Productivity and Time Management for CEOs

Welcome to Building Better Developers, the Developer Nord podcast, where we work on getting better step by step, professionally and personally. Let's get started. Well, hello and welcome back. We are at part two of an interview. We're getting back into our conversation with Donna Dubay of the CEO Amplify podcast. We are talking productivity. We're talking about being effective, making the most of our time, making the decisions that make sense, in particular from her point of view, if you are an executive leading an organization, leading a team. But also, there's a lot of little nuggets here that are going to be good. Just how do you lead yourself through a day? Let's get right back to our conversation and see how much we can improve our productivity even today. Now, do you find that sometimes when you're working with CEOs that sometimes an iterative type process where they go and they build it all out and then they realize that they have just built out a schedule that is more hours in a day or more days in a week? Yes. Oh, yes. And they get frustrated with it many times, to be honest with you, because they don't like to be put into a box. Right? And so there is some flexibility. There is some grace there. I'm not saying, oh, it's 902. You must do this now. But to have that general plan of this is what my week is going to be like, it also helps with decision fatigue. Like if you think about it, if you have to get up every morning and you have to decide what in the world you're going to have for breakfast, you have to open your closet and take 15 minutes to figure out what clothes you're going to wear, turn on your computer and then another 20 minutes to decide what am I working on today? And you know, your team is dinging. They want you. This is popping. You've got emails going. That's not the way to start your day. And so when you put these foundations in place, you reduce the decision fatigue. You get up, you know exactly what you're working on. You know, Tuesday mornings, that's my client call time. Clients can book me for half an hour sessions during that time. As an example, they want to reach me on Thursday. It's going to have to be email because Thursday I work on my marketing content. Right? So it just sets that foundation up. Certainly that calendar changes over time because we have different seasons in our life and different seasons in our business. But it gives a good foundation to start with and then we can tweak as we go. Now, do you find that it's something that often is that calendar, that schedule is something that's like on a weekly basis it may change or do you find that they're particularly I'm thinking some, you know, some jobs, some roles are very static, but a CEO is usually a little more dynamic. And so do you find that those are things they almost have to like just every week look at, once again, I got to sit down. What's important to me? You know, where's my family? Am I my wife and then sort of work it that way? Yes, 100% because for a lot of CEOs, travel is a big part of the game. Right. And so travel, we know upsets your schedule, right? It doesn't fit in a little box. And so yes, for sure. Every week having a look at that calendar and saying, OK, what do I need to adjust and change this week? The foundational pieces are in there. You just need to move them around. And to use that as well as sort of a look back so that they can look back there and sort of say, OK, here's where here's the gaps from last week where things got missed. And now I'm going to is that sort of work into priorities as you go into the next week? Yes, 100%. So each week and also at the end of the month. So at the end of the month, we'll do a little refraction and review. Where was I spending my time? Where did my focus go? Well, many of us can't remember the beginning of the month. Like it's almost November now. I'm having trouble with the beginning of October. Right. So that calendar helps us look and say, oh, yeah, that week I was out. You know, something happened to my parents and my time got shifted. Or that week I spent a lot of time on this project and didn't focus so much on these other things. So yes, the calendar really helps to go back and reflect and review. Then, you know, because you talked about, you know, and we do, you know, I'll look back sometimes Friday. I can't remember what I did Monday, and particularly if my calendar gets blown up, if I've got, you know, let's say I had a Monday that was just perfectly scheduled and here's all the things I was going to do and then whatever happened and not, you know, had a car accident beginning of the day and now the whole day was lost or something like that. Do you have is there any sort of like a reporting mechanism or something like that that you have them build into that sort of as they're going? So they have that, you know, something to say, hey, this is what happened that day or, hey, this is why this went off the, you know, went out, got off schedule. Yes, for sure. So I have a PDF, which is kind of like a 90 day planner, but it's called CEO Pulse Check. And so we use that each and every week. We use it during our power hours to write down what our priorities are. And then there's also a pace for tracking. So we're tracking, you know, what did I focus on each day, Monday to Friday? And then if there are personal habits that you're also tracking, you know, the water or your steps or your sleep, there's a spot in there for that as well. So we can track each of those things week by week. Yeah, because that's the aim obviously is to get 1% better than we are right now. Right. So it's a journey and we have to keep taking that step forward. So what are the metrics? Are the do you have metrics that you typically can give them that allow them to figure out that 1% or is it really a case by case basis? It's really a case by case basis. Yes. Yes. Because it's so individual what you're really focusing on compared to the next business owner. Right. How do you because this is I think is a challenge for busy people, which would be CEOs is, is that part of the process is getting them the habit of recording that kind of stuff and really doing that as part of their hour and some of their planning to say, OK, I also need to record and sort of track a little bit what I've done. Yes. And it is a new habit. And you're going to find it frustrating at first because it's not part of your regular routine. Right. And whenever we try and bring something in new, you know, it needs an adjustment. It needs some tweaking. But I have found through working with clients, both individually and in group, that it's so beneficial once they get into that habit each week. They know it's they're expecting it. OK, Monday morning. That's my time. I'm reviewing this and that. I've got my priorities and we learn so much about ourselves. It's almost a big self accountability if we want to look at it that way, because we learn so much about where our time and energy is going, how we're feeling and what we need as the CEO to survive and thrive. You brought up you mentioned that you deal with whether it's individuals or groups. And that was one of the things we asked next. So do you have a lot of situations, you have situations where the CEO starts to do this and then realizes that they want to push that down into the organization so that that because it seems to me like if you've got a group, it's a lot easier to have the same language, the same goals, the sort of that same be on the same page as far as we're all going to get better. We're all going to, you know, manage our time better. And finally, I have had that situation where yes, okay, CEO has gone into a lice. Now we're moving that into sort of next level of management and, you know, incorporating a way of them tracking as well. Where are our priorities? What do we have to focus on? And it really does help the team move forward when you're on the same page. We know that in theory, but putting into practice sometimes is harder. And then you have, this is also maybe a little telling on people who are not, but is it typically that your customers come to you and they've had something happen? They're like, okay, I need to manage my time. Or do you have some where it's like the, like maybe the board said, hey, you need to get your schedule or their spouse or their workers came back in a review and said you're unavailable or something like that. What are some of the, I guess the genesis or the impetus for some of these to, for somebody to come to you and say, hey, I need to get my schedule under control. Right, right. So I know for me personally, it was really my family pushing. So I was, you know, like many of us really enjoying the work I was doing in my business. And my family was always coming center or coming second in place. Right? So my kids were saying, hey, mom, when are we going to? My husband's like, when will you be done? Are you going to sit at the dinner table with us tonight? And so really that wake up call from them pushed me to figure out, okay, how can I do this better? And so I would say most of the people that come to me and find me, it's either within them or it's their family pushing them. So they sometimes feel I don't have time. I can tell I'm dropping balls and other parts of my life that I'm not happy with. My health is deteriorating and I need to get it back on track. I'm a bottleneck in my business. I'm stuck in the weeds too much. I know I'm doing these tiny little tasks and I need to step back and really look at the growth and the high level tasks. So most of them are aware of it, but they're not sure what do I do now? What's the solution? Right? How do I change? How do I incorporate these new habits? I think a lot of times that's the challenge. You're like, okay, things aren't right, but do they, do you still, even when they come to you like that, or do you still up having sort of the, to fight with them about like, hey, you can get, you want to get rid of some of these things, you do have to get rid of some of these things because versus the, you know, fix this. And then they say, well, okay, things need to change. And then you realize that there's nothing that they leave open to change. Yes, yes. I mean, certainly they have to be coachable, right? So again, that mindset has to be there that I'm willing to try. I'm willing to listen and try to make an effort to see what can happen. And it does take, you know, time on both sides. And so I find that having not continuous, but close contact with them while I'm working with them helps. So even within the group program, we'll meet three times a week as a quick catch in, you know, a little bit of masterminding, a little bit of mentoring and a little bit of accountability so that we're keeping everybody on track as we move through the week. So we'll sit and do our CEO power hours together and we'll have some time in the middle of the week where it's just focus work. So everybody comes with a task, something from our three priorities and we literally work. So we have that set time on the calendar. And then Fridays are sort of a check in and say, how was our week? What went well? What didn't go well? What do I want to look at doing different for next week? So just having that close accountability as we move through it really does help. That is that because you brought up that you guys have a you have your CEO power, but then you have sort of that that designated work. It's like, hey, here's a block. Bring something to do. This is going to be a time for you to do something. Is that something that you when people are first starting out and they're building out their calendar, is that something that you sort of look for to help them out? Say, hey, because I know I can see people sitting there going down their list and they're just like, there's something. Are there some things you're like, hey, I don't see anything of this sort. Do you maybe do you maybe need to put a couple of blocks in or do you maybe need to do you work with them to do things like putting them because you talk about every every has got their sort of their rhythms and their their higher and lower productivity times. Is that maybe part of it, too? You say, OK, well, this is your your night person. So maybe from nine to 11 every night, you're most productive. Well, let's look at those and let's figure out what we're going to put into that. Or is it more task based and you find where it's done? What how do you sort of work with them to to find the most efficient, I guess, most efficient or productive? Yes. Calendar, as well as just making sure the task get in there. Yes. Right. So it's a little bit of both. So it's first off, you know, who are you as a person and how do you work? As you're saying, Rob, so if you are most productive time is X, then let's make sure your highest level of work and the things you really need to focus on where we're placing in that spot. Right. Checking emails and doing these other things. We're not putting in your most productive time of the day. Right. And so really finding out what your most productive time of the day is and then taking a step back and making sure we've got time for those three systems, marketing, sales and delivery within your week. And then any new projects that you're looking at. Fine. Where can we fit those in? But a lot of times I find a lot of the CEOs come with a lot of new projects, but we don't have our three marketing, sales and delivery systems really dialed in. And so I like to take a step back and say, let's get those foundations in place first. Because once we have those there, your team knows what they are. And they're rolling, you know, rinse and repeat almost that every week we know what we're doing and there's no bottlenecks. That's when we can bring in more and layer on more strategies. But we really need that basic foundation there first. So, yes, I do work with with them individually to say, when's your best time? And do we have those those three systems in place? Now, you you said the dreaded M word, or actually, I guess, it's the E word of mail there. Right. What is your this is something that just that came to mind because I see so many people doing this is what's your thoughts or your opinions and experience with the person that like every time they're like as soon as they get like they they're at a stoplight in a car and they're pulling their phone out to check some email or they're yeah, like every time they turn around, they're they're doing that email check. And particularly if it's not if it's not something they do during the day, particularly if they don't have like their 30 minute email block or something. And so they're they're doing that in a dead hour or dead time. What is your what's your view on them, you know, trying to, I guess, say, take advantage of that versus saying, no, like clear your plate so you don't feel you need to do that. Yes, yes. I 100 percent don't believe in inbox zero. I do believe in taking care of our inbox. So it's not something we can ignore. But I'm not pushing to have every CEO have an empty inbox because that's not a reality. For many of us, we do subscribe and probably are subscribed to many things we don't need to be. So that clean up we can definitely do. And then I think having set times when we're in our inbox and dealing with the messages is so much better than letting it roll through our day whenever we want, because typically when we leave it open or when we're checking it every five minutes, as you're saying, we're reading the email. We're deciding, but we're not taking action on it. And so it sits there. And then, you know, an hour later, we're back in our inbox again. Let me check that email from Rob. We're reading it again, thinking about it, maybe, you know, making a decision and still not taking action. And so my vote with inbox is that you have your 30 minutes, 20 minutes, whatever that's going to be a couple of times a day. And when you open that email, you've done something with it. So you open it, you read it, it's junk. It needs to be passed on to somebody else or I'll reply in two and three minutes. Or if it's something that's going to take longer than it's an actual task, and I need to put it in my project management tool or whatever you use for keeping track of your task. But you've actually taken an email and done something with it. So it's not just sitting there being read and you keep going back to it over and over. If you think about it like laundry, you know, we wash our clothes, we dry them. We fold them once. Right. Typically, we'll fold some if we get pulled away, the rest just sit there until we get back to folding laundry. We don't keep folding the pants halfway and then leaving them and then coming back and folding the shirt halfway and then leaving it. Right. So once you've opened that email, make sure you've done something with it. And it's much more productive in terms of our time in our inbox. The other piece of that is that as humans, of course, we like the the dopamine rush that we get sometimes from the ding and the notification that, you know, someone is trying to contact us. And so if that's, you know, what's driving you being in your social media or being in your email, then that's something we have to look at, because that's not your high level CEO work. And so maybe you need to look at turning your notifications off. Maybe there are distraction and keeping you away from doing the work that you're called to do. You mentioned again, we were subscribed to too many things. We probably watched too many things or looking at too many things. And I think it was referred to it in a generic sense of sort of the clutter of your of your day or your even your existence, I guess. Is that part of is that part of the conversation, particularly when you're scheduling and stuff like that is it's like, is there the I guess the question of does that even need to be on your schedule? Hmm. Yes. Right. I think for sure, having communication with your team and whatever you're responsible for on your inbox needs to be part of your schedule so that you are touching it. But again, it does not need to be a long time and can be quick sessions in and out and you're done. Well, we are we have rapidly shot through our time here. And so to be respective of your time. And I know everybody's everybody's out there. Like I said, everybody can use time back. Everybody can can have a I think everybody. It's helpful to have that second set of eyes on their schedule somewhere along the way and the accountability of OK, I put this together. Yeah, it's the right sizing your accountability, because sometimes we beat ourselves up too much. Sometimes not enough on not getting our calendar together. What is what are the best? What's the best way or what are the best ways to get a hold of you? If somebody said, hey, I think I need to spend some time and get my calendar back on track. Yeah. So my website is CEO Amplify dot C.A. So they can find me there. And then I also have the podcast, which you mentioned CEO Amplify on Apple and Google and all the spots. So welcome to join me there and listen. And if you do want to download the CEO Power Hour, it's right there on the website. So that will again walk you through a little bit of what we talked today in terms of, OK, I want to start this power hour. What does it look like? What do I need to focus on? And so that'll help get you started. Well, excellent. Well, thank you so much for your time and for being a guest here and providing a lot of great insight into what CEOs and other business, you know, executives and even entrepreneurs, I think, struggle with quite a bit. And it's it's definitely one of those that the more we the more we have that time, the more we can use it and properly invest it and become more successful and build things out. So I guess I'll leave it to you. Do you have any any parting recommendations or comments for anybody out there? It's like maybe the best way that they could say today, tomorrow, clean up their schedule or get a little more out of their day. Yeah, yeah. I have a quote by Brian Tracy that I really like. And he said that one hour in planning saves 10 hours in implementation. So if you spend one hour doing your weekly CEO Power Hour, that could save you 10 hours during the week. And what could you do with those 10 hours? That's perfect. Well, while the rest of you, all you're listening to think about what you can do with those 10 hours and reach out to Donna if you have any questions. Thank you so much and hope you have a good rest of your day. Thank you. And that will do it for this conversation. We are not done yet. Got a few more interviews to go. We are getting close to wrapping this season up, though, and we will be diving right into season 21 of this podcast. As always, if you have any questions, if you want to reach out to Donna, we will have links in the show notes. You can check those out, develop an order dot com. Otherwise, feel free to leave us a review, send her some questions. Shoot us questions info at develop an order dot com. But until next time, when we come back with our special topic and sort of continue this alternating approach, go out there and have yourself a great day, a great week. And we will talk to you next time. Thank you for listening to Building Better Developers, the Develop-a-Nor podcast. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon, anywhere that you can find podcasts. We are there. And remember, just a little bit of effort every day ends up adding into great momentum and great success. Please check out school dot develop an order dot com. That is where we are starting to pour a lot of our content. 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