The Power in the CEO Hour
Every Monday I head to my desk, clear minded about what I need to accomplish, and ready to start my week with purpose. The week ahead has been scheduled, and time has been blocked for the important things I have to do. And that’s because every Friday I take an hour to prepare myself and my business for success in the following week.
I believe everyone has the fundamental right to turn off their business brain for at least one whole day. And if you plan accordingly, this can happen for you by implementing an end of the week CEO Hour that aligns with your personal and business goals.
Initially I tried doing my CEO Hour on Monday mornings, but soon found that there were too many things pulling at my attention when my week started. So I backed up and tried Sundays, but they are sacred to me and time with my family comes first. So planning my week was either rushed or didn’t happen.
Waiting until Sundays also meant I would inevitably forget about a few things, and had my to-do’s taking up space in the back of my mind while I was supposed to be “off”, until I finally addressed them on Monday. And as you read above, that didn’t work so well, either.
CEO hour is simply a weekly planning practice that prepares you for the week ahead. It helps you focus on the right things and control how you use your time. The results? Less stress and more freedom.
We call it CEO Hour because no matter if you work by yourself or you have a team, you are the person who has the final say on what has to be executed to move your business forward in the coming week.
Being able to organize what just happened and what comes next puts you in a place of power and confidence. You are the Chief, you are Executing what needs to get done, and you are Owning your title.
Who doesn’t feel great about that?
Planning ahead allows you to choose to do things with intention, not just random tasks with no order of priority. You can do things with purpose and strategy rather than scrambling in the moment.
With a Friday CEO Hour, every week you can head into the weekend knowing you assessed the past week, and have set a strategy for Monday morning. It’s a great opportunity to make note of what you’ve actually gotten done.
This system is a healthy way to set boundaries around what you need to implement to keep your business growing. It’s too easy without a planning structure to let other things come first like family requests, client work, or unexpected issues.
You can tweak your system as your business evolves, adding any tasks you have to get clear on - bookkeeping, networking follow up, recurring tasks, etc. All the things that should be front of mind.
Another benefit to this type of planning is that you keep your priorities front of mind by revisiting them weekly. It helps you check your progress, and see where you may be getting stuck. Then you can make adjustments before things get out of hand.
Here are some ways to successfully implement a CEO Hour:
• Schedule your weekly hour ahead of time and make it non-negotiable
• Choose the time of day for you that is best for this type of work
• Get a CEO accountability buddy so you both stay committed
• Join my Close the Gap Strategy & Accountability group
Want the whole checklist of what I do during my CEO Hour? Download it here.
P.S. Ready to stop spinning in place and get to the other side of your goals? Here are several ways I can help:
Download my free weekly planning guide - it will help you become more intentional with your time, develop a clear action plan for your week, and ensure that you are focusing on activities that will move your business forward - Download Now
Join our next CEO Power Planning Session and spend two and a half hours ON your business. During this facilitated workshop, you’ll set and prioritize your next 12-week goals, break them down into an executable action plan and create a resource plan - Join the Wait List
Apply for the next Close the Gap Program and stay on track to achieve your most important goals. 1:1 support and guidance on prioritizing goals, creating a plan and putting structure and routines in place. Then 12 weeks of group support around execution - Apply today