1.0 Introduction

As a CIO, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Between managing IT infrastructure, spearheading digital transformation, handling security threats, and juggling endless meetings, it’s easy to feel like time is slipping through your fingers.

Sound familiar?

The truth is, CIOs face a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing time. You’re not just handling day-to-day operations — you’re also responsible for shaping the strategic future of your organization. And let’s face it, there are only so many hours in the day.

So, how do you balance it all? How do you carve out time for the high-level, visionary work while keeping the lights on?

Over the past 30 years I've been a CIO, have worked directly for CEOs, and was the VP overseeing strategy, sales, product development, and infrastructure—across both startups and Fortune 500 companies—one crucial lesson I've learned is how to prioritize your most valuable asset: time.

The answer lies in mastering time management — and not in the way you might think.

This isn’t about cramming more tasks into your day. It’s about being intentional with your time, knowing how to prioritize, delegate, and protect the moments that matter most.

In this newsletter, we’ll explore a set of practical, no-nonsense strategies that will help you reclaim control of your time and, in doing so, elevate your effectiveness as a leader.

Let’s dive in.

2.1 Prioritize Like a Pro: Focus on What Truly Matters

Let’s start with a hard truth: you can’t do it all. No matter how much you try, there’s always going to be more to do than time allows. That’s why learning to prioritize is the foundation of effective time management.

As a CIO, it’s tempting to treat every request, project, and fire drill as if it’s equally important. But the reality is that not everything is urgent or critical. Your job is to focus on the initiatives that deliver the most value to your organization and align with your strategic goals.

Here’s how to get started:

• Clarify Your Top 5 Priorities: What are the top five things that will drive success for you and your organization over the next quarter? These should be your north star — if a task or project doesn’t move you closer to these goals, it’s not a priority.

• Use the Eisenhower Matrix: This simple tool helps you break tasks into four categories — urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, and neither urgent nor important. Focus on the top two categories, and be ruthless about saying no to everything else.

• Set Clear Boundaries: Learn to say no, not just to others but also to yourself. If a request or task doesn’t align with your core priorities, push back or delegate it. Protect your time for what truly matters.

By mastering prioritization, you’ll stop wasting time on low-impact tasks and start focusing your energy on the high-level work that drives innovation and growth.

2.2 Delegate Like a Leader: Free Yourself to Focus on Strategy

Here’s a challenge: Take a hard look at your current workload. How much of it really requires your expertise? If you’re like most CIOs, the answer is probably less than you think.

The key to unlocking more time for strategic thinking is delegation. It’s a skill that can transform how you lead, but it’s often underused because many leaders fall into the trap of thinking they need to do it all.

Here’s why you need to delegate more:

• It Empowers Your Team: When you delegate effectively, you’re not just freeing up your time; you’re giving your team the opportunity to grow and take ownership. This builds their skills, increases engagement, and ultimately creates a stronger IT organization.

• It Frees You to Lead: Your value as a CIO isn’t in managing every detail — it’s in setting strategy, driving innovation, and aligning IT with business goals. By offloading routine tasks to your team, you’ll create space to focus on these high-impact areas.

How to delegate effectively:

• Start Small: Identify the low-hanging fruit — routine tasks that can easily be handled by others. This might include reporting, vendor management, or routine system maintenance.

• Match Tasks to Strengths: Don’t just delegate to offload work. Think strategically about who on your team can handle specific tasks and use delegation as an opportunity to develop their skills.

• Set Clear Expectations: Be specific about what you expect, including outcomes and deadlines. The clearer you are, the more likely your team is to deliver what you need without constant oversight.

Remember, delegation isn’t just about getting stuff off your plate — it’s about empowering your team and giving yourself the bandwidth to focus on the big picture.

2.3 Time Blocking: Your Secret Weapon for Staying Focused

Here’s the scenario: It’s 9 a.m., and you’ve got a packed calendar full of meetings. By the time the day ends, you’ve been in back-to-back calls, and your most important tasks have been pushed to tomorrow (again).

Sound familiar?

Enter time blocking — a powerful time management technique that can help you regain control of your schedule and protect your most valuable asset: focused work time.

What is time blocking?

• Block out specific times for key tasks: Instead of letting your calendar get filled with meetings, block out chunks of time in your day for deep, focused work. This might include time to strategize, review key projects, or simply think.

• Be Non-Negotiable: Protect your blocked time fiercely. Treat it like a meeting with yourself that can’t be rescheduled. If someone asks for that time, offer alternatives, but don’t give it up easily.

• Batch Similar Tasks Together: Use time blocks to group similar tasks. For example, reserve an hour each day for handling emails or responding to team requests. This prevents you from context-switching all day and helps you stay in flow.

Time blocking helps you take control of your day, ensuring that even in the midst of chaos, you have dedicated time to work on what’s most important.

2.4 Say ‘No’ Without Guilt: Protect Your Time and Energy

Let’s get real: As a CIO, everyone wants a piece of your time. Whether it’s requests from your team, stakeholders, or other departments, you’re constantly being pulled in multiple directions.

But here’s the thing: if you say yes to everything, you’ll never have time for anything that truly matters.

Learning to say no is one of the most important skills a CIO can develop. And it’s not about being difficult — it’s about protecting your time and energy for the work that delivers the most value.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Be Polite but Firm: Saying no doesn’t have to be harsh. Be respectful, but stand your ground. “I’d love to help, but I’m currently focused on X priority. Let’s revisit this next quarter.”

• Offer Alternatives: If possible, suggest another solution. “I can’t take this on right now, but perhaps [Team Member] can help.” This shows that you’re still committed to solving the problem, just not personally handling it.

• Explain Your Focus: People respect clear priorities. By explaining that you’re focused on high-priority projects, you help others understand your decision. “I’m currently focused on leading our cloud transformation. Let’s touch base later.”

First thoughts

That’s just the beginning. In the next part of this newsletter, we’ll explore more game-changing time management strategies, including how to automate routine tasks, eliminate meeting overload, and protect your work-life balance. These are the tools that can transform how you lead and give you back control over your day.

For now, think about how you can implement some of the strategies we’ve discussed today. Start small, build momentum, and see how they impact your productivity and leadership.

2.5 Automate the Routine: Free Your Time for Strategic Work

One of the biggest time-wasters for CIOs is repetitive, routine tasks. Whether it’s approving standard system requests, generating reports, or managing basic IT processes, these tasks add up over time and can eat into your schedule.

The solution? Automation.

By automating routine work, you can free up hours of your day for high-value activities like strategy development and team leadership.

Here’s how to get started with automation:

• Identify Repetitive Tasks: Make a list of tasks that happen frequently and follow a predictable process. This could include software updates, user provisioning, ticket management, or report generation.

• Leverage IT Automation Tools: Tools like ServiceNow, Ansible, or even custom-built scripts can automate many of these routine tasks. For example, set up automated workflows for IT service requests or automate routine system maintenance.

• Implement Self-Service Options: Give your team and organization access to self-service portals for common requests. This way, they can handle routine tasks like password resets, software installations, or basic troubleshooting without needing your team’s direct intervention.

• Monitor and Optimize: Automation isn’t a one-and-done solution. Continuously review your automated processes to ensure they’re running smoothly and delivering the expected results. Fine-tuning these processes over time will unlock even more efficiency.

By automating what you can, you’ll save yourself from the time drain of repetitive tasks and gain more bandwidth for leading your team and driving innovation.

2.6 Meeting Overload: How to Reclaim Your Calendar

Let’s face it: meetings are one of the biggest productivity killers in any organization. And for CIOs, back-to-back meetings can leave you with no time to focus on what matters most.

The good news? You can take control of your calendar.

Here are some strategies to help you reduce meeting overload:

• Set Meeting-Free Days: Designate one day each week as a “No Meeting Day.” Use this time for deep work, strategic planning, or catching up on critical tasks. Blocking out an entire day for focused work can be a game-changer for your productivity.

• Limit Meeting Times: Not every meeting needs to be an hour. Start by reducing the default length of meetings to 30 minutes or even 15 minutes where possible. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive and focused meetings become when there’s less time available.

• Insist on Agendas: Before agreeing to any meeting, request a clear agenda. If a meeting doesn’t have an agenda, politely decline or suggest handling the discussion via email or Slack. This helps ensure that meetings are productive and focused on specific outcomes.

• Batch Meetings Together: Instead of having meetings scattered throughout your day, batch them into specific blocks. This will give you larger chunks of uninterrupted time to focus on strategic work.

• Say No to Unnecessary Meetings: Many meetings don’t need your presence as CIO. Delegate attendance to trusted team members, or ask for a summary instead of attending the full meeting. This will keep you informed without taking up your time.

By managing your meetings more effectively, you’ll free up significant time for the work that truly matters.

2.7 Work-Life Balance: Protecting Your Energy

For many CIOs, work bleeds into every corner of life. The 24/7 demands of IT leadership make it easy to neglect personal time and fall into burnout.

But here’s the reality: Work-life balance isn’t just about your well-being — it’s about your effectiveness as a leader.

The very top leaders don’t just manage time - they manage their energy.

Yes, that’s right - their energy…there is alot on this topic and I’ll only touch on a few key things here.

When you’re constantly “on,” your decision-making suffers, creativity dips, and you’re more likely to make mistakes. To be at your best, you need to protect your personal time. Here’s how:

• Set Clear Boundaries: Establish firm start and stop times for your workday. While emergencies can arise, having a consistent schedule helps you disconnect and recharge. Communicate these boundaries with your team to set expectations.

• Delegate After-Hours Issues: Set up a rotation for after-hours coverage, so your team can handle non-urgent issues without needing your immediate input. Trust your team to manage after-hours situations unless it’s a critical emergency.

• Unplug Completely: Take regular breaks to completely unplug from work — whether it’s a weekend getaway, a hobby, or just time spent with family. Use these breaks to recharge mentally and physically. A well-rested CIO is far more effective than one running on fumes.

• Prioritize Self-Care: Whether it’s exercise, meditation, or simply taking time to read, self-care isn’t optional. It’s essential to maintaining your energy and focus. Block time in your calendar for self-care activities, just as you would for an important meeting.

By making work-life balance a priority, you’ll not only feel better but also perform at a higher level when it counts.

2.8 Optimize Communication: Make Every Interaction Count

Effective communication is at the heart of successful CIO leadership. But here’s the catch: not all communication is created equal. In a world of constant emails, Slack messages, and meeting requests, you need to optimize how you communicate to avoid wasting time.

Here’s how to streamline communication:

• Use Asynchronous Tools: Not every conversation needs to happen in real-time. Use tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email for asynchronous communication, allowing people to respond on their own time without interrupting their workday.

• Limit Reply-All Emails: Group emails can quickly spiral out of control. Encourage your team to avoid unnecessary “reply-all” messages and instead communicate directly with the relevant individuals.

• Set Clear Expectations for Communication: Establish guidelines for how and when you prefer to communicate. For example, you might reserve emails for more formal communication and use Slack for quick updates or questions.

• Cut Down on Status Meetings: Instead of holding regular status-update meetings, use dashboards and project management tools (like Trello or Asana) to keep track of progress. This reduces the need for unnecessary check-ins and gives everyone visibility into key initiatives.

By optimizing how you communicate, you can reduce interruptions, streamline workflows, and create more time for focused work.

2.9 The Weekly Review: A Powerful Habit for Continuous Improvement

One of the most effective habits you can develop as a CIO is the weekly review. This simple practice helps you stay on top of your priorities, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments to how you manage your time.

Here’s how to conduct a weekly review:

• Block Time Every Friday: Set aside 30 minutes at the end of each week to reflect on your progress. Use this time to assess how you spent your time, what worked well, and what didn’t.

• Review Your Priorities: Look at your top goals and ask yourself: Did you make progress toward them this week? If not, what got in the way? Use these insights to adjust your focus for the following week.

• Identify Time Wasters: Reflect on any distractions or low-value tasks that ate up your time. How can you minimize or eliminate them moving forward?

• Plan for the Next Week: Use your review to plan for the week ahead. Block time for your top priorities, delegate where necessary, and protect your calendar from unnecessary meetings or distractions.

This weekly habit will help you stay focused, continuously improve your time management, and ensure that you’re always moving toward your strategic goals.

Time Management Isn’t About Doing More — It’s About Doing the Right Things

As a CIO, time is your most valuable resource. But here’s the thing: time management isn’t about squeezing more tasks into your day. It’s about being intentional with your time, focusing on what matters most, and creating space for strategic leadership.

By applying the strategies we’ve covered — from prioritization and delegation to automation and managing your energy— you can take back control of your day, elevate your effectiveness, and lead your organization with confidence.

Remember, great leadership isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter.

So, what changes will you make this week to reclaim your time and focus on what truly matters?

Robert Castle 

Founder | DIGITAL LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE

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