6 ways CEOs can maximise productivity by adding structure to their workdays

Are you finding it difficult to remain productive over the course of a workday? You’re not alone.

Business leaders’ schedules tend to be filled to the brim with countless meetings, questions from leadership or staff, and problems that need fixing. The consequence of this is that they are left with barely any time to get any real work done.

Having one’s day planned out is a need for many people, yet it is an absolute must for business leaders, as failing to have a plan in place can lead one’s day to go down the drain, resulting in a great buildup in stress.

Business leaders might initially find it strenuous to properly organise their schedules, yet introducing some level of structure to their workdays does not need to be so difficult and time-consuming.

Here are six ways business leaders can structure their workdays to increase their productivity and get tasks efficiently over the line.

1) Identify high-priority tasks for the day

Business leaders are repeatedly met with barrages of emails, requests, meetings, and various other tasks that take time away from more crucial duties.

Therefore, they need to structure their days ahead of time to determine which tasks need to be done by the end of the day. One way to do this is to list one to three high-priority tasks that they want to accomplish for that day, acting as a sort of checklist of things to do.

The amount of tasks depends on how productive the business leader is feeling at the start of the day, and whether they have any meetings or side tasks they need to attend to. If one is feeling motivated and productive, then three high-priority tasks are ideal, but if they are focusing on other matters, then one task could work.

2) Get the most dreaded task out of the way

More often than not, getting the most complicated task done and dusted is a brilliant way to start off the day.

Business leaders can get it out of the way when they are at the peak of their energy and freshness for the day.

In most cases, that task tends to be tedious, yet also very important, as it could be vital to the future of both the company and everyone working there.

3) Group similar tasks together

Time blocking is a great way for business leaders to avoid inefficiently going from one task to another.

This method enables business leaders to split their day into blocks of time, with each block being dedicated to accomplishing a specific set of tasks.

Grouping similar tasks together can help them avoid having to reorient themselves, thus increasing overall productivity and efficiency.

4) Recharge during your lunch break

The importance of one’s lunch break should never be underestimated.

Business leaders, like any other member of an organisation, need some kind of downtime to recharge and get back to speed with their tasks for the day. Therefore, they need to allocate time for a break.

It is also vital for business leaders to have their lunch breaks with other people, whether other members of the management, co-workers, or even family members, should they be working from home. Interacting with others enables them to really switch off from work for those few minutes and focus on other non-work-related things, mitigating potential burnout.

It can be helpful to take a lunch break on their own every now and then, yet speaking to others can help a great deal when it comes to remaining productive throughout the day.

5) Allocate time for brainstorming

Another way business leaders can introduce a new level of structure to their workday is to schedule some time for thinking and brainstorming.

This can be as little as 15 minutes of uninterrupted thinking and idea generation every day.

Some time for brainstorming allows the business leader to step away from their daily work routines to focus on more long-term strategies, together with keeping them motivated and inspired.

6) Split day into productive intervals

One time management method that came to light in the 1980s and has had a resurgence over recent years is the Pomodoro Technique.

This involves business leaders dividing their workday into short, productive intervals which last 30 minutes in total. 25 of those minutes will be dedicated to working straight on a task, with the remaining five being allocated to a short break right after.

The Pomodoro Technique has been found to be a great way to maximise productivity given that the small activity window limits the amount of room for distractions. Additionally, each completed session gives business leaders a boost as it feels that they are moving a step closer to completing the tasks they have to do.