: making time for CEO Time requires discipline. The whole point is: it’s time filled with actions that you don’t have to do. You’re changing positions: transitioning from a defense player to an offense player for your business. The most effective way I’ve found to stay actionable and inspired to do CEO Work is to have specific focus and goals for each time block.
For example, this quarter, I’m making extra effort to wear my People Director, Marketing Director, & Client Experience Director hats during my CEO Time. I wear one hat per time block. Remember: you want 90 minutes of deep, proactive, meaningful work. This isn’t to-do list time. It’s time to go above and beyond, instead of reacting to the minimum that has to get done. Here are the specific examples from my last week:
- People Director: I branded, edited, and streamlined our Employee Offboarding Checklist. This updated checklist allows me to delegate – or better yet automate – this process in the future.
- Marketing Director: I analyzed the data and outcomes of our prior 6 months of marketing and business development. This analysis has given me the information to adjust our plan for the remainder of 2023 (did you notice the return of blogs? ha!).
- Client Experience Director: oh my gosh, this was by far the best hat to wear! I mood boarded and updated the project plan for our upcoming Client Appreciation Event. For my future self or others, this will become our Client Appreciation Event Operating Manual so that each year gets easier and easier.
What will CEO Time do for you?
I believe that CEO Time is for everyone. Even if you work for someone else, I believe that everyone should make the time to be CEO of your work portfolio, career, or life. CEO Time can be applied to any situation; I’ve done it for my whole career, even when I was a wee little cog in a 30,000 employee company.
CEO Time is for people who want to grow, develop, and do more. Making time for CEO Time will make you feel smart, strategic, and productive. It’s the key to being in charge, not just of your business – but yourself.
