Most founders don’t burn out because they’re lazy… they burn out because they’re doing everyone else’s job except their own.

That’s why I created a simple system I call The Daily CEO Checklist…a 10-point, 10-minute daily checklist designed to pull you out of the weeds and keep you focused on high-leverage, CEO-level work that will take your company from $1M to $10M and beyond.

The process is simple:

At the end of each day, run through each item on the following checklist. If it’s a “Yes,” check the box. If not, leave it blank.

More checks = more leverage.
More leverage = more scale.

Here’s the checklist…let’s get into what each point is and why they matter:

1. I know my company’s current bottleneck to scale?

A CEO's job isn’t to do the work, it’s to remove the roadblocks that are stopping others from doing it. But you can’t remove what you can’t see.

So ask: “What is the single biggest constraint holding us back from growth right now?”

If you’re stuck, ask, “Am I demand or supply constrained?”

  • If Demand? Is it a marketing problem? (Traffic) Sales problem? (Conversion) Offer problem? (Messaging)

  • If Supply? Is it an inventory issue? A team capacity issue? A budget issue?

If you start with Demand and Supply and keep narrowing down and down, you’ll eventually find your bottleneck.

2. I committed the necessary resources to remove that bottleneck.

Once you know the bottleneck, you commit. That means:

  • Reallocating budget

  • Hiring or reassigning a key role

  • Buying a tool or standing up a sprint

No resource left unassigned. No problem left under-funded.

It’s not enough to spot the fire…you also need to send the fire truck.

3. I spent my time like a true CEO…not a "doer."

The calendar doesn’t lie…

Did you spend most of your day solving high-leverage problems, or did you respond to Slack messages all day?

Just one hour of proactive CEO work per day beats 10 hours of reactive tasks.

So, how’d you do today?

If you weren’t in the CEO seat today, don’t beat yourself up. Learn from it, and recalibrate tomorrow.

4. I created or improved an internal asset.

This is the ultimate test of leverage. Did you:

  • Document a process?

  • Build a template?

  • Record a training video?

You may not check this box every day, but you should check it any time you’re asked to perform a task that could have (or should have) been done by someone else on the team.

Start building assets, and STOP solving the same problems twice.

5. I reviewed our Company Scorecard and key metrics today.

If you don’t know your numbers, you’re flying blind.

So, scan your scorecards every day and ask:

  • Are the red metrics trending up or down?

  • Are we on track for our quarterly goals?

  • Is anyone off pace and in need of support?

You don’t have to take immediate action on any one metric (in fact, you probably shouldn’t), but by keeping an eye on your numbers, you’ll be keeping a pulse on your company.

SIDE NOTE: No Company Scorecard yet? Fix that first. You can’t afford to lead by your “gut” at scale.

6. I led with clarity, vision, and accountability.

Maybe you reiterated the company's mission/vision at an All Hands meeting, had a difficult (but constructive) conversation with a manager during a 1-on-1, or anchored back one of your core values during a debate.

The question is: “Did I leave someone more focused, more empowered, or more accountable than they were yesterday?”

You’re not just the owner… you’re the leader. Did you act like it today?

7. I said “No” to something that was urgent but non-essential.

The essence of strategy isn’t addition…it’s subtraction. Every day brings a hundred things you could do, which is why great CEOs say “No” 99 times out of 100.

And it doesn’t have to be something massive.

  • Say “No” to a meeting.

  • Say “No” to a shiny new idea.

  • Say “No” to a random ask.

You don't scale by doing more…you scale by doing less of the wrong things.

It’s not about being a jerk…it’s about protecting your focus. So model what that looks like for your team, and watch your team become better at BOTH strategy and execution.

8. I checked in on cash flow and capital reserves.

Do you know:

  • What money came in today?

  • What went out?

  • What still needs to be collected?

This one takes 2 minutes. Open your bank account, look at your balance, and if you see a cash problem coming, deal with it before it's a crisis.

At the end of the day, a business can survive anything if it has enough cash, and the only way to ensure you never run out of it is to always keep an eye on it.

9. My calendar tomorrow reflects my highest priorities.

A CEO's work requires space, and space doesn’t just magically appear.

(In fact, the opposite is true.)

If you don’t claim your time, your time will be claimed by others.

Every afternoon, scan tomorrow’s calendar and ask:

  • Did I block time for strategic work?

  • Do I have buffers between meetings?

  • Is anything eating up time that shouldn’t?

You can’t win tomorrow if you lose the night before.

10. I acted like an owner, not just an employee.

This is the ultimate gut check.

Ask yourself: “If I were employing me today—would I give myself a bonus or a talking-to?”

You already know the answer. Own it, adjust, and move on.

Score Yourself: ___ / 10

  • 9 - 10: You’re leading like a $10M CEO. Keep going.

  • 6 - 8: Solid progress, but stay intentional.

  • < 6: You’re in the weeds. Reset and re-center tomorrow.

That’s it! 10 questions…10 minutes…and a simple daily rhythm that rewires your brain to think like a high-performing CEO.

Now, it’s your turn…

⚡ Action Step: Download the Daily CEO Checklist and add these 10 prompts to your Notes app or journal. Then, set a daily reminder to complete this checklist the last 10 minutes of your workday. Because the more days you act like a true CEO, the faster your business will scale (and the less it will need you to do it).

Stop letting broken systems hold you back. Let’s create a plan that “de-bottlenecks” you from your business so you can scale your company…without sacrificing your soul. Schedule a free “Scale Session” today.

Quick Hits

Here’s some other content from the Scalable network, plus some other cool stuff I liked and thought you might like, too:

Tweet of the Week

Want more from us?

Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways we can help you scale your business (without sacrificing your soul in the process):

  1. Download the “$200M Operating System Case Study.” This 46-page “manifesto” (and accompanying video) reveals how we’re scaling six (6) different businesses simultaneously inside our $200M holding company using the Scalable Operating System™.

  2. Get a free copy of my book. If your goal is to own a business that can run and scale without you, then Get Scalable is your playbook.

  3. Work 1-on-1 with me and my team. If you’d like direct, 1-on-1 support systemizing and scaling your business, you can get more information and schedule a complimentary Scale Session here.

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