Before You Start: How to Prep for a Powerful CEO Hour

Saying you have goals and achieving them are two different things. The first structure I encourage my clients to put in place is the CEO Hour, the key foundational habit for success.?

One thing my clients have plenty of is ideas. So they are easily distracted by the basic tasks they need to prioritize each week to move forward and turn their best ideas into reality.?

That’s why I established my CEO Hour process. It’s a weekly, one-hour session to get clear, organized, and gather your ducks in a row for the following week. Here I’m going to share with you the steps to implement and maintain this habit for the health of your business.

Commit To the Practice?

Right now. This is a crucial habit to build as it sets up the success of many other habits. So go to your calendar and mark that non-negotiable hour each week at the same time. This is not something you schedule around other appointments. You commit to a steady weekly time, and book other appointments around this.

?I find Fridays to be optimal, as it allows you to tie up any loose ends from your week, and head into your weekend not having to worry about anything until Monday morning. Then you can hit the ground running.

Be Prepared

You will want to maximize your hour, so get your stuff together ahead of time - calendar, to-do list, goal trackers, along with anything else necessary to get your tasks scheduled and done. You may need to determine and implement systems to manage the tasks you need to get done in the hour - such as an online calendar, an automated scheduler, an online task management system, and/or a CRM. Don’t let tech overwhelm you - you can add one system at a time.

Claim Your Space

It’s important to be able to concentrate without interruption during your CEO Hour. Turn off your phone and don’t check your email while you’re doing this. Hang a “do not disturb” sign on your door if necessary.

Mindset Matters

Every week I meet with 10 other business owners for our CEO Hour. We take turns facilitating, and everyone has their own style. Some of us like to get right to work, others like to set the mood by pulling a card, reading a quote, or engaging in a quick breathing or meditation exercise. Do whatever puts you in the right CEO mindset and go for it.?

Follow a Structured Agenda??

The whole point of CEO Hour is to move through these tasks with intention, which is the opposite of “winging it” every week. Determine what you want to accomplish each week in that 60 minutes, then set your agenda with items such as: reflect on the past week, organize my calendar, update my to-do list, set priorities for the next week, review financials, and update my bookkeeping. Create a routine and stick with it.

Integrate Accountability

Say it out loud, write it down, and share it with someone else. Whether it’s one accountability buddy, or a small group like the one I’m in, implementing CEO Hour with others increases your accountability. Something as simple as reporting back to your accountability buddy or coach that you completed your hour is also effective.?

Evaluate and Improve?

Continually evaluate how it’s going - are you getting more done? Are you getting the right things done? Are you blocking off reasonable amounts of time to accomplish your tasks? Some things may not need weekly attention, and some things may need more than weekly attention.? Tweak it as you need. Are you avoiding any tasks? If so, why? If something is out of alignment, you can let it go.?

Then evaluate the CEO Hour itself. What pieces are worth keeping and which ones aren’t helping? Once it’s running smoothly, you can stack other activities that don’t get done when scheduled on their own, but you’ll be more likely to do with your other CEO Hour tasks. It could be content creation, client status reports, or a team meeting.?

It’s my strong opinion that a celebration is in order each week when you complete your CEO Hour. Reward yourself with a quick walk, your favorite coffee, or a phone call with a good friend.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to have organized priorities, complete miscellaneous tasks that haven’t budged off of your to-do list, and treat yourself when you’re done, schedule a time to chat with me and I’ll tell you more.