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 need and want to do. And that’s because every Friday I take an hour to prepare myself and my business for success.?

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.

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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.

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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.

When I teach new clients how to implement a CEO Hour practice, many of them will try Sundays or even Mondays for this. But eventually, they see the benefits of Fridays and the mindset of going into the weekend with a plan for the next week.?

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.

Not only do I schedule my following week, but I close out the days of the following week so that no one else can book a meeting on my scheduler. That way there are no last-minute surprises like appointments booked over the weekend, and I’m in control of how I use the rest of my time for my client work or work for my own business.?

Another way to enhance this practice is with quarterly or 90-day planning. When you have set your goals and created an executable action plan, the weekly CEO Hour provides the structure to have you check in on your quarterly action items every single week. You can make adjustments, or simply remind yourself where you should be and what you need to be getting done. These two practices together provide the best momentum and I have watched client after client move forward on their goals in a productive way.?

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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.

A favorite task of business owners in the CEO Hour is affectionately referred to as “sticky notes.” It’s about going back and collecting all those random scribbles and notes you have jotted down during the week so you can put them into action. The quick things like an appointment you need to make, or something you need to purchase can then get done. And bigger action items or long-term ideas get put in the right place so that you don’t lose track of them. Organizing sticky notes removes the stress of “Oh my gosh, what was that idea? Where did I put it?”?

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.

Financial updates and networking are universal to small business owners and are a valuable part of? CEO Hour. I always suggest that my clients try habit stacking - what else do you need to do on a regular basis that you can do during this time? Some business owners go straight into content creation. They have their CEO hat on and it’s something that needs to be addressed on a regular basis.?

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.

Within a few weeks, nearly all business owners who implement this practice start making strategic changes to their schedule and scheduling boundaries. Things that were previously overlooked are now given weekly attention, plus the reminder is there every week to assess your schedule and boundaries.?

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

A regular CEO Hour is priceless when it comes to feeling in control of how you’re managing your business. That’s why I created my mini-course, “CEO Hour: Optimizing Your Week for Growth & Impact”.

The course was created to help you structure your own CEO Hour weekly planning practice. Short videos walk you through each section, with tips and advice. And once you’ve done it once or twice, you can turn on my bonus “quick” video to keep you on track each week as you work through your own CEO Hour!?