Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is ‘ruthless’ about his schedule

The Spotify CEO said he
was “pretty ruthless in prioritizing.”
Drew Angerer / Getty
Images

• 
  Spotify
  
  CEO
  Daniel Ek told Fast Company that he’s
  “ruthless” about his daily
  schedule.
• He said he typically blows off social events in order
  to stay on task.
• According to Ek, the most creative people in the world
  are also the most rigidly organized.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek doesn’t have time for your
“social thing.”

In a recent interview with Fast Company, the CEO
described how he takes a “ruthless” approach toward staying
organized and on task.

His secret?

“I don’t do social calls,” Ek told Fast Company. “For so many
people, you’re beholden to this social thing, if I don’t show up,
someone is going to be sad. I’m just pretty ruthless in
prioritizing.”

When it comes alleviating hurt feelings, the Spotify CEO added
that “transparency helps.” He said that he typically tells people
ahead of time that, while he likes to be invited, he “probably
won’t come.”

“It’s not a personal thing,” Ek said. “It doesn’t mean that I
don’t enjoy your company. It’s just means that I’m focusing on
something.”

Ek said this strict approach ties back to his personal philosophy
around creativity.

“People think that creativity is this free spirit that has no
boundaries,” Ek told Fast Company. “No, actually the most
creative people in the world schedule their creativity. That’s
the irony. So I try to do the same.”

Ek’s time management practices also include eschewing most
meetings, scheduling time to just think, and going without sleep
for days at a time in order to ponder a specific issue.

Ek isn’t the only billionaire tech CEO to come out with a unique
view on work-life balance. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos reportedly told his
employees to view their work
and their personal lives holistically. Rather than balance and
compartmentalize the two, Bezos advocated for viewing them as
“reciprocal.”

“If I am happy at home, I come into the office with tremendous
energy,” Bezos said. “And if I am happy at
work, I come home with tremendous energy.”

Other top execs like Facebook COO Sheryl
Sandberg, Zillow Group CEO Spencer Rascoff, and Google SVP of
platforms and ecosystems Hiroshi Lockheimer make sure to leave
work at a certain time, in order to make time for family and
personal pursuits.

Ek’s approach certainly isn’t for everyone. But if you’re tempted
to take up after the Spotify CEO, there are ways you can go about
being “harsh” about your scheduling without coming across like a
“mirage friend.”

Business Insider’s Shana Lebowitz reported that when you’re
cancelling plans, it’s better to forgo making an excuse and just
let the person down with a simple message like: “It’s not going
to work out tonight. I’m so sorry.”

Are you a current or former Spotify employee with a story to
share? Email [email protected].