Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Meg Whitman. Could these 
recognizable CEOs teach us something about balance? Five hundred CEOs from companies like Google, Kellogg’s, and AT&T were interviewed by Entrepreneur to discuss their average day. The interesting thing is regardless of our job title, we can do some of these things too: wake up early, create healthy habits, work within teams, and prioritize professional development.
Here are a few pages from the average CEOs playbook.
- Schedule strategic time –Consider long term planning to create high payoff results. What idea/process/project or relationship can I plan today that can advance and/or improve my work or organization?
- Remember to eat –One cannot live on energy drinks or coffee alone. CEOs eat 3 meals and a morning snack. Harvard Business Review looked at how food choices affects productivity and found it’s not about stopping the cookie cravings, it’s about making healthy food choices easy. By relying on caffeine and sugar, we negatively impact “cognitive performance.”
- Invest time in your development – Even CEOs find time to prioritize growth. Find 30 minutes a day to invest in your development. Read a book or blog, listen to a podcast (try Four Hour Work Week), or look up keyboard shortcuts (this blog offers tons of articles on that.)
- Manage interruptions – CEOs encounter an average of 12 interruptions a day. Interruptions can’t be controlled, so adopt a few techniques to manage them. Start by keeping an interruption log, then analyze the log for patterns, opportunities, and validity. Other ideas can be found from a free online resource at Mindtools.com. Here is an article.
If this is not inspiration enough, take it from Nigel Marsh, author and marketer from Sydney, and his 10-mintue TED talk. His request is to take stock of yourself and determine what is a life that is well lived. What is your inspiration for work-life balance?