One of the biggest lies business owners tell themselves is, “I just need to get through this week and then I’ll focus.” The truth is the world never stops asking for your time. Your team needs your input, your inbox piles up, and your calendar fills up with meetings, calls, and urgent-but-not-important tasks. If you’re not intentional, your time becomes a collection of other people’s priorities. As a business coach, I’ve seen hundreds of leaders regain control and adopt better time-management skills—not by working harder, but instead, by owning their time like a CEO. Here’s how they do it.
1. Accept that time management is a skill.
Time isn’t just a resource—it also sends a message. How you spend your time tells your team what matters. If you’re constantly in reactive mode, they will assume that’s the norm. If your calendar is filled with low-leverage tasks, they will assume that’s what leadership looks like.
Time management is modeling. When you take control of your schedule, you give everyone around you permission to do the same.
2. Block off time for your highest-value work first.
The most successful leaders I coach have one thing in common—they block off time for their priority work first. They protect it like their business depends on it because, in fact, it does. This time management tool starts with asking yourself:
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How CoreWeave Bought and Borrowed Its Way to AI Domination
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What creates the most long-term value in my role?
What work can only I do?
What gets pushed to the side when I’m too busy?
Next, block out 90-minute windows, at least three times per week, for that work. Treat it like an unmissable investor meeting. Because in a way, it is.
3. Create a default week that works for you.
Instead of reacting to every calendar request, create a template for your ideal week:
Mondays: Strategy and planning
Tuesdays through Thursdays: Calls and collaboration
Fridays: Deep work, team reviews, and thinking time
Proper time management also leaves white space and adds buffer zones. Build a week that supports your energy—not just your to-do list. Then, share that framework with your team so they know when and how to access your time.
4. Put a gate around your calendar.
If your time is accessible to everyone, then it’s owned by no one. Use scheduling tools with limited availability windows. Empower your assistant or block off time yourself so you’re not double booked.
Say no to 80 percent of “can I pick your brain” meetings. Move from 60-minute to 30-minute default meetings. The point isn’t to be unavailable. Effective time management is about being intentionally available for what moves the business forward.
5. Audit weekly and adjust ruthlessly.
Every Friday, ask yourself:
What did I spend time on that drained me?
What should I delegate, delay, or delete?
What do I need more time for next week?
Time ownership is a moving target. However, the more you evaluate and adjust, the closer you get to a calendar that reflects your priorities not your stress.
You don’t need more time—you need more ownership.
You’re not going to suddenly find five extra hours in your week. However, you can intentionally, systematically, and unapologetically own your time, and your focus. Own your focus, and you’ll unlock growth. Because what you choose to do with your hours is the clearest signal of the kind of business and life you’re building.
Credit: www.inc.com
