Being a CEO means you’re constantly pulled in different directions. One moment you’re mapping out long-term strategy, the next you’re handling a people issue or fielding urgent questions from your board. The role requires clarity, resilience, and smart systems that support both.
There’s no way to eliminate stress entirely, but there are ways to work more efficiently and create space for deeper leadership. These five hacks can help CEOs reclaim their time, protect their energy, and lead with more focus.
1. Invest in CEO Coaching
Leadership can be isolating. The higher up you go, the fewer people you have to talk to about real challenges. That’s where CEO coaching services come in. Working with a coach gives you a sounding board, a place to untangle mental roadblocks, and a structure for continued growth. Coaches help you reflect, clarify priorities, and handle pressure with more ease. Whether you’re scaling rapidly or navigating tough decisions, a good coach can help you lead with both strength and self-awareness.
2. Use Async Tools To Reduce Meeting Load
Not every conversation needs to happen in real time. If your team uses Slack, Loom, or project management platforms like Asana or Notion, make sure those tools are being used to their full potential. Encourage team members to provide updates asynchronously when possible.
This gives everyone more flexibility and avoids unnecessary context-switching throughout the day. It also forces better documentation, which is a bonus for onboarding and growth.
3. Build Repeatable Hiring Systems
Hiring well is one of the most important parts of your job. But if your process relies on gut feelings or unstructured interviews, you’re creating risk. Instead, document a repeatable process with clear stages, consistent interview questions, and a rubric for evaluation. Delegate early stages when you can, and bring in values-based assessments to help screen for alignment. Over time, this saves hours and helps you hire people who grow with the company, not away from it.
4. Get Ruthless About Your Calendar
It’s easy for your schedule to fill up with back-to-back meetings that leave no time for real thinking. Instead of accepting every invite or defaulting to 30-minute blocks, start each week by protecting space for strategic work.
Set “focus time” on your calendar the same way you would block time for a board meeting. Let your team know when you’re available and when you are intentionally offline. This sets a precedent and gives others permission to do the same.
5. Create Templates For Everything
Templates are underrated. Whether it’s a company-wide announcement, a performance review form, or a monthly investor update, having a pre-built format can reduce decision fatigue and save time. It also creates consistency across your organization. When your team sees that important communications follow a reliable structure, it helps them focus on the message rather than the format.
Smart leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about making better choices with your time and energy. These hacks are not about productivity for productivity’s sake. They are about creating systems that allow you to focus on the work that only you can do.