The Productive Routine of a CEO of a Remote Company
What you can do to improve the quality of your work from home
I founded a gaming company in 2012. I was the founder and CEO of Cupcake Entertainment. In 2014, I decided to get rid of the office. At that time, I had two employees working with me.
Remote work is the “new normal.” It’s likely here to stay not only for small businesses but also for many large businesses.
Understanding how to be productive at home helped me build a profitable six-figure business. I grew to a fantastic team of 13 people. Two of them lived in Germany, and the rest lived throughout Brazil (that’s where I am from).
Remote work was not that popular as it is nowadays. If you want to get the most of working from home, you must build a productive routine for yourself.
Morning
It’s 7 AM. The app Sleep Cycle on my iPhone wakes me up.
After going to the bathroom, I prepare my first meal. After testing many different combinations, I found a fast meal for me to prepare, nutritious that helps me wake up fast. I prepare a shake with avocado, whey protein, oatmeal, and coffee.
As I drink my shake, I look at my company’s revenue numbers from the previous day. I do a quick analysis of how we are doing related to our goals. After that, I watch a Youtube video about entrepreneurship while I wait for the caffeine to affect my body.
I have a notepad with me. On the previous night, I wrote down everything that I need to do for the current day. As I finished my shake, I started working on the easiest thing on the list. My productivity peak is right after lunch, so I usually do the most critical and challenging tasks at that time.
I start most of my mornings talking to my partners on Slack. Most of the time, I talk to one of them on Zoom. There are always many things happening at the company. There is always a problem to solve or something to improve. Having partners help me to deal with many different situations.
At 10 AM, I have a daily meeting with my whole team. This meeting helps create a better commitment to the work. Professionals see others finishing stuff and don’t like to be late. It also helps to solve problems faster. Everybody has a clear opportunity to ask for help instead of waiting days for that.
After the meeting, usually, someone asks to talk to me. I guide whoever wants my help, and after that, I have a second quick meal as I’m about to go to the gym one hour later. After the meal, I answer some emails and some doubts of my team. I also prepare for what I have to do in the afternoon.
At 11 AM, I change my clothes and go to the gym. As my company is 100% remote, that’s the first moment of the day that I leave the house. It’s nice to be outside for a while and put my thoughts on something else.
Afternoon
It’s almost 1 PM. I got back home, take a shower, and have lunch at my work table. All this time away from work helps me answer the current problems from my company that I’m trying to solve.
While I take another cup of coffee, I start working on the most important thing I have for the day. I usually have numbers to analyze and plan for the future of my company.
My afternoons are also usually full of Zoom meetings with my team and my partners. In those meetings, we discuss problems and talk about how things are going in the company.
I work with my iPhone on not disturb mode. I also disable all notifications on my computer, even from Slack. When I’m not in the middle of a task, I check if someone needs me.
I also usually check my email twice a day. I used to work with a Chrome extension showing every time I had a new email. That wasn’t helpful as I was getting distracted a lot.
Night
I always try to stop working at 7 PM. That’s my reading time. I like to read any book that can help me solve the current problems I’m currently facing with my company. Or a book that can help me to improve as a leader.
My reading time ends at 8 PM. During that time, I also organize what I have to do the next day.
I prepare dinner and eat with my girlfriend. We spend time together and watch Netflix. Between 10 and 11 PM, we go to bed. Tomorrow will be a fresh new day.
Final thoughts
I studied several different routines from other entrepreneurs during my journey. I wanted to know the first thing they did when they woke up. I wanted to understand every detail. I was looking for something that I could try and use in my own routine.
This story shows the routine from when I was the CEO of Cupcake Entertainment. That was the routine that worked for me at that time. Don’t be disappointed if something you saw other entrepreneurs doing doesn’t work for you.
Working from home isn’t for everyone. I had to organize different processes to allow remote work for my company and me. Also, I needed to hire people that could adapt to that environment.
You need to understand what routine works best for you. That’s the best routine in the world.
