I’m the CEO of restaurant chain PF Chang’s. I start my day at 6 a.m. and don’t schedule meetings before 8 — here’s what my morning routine is like.

• Damola Adamolekun is CEO of P.F. Chang’s and primarily based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
• He spends an hour working from house every day before heading to the workplace for in-person meetings.
• He makes use of a Word doc to trace priorities and measure progress on the 12 months’s motion plan.

This as-told-to essay is primarily based on a dialog with Damola Adamolekun, CEO of P.F. Chang’s, about his morning work routine. It has been edited for size and readability.

I start my workday every morning at 6 a.m. in my house workplace

First, I overview our every day flash stories, which element restaurant working efficiency from the earlier day and interval to this point. I make notes of any attention-grabbing observations, questions, or oddities from my overview to debate with our COO Art Kilmer later in the morning.

Next, I examine my inbox. I typically attempt to answer low-intensity requests instantly, that are something that may be dealt with shortly, similar to an e mail asking for closing approval on a advertising and marketing design the place I’ve been concerned in the design course of from the starting. In this case, I’m accustomed to all parts of the design and can conduct a closing overview comparatively shortly, permitting the staff to maneuver ahead with execution whereas clearing an merchandise on my personal to-do record.

In this manner, I’m extraordinarily conscious of my staff on points that don’t require a lot time on my finish, which permits them to maneuver ahead with their very own work extra effectively after my sign-off. 

When I’m by way of the low-intensity objects, my subsequent precedence is to cope with duties that require extra time and consideration, similar to tasks associated to strategic targets and monetary efficiency. For instance, once we determined to develop our self-delivery program, we took a couple of weeks to completely consider the program. It’s essential to not rush these massive selections that may impression enterprise, and as a substitute to take time to research and get it proper.

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I arrive at our company headquarters in Scottsdale round 7:30 a.m. 

I learn the Wall Street Journal every morning to get caught up on any key enterprise, trade, and broader financial information. 

Our COO Art additionally arrives at the workplace round 7:30 a.m., and we spend a couple of minutes discussing the earlier day’s working outcomes. Then I sit down with our CFO Brad Hill to debate any related company planning or monetary points.

These early morning meetings are casual in nature and mirror a really comfy “open-door” ethos that exists inside our senior govt staff, which I love. It permits for readability and open traces of communication, eliminates potential misunderstandings, and lets us spot potential points early since we’re in fixed contact.

I use a easy Word doc to trace my priorities and measure progress on the 12 months’s motion plan

Besides my personal to-do record, this doc additionally has our firm imaginative and prescient assertion, core methods, and yearly motion plan to assist preserve me centered and centered.

I work with my govt assistant to ensure my calendar is all the time updated so I can simply do a fast examine to see what the day holds, the place I’m wanted, and when I might have availability.

I have a rule with my govt assistant to not schedule any meetings before 8 a.m.

Starting at 8 a.m., the meetings start and have a tendency to return quick and livid for the the rest of the day. These can cowl points that impression any of our working departments, in addition to different key teams like board members, traders, lenders, franchise companions, and landlords.