This billionaire CEO starts work at 4.30 am on vacations, uses 'timeboxing' for work-life balance

Todd Graves is the billionaire CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.

Todd Graves, the billionaire co-founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a fast-food chain in the US, wakes up at 4:30 am to work even while vacationing, ensuring he wraps up by the time his family wakes up around 11 am.

“I’m as busy as anybody I know, I travel as much as anybody I know, but I can work my schedule where I can make most of the things I need to be at with kids, family or important friends,” he shared with CNBC Make It last week. His strategy? Meticulous planning.

At the heart of his approach is a concept he describes as “extreme logistics.” This includes scheduling family time as a non-negotiable event in his calendar and making conscious efforts to remain fully present during those moments. “You might be tired, but you’re not going to be dragging around... You’re going to be just as enthusiastic for those special times [with your family],” Graves, 52, said.

To bridge the gap between work and personal life, Graves often integrates the two. On some occasions, his wife has brought their children to his office for dinner and playtime so he can see them before bedtime. These efforts, he believes, prevent him from losing sight of what truly matters while scaling his restaurant empire, which began nearly three decades ago in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

His methods resonate with productivity strategies like timeboxing, where specific tasks are allotted fixed time slots in a schedule. He works 15-16 hour days.

For Graves, the key lies in a constant balancing act—one that ensures his business ambitions don’t overshadow his responsibilities as a father and husband. “There’s always something to work on, and you’ll just constantly do it, so it’s about being very diligent on planning,” he said.