It might seem impressive to say that you’re the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of a large international company but there’s another side to the story. CEOs are left with little or no free time at all, so they are literally forced to plan their leisure activities, which are kind of meant to be spontaneous. If you ever wondered which activities CEOs do in their free time and are on the lookout to “steal” an idea or two, here is a list of the 7 most common activities.
Travelling For Pleasure
Depending on the exact they are in, many CEOs are forced to travel a lot on business errands. Regardless of how tiresome this can be at times, people apparently never grow tired of it, because once a CEO steps of a charter jet, he or she changes their clothes and jump on a commercial flight to a remote exotic destination. Essentially, people travel for the experience of new lands and people, as well as the excitement of breaking their daily routine.
Songwriting
Who hasn’t played at least the guitar when they were younger? Well, once you become a big shot in the corporate world, merely learning to play a new instrument is not enough to get you relaxed. Since the creative side to their personality gets abused in the meeting room, they have to reinvigorate it by writing lyrics. What stat as a hobby, can turn into a small business if the lyrics they write are any good and famous producers and musicians get interested. As you see, a hobby doesn’t necessarily have to be a pro bono effort.
Gardening
The existence of gardening collectives in big cities like New York has made it possible to take up gardening as a hobby regardless of your place of residence. Working amount greenery and consuming fresh vegetables is a mentally rewarding activity that is an ideal getaway if you wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the office. Escaping into nature is a century-old tradition of businessmen that has taken the form of urban organic gardening in our times.
Unplugging And Unwinding
The corrective measure parents use with their children that involves getting them offline by confiscating tablets, laptops, and smartphone (or merely shitting off Wi-Fi signal) is a CEO’s favorite. If they have to be readily available 24 hours a day during the workweek, the weekend is their time off, which is something they take quite literally by shutting off their cellphones. Devolving the ability to unwind fully is the only certain way that a person can truly take a break from the hecticity of work.
Taking Up Boxing
A sport was bound to find its way to our list. Because CEOs mostly lead a physically inactive lifestyle, they need to take up a sport that engages all the muscles in their body and that gives them a good sweat. Not every executive likes swimming but nearly all adore getting inside the ring, looking up to boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
In fact, just being a fan of boxing is enough to get you started, as you can learn the ropes (pun intended) on Fighting Report blog where you’ll find out more about the necessary gear and boxing techniques.
Learning How To Say “No”
If you want to preserve your sanity, you cannot afford to be negative all the time. Optimism goes hand in hand with big business because you need to believe in the investments and business moves you make. That is why definite negative replies are frowned upon in the corporate world, where everything needs to be diluted, including a simple “no.” However, in their private lives, CEOs mustn’t continue this practice, as accepting every single proposal leads to the diminishing of the length and the quality of free time. Staying true to yourself and learning to clearly state what you want and more importantly, what you don’t want is an integral part of a businessperson’s private life.
Friends And Family
Do you know how people who win a prize, like the Academy Award, always thank their family first, sometimes even jocularly praising their mother for giving birth to them? Well, there is a reason behind this funny practice, as friends and family provide the greatest emotional support for any person and especially people who are exposed to great amounts of stress. Basically, all the hours you put in at work and the final success that results from it are not solely yours to boast with. Were it not for your mother and father, your spouse or the little jokesters, you wouldn’t have the mental strength to persevere. Make sure to express your gratitude.
Final Thoughts For Chief Executive Officers
The 7 activities listed here are by no means all of the things CEO’s do in their free time but they present core principles of delegating leisure time. There are physical activities, mental practices, and road trips that combined help executives keep their composure and arrive each to work well-rested and pumped up for new business ventures.
