33 Productivity Routines of

Top Executives
From our over 300 podcast interviews of top engineering leaders, here are 33 actions that they have taken
to remain productive and successful.

1. Read encouraging items every morning to get

me going through the day.

2. Go through the engineering news clips and

stay on top of what’s going on in the industry, so
you can have interesting conversations with
others.

3. Read everyday (an hour total) in the morning

and evening and have specific times set for
reading.

4. Try to learn everyday. Gain new perspective, get

on the internet and do some research.

5. Devote the morning to writing or other

creative activities.

6. Check emails by batch processing, NOT as

they arrive.

7. Be responsive on email by replying to

people within 24 hours, even if you don’t have
the answer yet.

8. Schedule time for emails and calls and

maintain a priority list and implement it in a
way that allows you to accommodate clients
without hampering your productivity.

9. Maintain an immovable time block in the

morning for productive work.

10. Make important phone calls early in the

day. Get the most difficult and impactful
issues out of the way as early in the day as
possible.

1 of 4

Note: These recommendations are a compilation taken from Engineering Management Institute podcast episodes and are NOT recommendations
made by EMI.  You should consult with experts in the given fields prior to acting on these recommendations.
 33 Productivity Routines of
Top Executives
From our over 300 podcast interviews of top engineering leaders, here are 33 actions that they have taken
to remain productive and successful.

11. Plan each day's activities the night before

by making a list of items to be done.
 Consider: 

a. Using the Eisenhower method (urgent, not

urgent, important, not important);

b. Consider determining your top 3 most

important tasks (MITs) and prioritizing them;

c. Journaling using the five-minute journal

approach.  To do this, take 5 minutes in the
morning and night, think of what you've been
grateful for, what you want to accomplish, and
reflect on things that happen that day;

d. Deciding what can be delegated, and what

can be pushed off prior to starting the day;

e. Making a list of complex tasks for the weeks

or months ahead for resource planning.

12. Maintain a spreadsheet with goals, projects

and action steps that you can look at every day
to measure your success in achieving your goals
or your progress to date.

13. Reduce your carbon footprint, by doing

webinars and virtual coffee meetings when
possible.

14. Every Friday afternoon, check off what has

been accomplished for that week and create a
new to-do list for the following week.

2 of 4

Note: These recommendations are a compilation taken from Engineering Management Institute podcast episodes and are NOT recommendations
made by EMI.  You should consult with experts in the given fields prior to acting on these recommendations.
 33 Productivity Routines of
Top Executives
From our over 300 podcast interviews of top engineering leaders, here are 33 actions that they have taken
to remain productive and successful.

15. Once a week, have a conference call with your

team with a written agenda, and also have
individual calls with each team member once
per week.

16. Ask staff to keep their to-do lists on their

desks or in a shared online location so you can
add to them or look at them.

17. Meet with your staff and go over the needs

that they might have. Consider asking:

a. What can I do to better support you?

b. What can I do to assist on the technical

end of your projects?

c. What can I do to engage clients, help with

marketing, collections of overdue fees?

18. Meet and go over metrics (aka key

performance indicators) with your leaders
regularly.

19. Try to keep your staff happy and motivated by

starting the day off light.

20. Adapt to a multi-office environment by

providing avenues for people in different locations
to get to know each other.

3 of 4

Note: These recommendations are a compilation taken from Engineering Management Institute podcast episodes and are NOT recommendations
made by EMI.  You should consult with experts in the given fields prior to acting on these recommendations.
 33 Productivity Routines of
Top Executives
From our over 300 podcast interviews of top engineering leaders, here are 33 actions that they have taken
to remain productive and successful.

21. Get enough sleep to be productive.

22. Wake up early in the morning and record new

ideas while your mind is fresh.

23. Listen to podcasts on your commute.

Personal Well-being

24. Workout in the morning.  Consider:

a. Going to the gym three times each week

and consider retaining a physical trainer.

b. Riding a bike to work to help clear your

mind and prepare mentally. Plan the rest of
the day while riding the bike.

c. Running regularly, which can help you to be

more prepared for the day, otherwise do some
other physical fitness activities.

25. Get caffeinated in the morning.

26. Take 20 minutes daily to sit quietly, whether

through yoga or meditating.

27. Take vitamins every morning.

Personal Well-being
28. Always have breakfast.

29. Start the day relaxed, and with positive energy.

30. Do things that you do well and have a support

group or support from family.

31. At night, reflect on the day and be thankful.

32. Put failure behind you.

33. Dress up nice. The way you’re dressed affects

how you are feeling throughout the day.

4 of 4

Note: These recommendations are a compilation taken from Engineering Management Institute podcast episodes and are NOT recommendations
made by EMI.  You should consult with experts in the given fields prior to acting on these recommendations.