CIO Time: How IT Leaders Manage Their Calendars
Search CIO, Friday, January 2nd, 2026
As CIOs juggle long hours and global demands, they rely on deliberate scheduling and trusted assistants to stay focused on key priorities.
The CIO calendar doesn't follow the 9-to-5 rule. It follows business priorities.
In a role shaped by global teams, nonstop notifications and unexpected crises, the CIO's workday rarely fits inside neat boundaries. Start times shift, evenings fill up with overseas meetings and personal time competes with urgent requests. To understand how CIOs structure their days, we asked several IT leaders a set of questions about their work schedules and how they manage their time. Their answers reveal long hours, deliberate scheduling and a common reliance on trusted executive assistants (EAs) to protect their priorities from competing demands.