How do top business leaders spend their time? A leadership consulting firm, CMOE recently did a survey 267 C-level executives (all at the vice president level or higher) at Fortune 500 companies. It includes 163 companies including Google, Adobe, Twitter, AT&T, Motorola, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, DHL, Boeing, BP, GE, Delta, Federal Express, HP, John Deere, Kelloggs and Rio Tinto.
Here are the 6 things you can learn from their day:
1. Exercise
Exercise helps you stay productive. Most influential leaders in America said the same thing. They exercises for 45 minutes and commutes 25 minutes each way. This daily activity will help boost your mood and energy.
2. Email and Text
Every workday, average leader spends 2 hours and 25 minutes on email and texting. Still it is a large part of the day, but it is limited. Be sure to set periods of time to respond and send emails and text messages, which will help you to stay productive throughout the day and limit distractions.
3. Planning and Strategy
Be sure to set aside time to set planning and strategic for the future. The average leader spends 25 minutes per day on strategy and planning. Do this every day. It will allow you to capitalize on strategic opportunities that others miss.
4. Team work
Work in teams and help each other obtain the goals from your strategy and planning sessions. Over 50% of leaders spend more time working with people & teams than their own personal tasks & projects. The average leaders only spend 1 hour and 45 minutes on his/her personal tasks and projects. This solidifies the fact that strategy is a team effort and that an effective leader spends the majority of their time working with and helping others.
5. Make time for friends and family
The average leader spends 8 hours per week socializing. Be social and spend time with those you care about away from work. Get out and have fun, interact with people and maintain a healthy work life balance.
6. Develop yourself
Spend at least 30 minutes every night for your own personal development. This can be reading a book, learning a new skill, writing in your journal or polishing on you already have, that will make you better day after day. The small amount of time adds up as does the value that you get from it.
The infographic below shows the average day according to their survey