Why are you sharp until 2 PM, and then completely useless for the rest of the day...?
OK, maybe not as bad as that, but you know what I mean.
Most people schedule their day around time blocks.
But they ignore the one resource that actually determines performance.
Your energy.
For example, you shouldn't schedule a board presentation right after a difficult termination meeting.
But every day, professionals stack energy-draining activities back to back and wonder why they feel mentally fried by mid-afternoon.
The cost isn't just fatigue.
→ Poor decisions when your cognitive tank is empty → Emotional reactions when you should be measured → Avoiding important conversations because you can't handle another energy drain
Here's what separates the executives who thrive from those who survive:
They don't just manage their time. They design their days around energy types.
When did you last ask yourself: "What does this task actually require from me?"
Not how long it takes. What it demands from your mental and emotional reserves.
Think about your last terrible day at work. How many high-drain activities did you stack without breathing room?
The framework in this infographic shows exactly how to organise your day around four energy types instead of just filling calendar blocks.
Because the difference between surviving your day and thriving in it often comes down to one question:
Are you protecting your energy, or burning through it?
📌Kaizen (改善): Focus on small, steady refinements. Progress isn’t about massive leaps, but the momentum created by consistent, daily upgrades.
📌Shoshin (初心): Approach every challenge with a "beginner’s mind." By dropping old assumptions and staying curious, you remain adaptable in a changing environment.
📌Kintsugi (金継ぎ): Treat failures as "golden repairs." Instead of hiding mistakes, use the data from missteps to make your team and systems stronger and more resilient.
📌Ikigai (生きがい): Find the intersection of your strengths, your passions, and the value you provide to others. This alignment makes your leadership more sustainable and impactful.
📌Seiri (整理): Practice the discipline of removal. By decluttering unnecessary meetings, processes, and ideas, you create the mental space needed for clear decision-making.
BREAKTHROUGHS rarely come from new "hacks"; they come from returning to these fundamentals. Small shifts in these areas CREATE the kind of leader others truly want to FOLLOW. ✅
Highly successful CEOs share habits like ** relentless learning, focusing on strategic vision, prioritizing health, effective delegation, building strong networks, clear communication, fostering a growth mindset, and disciplined action**, often starting days early with clear priorities and minimizing distractions for impactful execution and resilient leadership.
Here's a checklist of common habits for successful CEOs:
Time Management: Ruthlessly manage time and avoid multitasking to stay productive.
How to Use This Checklist:
Self-Assess: Rate your consistency in each area.
Identify Gaps: Pinpoint 1-2 habits to focus on improving this month.
Seek Accountability: Share with a mentor or peer for support.
https://tinyurl.com/bde6v98y
Time is our most precious resource. Every CEO will need to commit to effective time mastery behaviours in order to “win the war for talent” and accelerate business results.
1.Develop a 3-year Career BHAG
Explore all options. Combine passion with competence and need to achieve extraordinary results. Develop a plan to achieve your career BHAG. Think and act world-class to achieve your full-potential.
2. Let go of the decision.
List your top 30 work-related activities. For each activity, assess your ability to do each one based on the descriptions below:
Masterful: extraordinary ability; passion; gives you energy
Excellent: superior ability; no real sense of passion
Competent: adequate ability; boredom; little improvement in performance over time
Spend most of your time on masterful and excellent activities and delegate the competent and incompetent activities to accelerate results. Caution: Delegation without coaching and mentoring does NOT work!
3. Spend your time wisely.
What are the three most important activities on which you need to focus to deliver extraordinary results? Plan your time every day, week, month, quarter and year and you’ll be on the path to achieving your full potential and producing extraordinary results in all aspects of your life. Do you have a 90-day action plan.
4. Identify your top 20 list of 360 degree stakeholders. Business is about people. Do everything you can to build relationships with your stakeholders and help them be successful. Know why people would want to build a relationship with you. Practice the following simple, yet powerful, relationship-building strategies: Keep commitments; start on time and end on time; finish what you start; say please and thank you.
5. Take 100% responsibility and accountability for your own ability to influence.
Focus on outcomes. Clarify expectations with 360 degree stakeholders (board/boss, peers, direct reports, customers). Claim the D. Dial-up assertiveness. Minimize frustration.
6. Take control of your life balance. You are 100% responsible for achieving your full potential in all aspects of your life. Assess how satisfied are you with the following: career, health, financial situation, spouse/partner, friends/family, personal growth, home/physical environment, social responsibility and fun. Set goals and enjoy the bumpy journey of life. Be assertive with your 360 degree stakeholders to manage expectations and ask for what you want. Stop judging others. Life balance is personal.
7. Build your Skills, Behaviours and Experience (SBE) toolkit. The higher you go, the more critical leadership success behaviours are to your success. Read the HBR article, “Coaching the Alpha Male” to learn more about the following success and (derailment) behaviours:
Self confident and opinionated (intimidating)
Highly intelligent (demeaning)
Action oriented (impatient)
High-performance expectations of oneself and others (always dissatisfied)
Direct communication style (CYA culture)
Highly disciplined (burnout)
Unemotional (not inspiring)
Leadership coaching, 360 feedback, job shadowing and mentoring are very effective approaches to learning success behaviours.
8. Reach out to internal and external mentors and coaches. Surround yourself with people who inspire you to learn, grow and achieve your full potential. Be courageous and ask for help.
9. Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Failure and rejection build character so don’t be attached to the outcome. Read Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers.
10. Set ideal outcomes, always do your best and celebrate your success. Increase your ability to identify compelling ideal outcomes and get out of your comfort zone. Understand your starting point and work towards achieving your ideal outcomes. Look back to celebrate the progress you have made from your starting point. Avoid beating yourself up if you don’t achieve your ideal outcomes. You are good enough now and you are on a life-long journey of progress toward ideal outcomes. Strive for success, not perfection. Take five minutes every day to celebrate success and to identify your three most important accomplishments.
11. Coach, mentor and empower others to be accountable for results. Use influence, NOT position power. Listen first and listen 80/20. Dial-up empathy and use your SBEs to help others be successful. Ask questions to help people identify issues and options and make effective decisions. Stop telling people what to do and how to do it.
12. Believe in yourself and build self-confidence. Get smarter every day by building on strengths (www.strengthsquest.com) and using the “feedback is a gift” principle. Don’t take anything personally. Invest your time, money and resources to improve your SBEs. Read like crazy.
13. Be happy now. Life is short. You are only one thought away from being happy with your life. Read: You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective by Dr. Richard Carlson.
10 Skills That Will Skyrocket Your Career (But No One Tells You About) Being good at your job isn't enough. The real game-changers? They go beyond your technical abilities: 1) Communication ↳ Do: Speak clearly, ask questions, and use positive body language ↳ Don’t: Talk over others, use complex jargon, or ignore non-verbal cues 2) Emotional Intelligence ↳Do: Be kind, stay calm, and truly listen ↳Don’t: Lose your temper, brush off feelings, or avoid tough conversations 3) Time Management ↳Do: Plan your day, set small goals, and use a to-do list ↳ Don’t: Procrastinate, overextend yourself, or waste time on distractions 4) Leadership ↳Do: Lead by example, encourage growth, and provide helpful feedback ↳Don’t: Be bossy, avoid hard decisions, or show favoritism 5) Adaptability ↳Do: Embrace new challenges, stay flexible, and learn continuously ↳Don’t: Resist change, blame others, or stick to outdated methods 6) Critical Thinking ↳Do: Ask questions, think before acting, and check your facts ↳Don’t: Rush to conclusions, ignore evidence, or copy others blindly 7) Collaboration ↳Do: Share ideas, listen to others, and give praise ↳Don’t: Dominate the conversation, get defensive, or work in isolation 8) Resilience ↳Do: Keep going after setbacks, maintain a positive attitude, and learn from mistakes ↳Don’t: Give up too easily, dwell on failure, or shy away from challenges 9) Self-Discipline ↳Do: Build good habits, stay focused, and reward progress ↳Don’t: Get lazy, procrastinate, or make excuses 10) Proactivity ↳Do: Take initiative, plan ahead, and offer help when needed ↳Don’t: Wait to be told, sit back, or blame others Anyone can improve these skills.
