How do top business leaders spend their time? Being fascinated by this topic, I collaborated with Chris Stowell, vice president of the International Centre for Management and Organisation Effectiveness in Sandy, Utah, to survey 267 C-level executives (all at the vice president level or higher) at Fortune 500 companies.
The survey research showed that the typical corporate leader wakes very early, exercises for 45 minutes and commute half an hour or more each way. Here’s how else they spend the minutes in their day.
5:15am – 6:50am
Rise and Shine!
5:30-6:30am Exercises: Fortune 500 top execs get moving early. Exercise controls weight, improves mood and boosts energy. Studies have shown that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex) have greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don’t.
6:45-7:00am Eat Breakfast: Fortune 500 leaders also eat a breakfast before the commute to work. According to a 16 year study of nearly 27 000 participants by Harvard University, men who skip breakfast have a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease.
