Why Traditional Time Management Advice Falls Short
If you’ve been in business for more than a minute, you’ve probably tried it all:
- Time blocking
- Color-coded calendars
- Hourly planners
- The Pomodoro timer that dings right when you’re finally in flow
And maybe — like me — you’ve realized something important: most time management advice doesn’t account for you.
It’s built on the assumption that all brains operate the same way, all days are equally productive, and your energy is an infinite resource that can be wrangled into neat 90-minute slots.
Spoiler: that’s not how real life works for entrepreneurs, especially creative CEOs.
Running a business (or seven, in my case) demands more than a rigid schedule. It requires adaptability, self-awareness, and the courage to do things your way — not the way a productivity book told you.
That’s why I built my Energy-Based Prioritization Method — a system that starts with delegation and ends with working with your natural energy instead of fighting it.
Step One: Understand There’s No “One Size Fits All”
When I was pregnant, everyone had advice for morning sickness. It was all different. Eat crackers before getting out of bed. Wear acupressure wristbands. Cut out dairy. Drink ginger tea.
You get the idea — a million solutions, all offered with good intentions, none guaranteed to work for everyone.
Time management is exactly the same. What works brilliantly for one CEO might tank your productivity. So before you adopt any method (mine included), approach it with curiosity. Try it, tweak it, toss what doesn’t fit.
The goal isn’t to follow rules — it’s to find what actually works for you.
Step Two: Build Your Task Inventory
Before you can prioritize, you need to know what you’re prioritizing.
Here’s how I do it:
- Track every task for 1–2 weeks. Keep a notepad or open doc nearby and jot down each thing you do for your business — daily, weekly, and monthly.
- Don’t filter yet. Whether it’s writing client emails, creating content, or updating your bookkeeping software, put it all on the list.
- By the end, you’ll have a full “task inventory” of your business.
This step is critical because most CEOs think they know where their time goes — until they actually see it on paper. (Spoiler: you’re doing way more low-level work than you think.)
Step Three: Delegate First, Prioritize Second
I’m the self-proclaimed Delegation Queen for a reason. True CEO time management starts with deciding what not to do.
Once you have your task inventory, split it into two categories:
- Delegate: Low-value, repetitive, or non-core tasks that someone else can do 80–100% as well as you
- Keep: High-value, high-impact work that sits in your “zone of genius”
Pro tip: This is where most CEOs go wrong — they jump straight into prioritizing everything, including work they shouldn’t be touching in the first place.
Step Four: Match Tasks to Your Energy
Here’s where it gets fun (and personal).
I divide my remaining tasks into two groups:
- High-energy tasks: Require deep focus, creativity, strategic thinking (e.g., writing a podcast script, building a business plan, crafting a proposal)
- Low-energy tasks: Quick, easy wins that require minimal brainpower (e.g., updating a spreadsheet, sending follow-up emails, uploading files)
Then, each day, I do a quick energy scan:
- Morning, clear head, no distractions? That’s when I tackle high-energy work.
- Afternoon slump or mental fatigue? That’s when I knock out low-energy tasks.
This is the opposite of forcing yourself to do mentally heavy work when your brain is already in “brainless” mode — which usually leads to frustration and mediocre results.
Step Five: The “Do It Now” Rule
If a task will take less than 5 minutes — and you have the energy and time for it — do it now.
- Got off a client call and promised to send a file? Send it before you move on.
- Need to confirm a meeting time? Do it before your brain decides it’s tomorrow’s problem.
This tiny habit keeps your to-do list from ballooning and saves you the mental load of carrying “unfinished” tasks.
Step Six: Stay Curious and Keep Tweaking
The Energy-Based Prioritization Method isn’t a one-and-done setup. Your energy, business needs, and personal life all evolve — so your system should too.
Stay curious:
- Notice what times of day you naturally work best
- Track how different types of work drain or energize you
- Adjust your task categories as your team grows
The more you refine, the easier it becomes to make every workday efficient without feeling like you’re chained to your desk.
Why This Works for Creative CEOs
Creative entrepreneurs are wired for variety, adaptability, and flow. Trying to shoehorn yourself into a rigid, factory-style productivity system is like asking a jazz musician to play scales all day — it’s soul-crushing.
This method works because:
- It honors your natural rhythms
- It ensures your highest energy goes to your highest-value work
- It builds efficiency without burnout
- It’s flexible enough to adapt to changing demands
Quick Recap: The Energy-Based Prioritization Method
- Accept there’s no universal best method — find what fits you
- Build your task inventory over 1–2 weeks
- Delegate first to remove low-value work from your plate
- Match tasks to your energy for smarter daily planning
- Do quick wins immediately to keep your list light
- Stay curious and keep refining
Your Next Step
If you want to go deeper into the delegation piece of this process, check out my Delegation Secrets course. It’s where I walk you step-by-step through how to confidently hand off work without sacrificing quality — so you can focus on what really matters.
And if you try the Energy-Based Prioritization Method, I’d love to hear how it works for you. Share your tweaks, wins, and lessons with me over on Instagram @accidentalceo.co.
Want More?
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