We all strive to be more efficient at work and to work smarter, not longer. So, we’ve pulled together a handful of insights from successful CEOs on how to manage your time to be more efficient in your working day.

Take regular breaks

Paul Klipp, CEO of Polish software house Scrum Alliance, recommends segmenting your time to ensure regular breaks. By using a technique such as the Pomodoro Technique[i], you should be able to keep your mind fresh and alert throughout the working day, ready for whatever gets thrown your way. The Pomodoro Technique suggests you work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break, and after 4 sets (2 hours of working), you take a 15-30 minute break where you get out of your desk chair and step away from your workstation.

Now, if you want to get super-efficient with your time, the Pomodoro Technique advocates planning out the segments of time by what you’ll achieve in each. However, simply breaking your time down and giving yourself regular breaks will be enough to make a difference and help keep you feeling fresh and motivated throughout the day.

Set aside off-limits time

According to research carried out by Harvard Business Review[ii], on average, 36% of a CEO’s time is spent reactively, dealing with situations as they unfold. While some issues will need to be addressed in real-time, there are many that don’t, and by setting times that people can approach you (particularly if you are in the office) and times when you can’t be approached, you can control how and when you focus on your more challenging work. Andrew Marsh, CEO of Fifth Column Games suggests that if you work better in the morning, restrict interruptions to certain times, or maybe even to afternoons only. If you don’t have the luxury of an office you can lock yourself away in, try using office desk screens and dividers to create a space where you can focus.

Plan your day around your energy levels

We’re all different – some of us are night owls, some are larks. Kathryn Minshew of The Muse recommends that you Identify your most productive time of the day and work on more challenging projects when you are at your best to achieve more. Then, save your lighter work for when you have an energy slump.

Don’t multitask

Multitasking doesn’t just risk not completing a job properly, it also depletes your energy. The human brain wasn’t designed to multitask. Research[iii] compiled by Stanford University researchers found that multitasking reduces productivity. Not only that, those regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time.

Turning off distractions such as your phone and tablet can help keep you focused on one piece of work at a time. This distraction applies any time you require your brain to shift focus, so even something as small as shifting between windows can lead to a loss of concentration. Try using a dual monitor mount to make it quick and easy to see information from two different windows, without breaking concentration.

Office desk screens and dividers, dual monitor mounts and other office furniture and equipment to help make your working day more efficient are available at BPF Online. For more information, or if you have any questions, you can Chat with our friendly advisors online or give us a call.

[i] The Pomodoro® Technique | Cirillo Consulting GmbH (francescocirillo.com)

[ii] How CEOs Manage Time (hbr.org)

[iii] Heavy multitaskers have reduced memory (stanford.edu)