52 - Confessions of a Recovered Workaholic: The CEO Time Audit That Changed Everything
Most founders spend too much time on work that doesn’t grow the business. This episode reveals how a time audit exposed the real productivity leaks and how reclaiming strategic time unlocked faster growth with fewer hours.
Confessions of a Recovered Workaholic: The CEO Time Audit That Changed Everything
Entrepreneurs often confuse long hours with effective leadership.
But working more doesn’t mean growing more, especially if your time isn’t spent on high-leverage activities.
In this episode, we unpack the shift from workaholism to strategic time ownership through a simple, yet eye-opening time audit. Here’s what it uncovered:
1. Only 17% of Time Fueled Growth
Despite the 80-hour workweeks, the majority of time was spent on operations and decisions that could be delegated. The time that was spent on strategy was fragmented and ineffective.
2. Context Switching Kills Strategic Depth
Even when time was allocated for growth, constant interruptions compromised it. True strategic thinking requires focused blocks, not scattered moments.
3. Rebuilding the Calendar Around Leverage
After the audit, boundaries were set between operational and strategic work. A team decision framework reduced founder dependence, and calendar design protected deep-focus time.
The Results
• Working hours decreased by 40%
• Business growth accelerated
• Strategic clarity improved dramatically
What This Changes:
It’s not about how many hours you work it’s what those hours are building.
This episode provides a method for reclaiming your schedule, protecting your strategic mind, and scaling a business without sacrificing your health or personal life.
Highlights:
00:00 The Illusion of Hard Work
00:18 The Eye-Opening Time Audit
00:49 Revealing the Inefficiencies
01:07 Restructuring for Success
01:30 The Power of Working Less
01:44 Measure Impact, Not Hours
Links:
Website: https://www.marcogrueter.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcogrueter/
Transcript:
I worked 80 hour weeks and wore it like a batch of honor. Then a simple time audit revealed the shocking truth. Only 17% of my work was actually growing my business. Workaholism isn't just destructive to her health and relationships. It's fundamentally ineffective for business growth.
The process was simple and eye-opening.For two weeks, I tracked every 30 minute block of my schedule and categorized each activity into four buckets. Client delivery, operations management, sales, marketing, and strategic growth. The results were humbling. Despite my endless hours, I was spending only 70% of my time on activities that directly drove business growth. The maturity went to operational tasks that could be delegated or eliminated entirely.
Even more revealing was the quality of my strategic time. It was consistently compromised by context switching and interruptions. The few hours dedicated to growth were fragmented across the week, never allowing for the deep focus required for meaningful progress.
This audit became the foundation for a complete restructuring of my approach to time. I established clear boundaries between operational and strategic work. I created a decision framework that empowered my team to solve problems without my involvement, and I protected uninterrupted blocks for the high leverage activities only I could perform.
Within three months, my working hours decreased by 40%. Well, our business grew. The irony was clear. Working less on the right things dramatically outperformed. Working more on everything. Start measuring your impact, not your hours.