Sample week · How I work

One founder. One week. Six working documents.

A sample week, run the way I’d run yours: calendar judgement, meeting prep, follow-through, written updates, stakeholder routing and decision boundaries.

Six working documents: the calendar, a meeting brief, follow-ups, a Friday report, a stakeholder map and a week review. The company and people are made up. The way I work is real.

Executive Support in Practice

Six working documents, in sequence.

A sample week for a Dubai-based founder, supported remotely from the Philippines. The documents show the operating rhythm behind the role: the calendar, meeting brief, follow-through, Friday report, stakeholder map and week review.

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The week, document by document

Open any document to read it in place. All times are Dubai (GST) unless stated.

6 documents

Monday, 07:45 Dubai

The week is planned before Karim opens his laptop.

Manila is four hours ahead of Dubai, so his calendar is sorted before his day starts. This week had a trap in it. Sydney moved to daylight saving on Sunday, and Coastline's proposed time now fell at 7:00 AM in Dubai. I caught it on Monday morning, before anyone accepted the invite.

OutlookTeamsRooms & car booking

What a CEO seesA calendar that already works. Conflicts are settled, every invite shows each person's local time, and his focus time stays protected.

The habit behind itI check the clocks first, then the calendar.

OLWeek 41 plan, KarimSent Mon 5 Oct, 07:45 GST (11:45 Manila)

Week plan: Mon 5 to Fri 9 October

All times Dubai (GST, UTC+4). Where someone joins from another city, their local time is shown on the block and in the invite.

InternalExternalFocus, no meetingsKept clear

Mon 5Leadership

07:45 Week plan in inbox

09:30–10:30Leadership weeklyBoardroom and Teams

11:00–11:301:1 with PriyaSales pipeline

16:00–16:30Approvals and sign-offsI queue them, he signs

Tue 6Budget

11:00–11:30Budget sync with JoyJoy in Manila, 15:00

14:00–16:00Q4 budget reviewProtected. He reads alone first.

16:30 Partner call brief sent

Wed 7Partner

08:00–08:40Coastline partner callSydney 15:00 AEDTMoved

09:05 Recap sent

15:00–15:30Call with Sara, LegalReferral agreement

Thu 8Hiring

10:30–11:30Final interview, Sales ManagerBilal joins from Lahore, 11:30

13:20–14:00Drive to Creek HarbourCar booked, traffic buffer

14:00–15:30Site visitDubai Creek Harbour

15:30–16:10Drive back

Fri 9Close

09:00–09:30Read budget v2Joy's flagged lines

12:00–14:30Kept clearFriday prayers

15:00 Friday brief arrives

Check a time across the team Drag to test a slot. This is how I found the fix for the Coastline call.

Dubai 08:00

What I sorted out on Monday morning

Request	What I found	What I did	Status
Coastline asked for Tue, 2:00 PM Sydney	Sydney moved to daylight saving on Sun 4 Oct. That slot is now 7:00 AM in Dubai, before Karim's day starts.	Offered Wed, 3:00 PM Sydney (8:00 AM Dubai). Both times written in the invite.	Accepted Mon 10:12
Final interview needs Karim, Priya and Bilal	Priya is at a developer launch all Wednesday. Bilal is in Lahore, one hour ahead.	Booked Thu 10:30 Dubai, 11:30 Lahore. Candidate confirmed. Room and Teams link in one invite.	Confirmed
Joy asked for two hours on the Q4 budget	Karim prefers to read numbers on his own before discussing them.	Split it: a 30-minute sync Tuesday morning, then a protected two-hour review block.	Booked
A vendor asked for Fri, 1:00 PM	That falls inside Friday prayers.	Declined politely and offered Tue 13 Oct, 15:00.	Moved
Thursday site visit at Creek Harbour	Thursday afternoon traffic, straight after the interview.	Blocked 40 minutes each way and booked the car for 13:20.	Booked

Rules this calendar follows

Nothing before 08:00 or after 18:00 Dubai without Karim's OK.
15 minutes clear before every external call.
No more than three meetings back to back.
Every invite lists the time in each attendee's city. Clock changes in other countries are checked a week ahead.
Friday midday stays clear.

Tuesday, 16:30 Dubai

The brief lands the afternoon before the call.

Coastline advises Australian buyers who purchase property overseas. They want to refer clients to us for the Q4 launches. It's the first proper call, so Karim needs to know who's on it, what they'll ask and what we want out of it. On one page, read the evening before.

WordSharePointOutlookLinkedIn

What a CEO seesHe walks in knowing the one outcome that matters, who decides on their side, and what not to commit to on the call.

The habit behind itEvery external meeting gets a brief. Every brief names the decision we want.

WDBrief, Coastline partner call.docxSharePoint / CEO Office / Briefs. Sent Tue 6 Oct, 16:30 GST

Brief: Partner call with Coastline Advisory

Prepared for Karim Read time about 3 minutes.

When: Wed 7 Oct, 08:00–08:40 Dubai. That's 15:00–15:40 in Sydney.
Where: Teams. Link is in the invite. Priya joins before heading to the developer launch.
From us: Karim, Priya (Head of Sales), Mekaella (notes)
From them: Tom and Lucy

What we want from this call

Agreement in principle to a 90-day referral pilot, with one named owner on each side and a date for written terms.

Who you're meeting

TomManaging Director, Coastline

Makes the decision. Background in banking. Likes numbers early and a clear next step at the end.

LucyClient Director, Coastline

Looks after their buyers day to day. Expect practical questions about process and timelines.

Where things stand

Priya met Tom through a mutual contact on 22 Sep. Tom asked for this call.
They have our company overview. No terms have been discussed.
Sara in Legal has our standard referral agreement ready if we move ahead.

What they'll likely ask with a suggested answer

"Can our buyers purchase without flying to Dubai?"Priya covers this: virtual viewings, remote signing and how payments are handled.

"What are your referral terms?"Suggest: "We'll send terms in writing this week." Keep numbers off the call until Legal has seen them.

"Which projects can we offer?"Show the Q4 shortlist on screen only. It's marked internal, so don't send it yet.

Watch-outs

Sydney is now 7 hours ahead of us, not 6. It's mid-afternoon for them, so keep it to 40 minutes.
Don't share unreleased pricing, even as a range.

Attached

Q4 launch shortlist (internal, one page)
Coastline background notes (website, team, recent deals they've announced)
Email thread between Priya and Tom

After the call I'll send Coastline a recap within the hour and draft the follow-up email for your approval.

Wednesday, 09:05 Dubai

The recap went out 25 minutes after the call ended.

Things agreed on a call fade fast when they only live in people's heads and chat threads. Everything agreed this week goes into one register, with one owner and one due date each. I do the chasing, so Karim doesn't have to.

ExcelOutlookTeamsPower Automate

What a CEO seesAnything agreed this week has an owner, a date and a status he can check in one place.

The habit behind itOne owner per action. "The team" doesn't count as an owner.

OLRecap to CoastlineSent Wed 7 Oct, 09:05 GST (16:05 Sydney)

The recap

Sent while the call is still fresh. Written in their time of day, with every action owned.

To: Tom, Lucy
Cc: Karim, Priya
Subject: Partner follow-up: next steps from today's call

Hi Tom and Lucy,

Thank you for your time this afternoon. Here's what we agreed:

We send referral terms in writing by Friday 9 October. Priya
Coastline shares a sample buyer profile so we can prepare the right shortlist. Lucy
We meet again on Wednesday 21 October, 3:00 PM Sydney (8:00 AM Dubai). I'll send the invite today.

If I've missed anything, reply here and I'll update the list.

Best regards,
Mekaella Magbanua
Executive support

Action register, week 41 Excel, shared with owners. Reminders go out 24 hours before each due date.

5 done2 on track1 waiting on Karim

#	Action	Owner	From	Due	Status
1	Recap and next steps to Coastline	Mekaella	Partner call, Wed	Wed 7 Oct	Done
2	Referral terms to Coastline, checked by Legal	Priya	Partner call, Wed	Fri 9 Oct	Done
3	Legal review of referral agreement	Sara	Partner call, Wed	Tue 13 Oct	On track
4	Sample buyer profile	Lucy (Coastline)	Partner call, Wed	Mon 12 Oct	On track
5	Q4 sales hiring plan	Bilal	Leadership, Mon	Thu 8 Oct	Done
6	Collect all panel scorecards	Bilal	Final interview, Thu	Thu 8 Oct, 17:00	Done
7	Q4 budget, version 2	Joy	Leadership, Mon	Wed 7 Oct	Done, 1 day late
8	Approve the Sales Manager offer range	Karim	Final interview, Thu	Mon 12 Oct, 12:00	Waiting on Karim

When something slips Item 7, Thursday morning

Teams, to Joy. Thu 8 Oct, 10:15 GST (14:15 Manila)

Hi Joy, quick one. Karim's reading the Q4 budget first thing tomorrow. Could you send v2 by 6 PM your time today? If something's holding it up, tell me and I'll move his review.

Joy, 19:40 Manila: Sent. Three lines are over plan, I've flagged them in the file.

How I follow up

A recap goes out within an hour of every meeting that produces an action.
An automatic reminder goes to the owner 24 hours before the due date.
If it slips, one private nudge. If it slips again, it goes into the Friday brief.

Friday, 15:00 Dubai

The week on one screen, with his decisions at the top.

Karim doesn't need a diary of my week. He needs to know what's waiting on him, what's done, and what could go wrong next week. Decisions go first because they're the only part that needs him.

OutlookExcelSharePoint

What a CEO seesTwo decisions, each with a deadline and the evidence linked. Everything else he can read in under two minutes.

The habit behind itDecisions first, updates second. Nothing he has to scroll for.

OLFriday brief, week 41Sent Fri 9 Oct, 15:00 GST

Friday brief, week 41

Sent to Karim every Friday at 15:00. Decisions first, then what's done, then what's coming.

To: Karim
From: Mekaella Magbanua
Subject: Week 41: 2 decisions for you, the rest is on track

Needs your decision

Sales Manager offer

The panel recommends Candidate B. Scorecards are in the Hiring folder. She has another offer, so speed matters. Please approve the offer range so Bilal can send it on Tuesday.

By Mon 12 Oct, 12:00

Coastline pilot

Legal returns the agreement on Tuesday. Once it's signed, are you happy for us to share the Q4 shortlist with Coastline? A yes or no is enough.

By Tue 13 Oct

Done this week

Coastline call held Wednesday. Recap sent within the hour, written terms sent today.
Final interviews finished Thursday. All scorecards are in.
Q4 sales hiring plan signed off at Monday's leadership meeting.
Budget v2 came in Thursday evening, a day late. It's in your folder with Joy's three flagged lines.

Watch next week

Those three budget lines are over plan. I've held Tue 11:00 for 20 minutes with Joy.
Candidate B's references are due Monday. Bilal is chasing the second one.

Next week at a glance

9 meetings and 2 focus blocks. Monday is the heavy day, with four meetings before 1 PM. The offer approval is the only item that needs prep, and it's in your Monday folder.

Full action register: CEO Office / Week 41 / Actions. Reply to this email with any changes and I'll update it before Monday.

All week, every week

Everyone who needs Karim, and how they reach him.

A CEO's time gets spent by whoever asks first. This map sets who gets what, through which channel, and what I can answer without him. I set it up once and keep it current as people and projects change.

SharePointTeamsOutlook

What a CEO seesFewer interruptions, and nothing important stuck with someone who didn't know who to ask.

The habit behind itEvery request has a route. Most routes end with me.

SPStakeholder map, CEO OfficeLast reviewed Mon 5 Oct

Stakeholder map

Who needs the CEO's office, what they need from it, and how we stay in touch.

Who	City and time	What they need from us	Channel	Rhythm
Karim Founder & CEO	Dubai, GST (UTC+4)	Decisions framed for him, not raw updates	Teams for quick things, email for decisions	Daily plan 07:45, Friday brief
Priya Head of Sales	Dubai, GST	Quick access on live deals, prep before partner calls	Teams	Monday 1:1, as needed
Bilal Talent Lead	Lahore, PKT (UTC+5)	Interview slots with Karim, fast offer approvals	Teams, email	Twice a week while hiring
Joy Finance Manager	Manila, PHT (UTC+8)	Deadlines with enough lead time, Karim's comments in one place	Email, shared workbook	Weekly
Sara Legal Counsel	Dubai, GST	Complete documents and one clear question	Email	Per contract
Coastline Advisory External partner	Sydney, AEDT (UTC+11 from 4 Oct)	Same-day replies, every time given in their zone	Email	Per meeting
Candidates External	Various	Clear logistics and a courteous close, whatever the outcome	Email	Each stage

Who decides what

I handleNo need to ask Karim

Scheduling and rescheduling
Invites, rooms, cars and links
Routine replies and confirmations
Follow-up nudges
Filing and folder access

I draft, Karim approvesNothing goes out without his OK

Recaps to external partners
Partner and investor emails
Offer approval requests
Declines to senior contacts

Only KarimI prepare, he decides

Offers and pay
Pricing and commercial terms
Anything legal
People issues

Candidate files and budgets stay in restricted SharePoint folders with named access. Nothing confidential goes through WhatsApp or personal email.

Friday, close of day

What Karim got back this week.

Mostly time, and fewer surprises. Here's the same week compared with how it tends to run when nobody is holding the details: the invite at the wrong hour, the call taken cold, the action nobody owns.

OutlookExcelSharePointTeams

What a CEO seesHis week went on Coastline, the hire and the budget. Everything around those was handled.

The habit behind itReview the week, fix one thing, start the next.

WDWeek 41 reviewFor my own notes, shared with Karim on request

Week 41 review

Without support on the left. This week on the right.

AreaWithout supportThis week

CalendarPartner invite accepted for 7 AM after Sydney's clock changeClock change caught Monday. Call held at 8 AM Dubai, 3 PM Sydney.

MeetingsFirst partner call taken coldOne-page brief the afternoon before, with the outcome named

Follow-throughActions agreed on the call, then lost in chatRecap in 25 minutes. 8 actions, 8 owners, 5 closed by Friday.

HiringOffer approval waits until the CEO finds timeDecision requested with a deadline and the scorecards attached

ReportingFriday afternoon spent chasing updatesA 2-minute brief with the decisions at the top

PeopleEveryone messages the CEO directlyClear routes: what I handle, what I draft, what only he decides

What slipped

Budget v2 arrived a day late. The Thursday nudge caught it in time, so Karim's Friday review still happened as planned.

What I'd change next week

Move the action register from Excel into a Microsoft List, so owners update their own status.
Add a short decisions log, so the Friday brief links to what was decided and when.

Karim keeps attention on decisions, relationships and commercial work. I keep the operating details moving around them.

Book a call

Open a document to read it in place. Each one ends with a link to the next.

Tip: tap a document to open it. The calendar and tables scroll sideways.

One founder. One week. Six working documents.

Six working documents, in sequence.

The week, document by document

The week is planned before Karim opens his laptop.

Week plan: Mon 5 to Fri 9 October

Check a time across the team Drag to test a slot. This is how I found the fix for the Coastline call.

What I sorted out on Monday morning

Rules this calendar follows

The brief lands the afternoon before the call.

Brief: Partner call with Coastline Advisory

Who you're meeting

Where things stand

What they'll likely ask with a suggested answer

Watch-outs

Attached

The recap went out 25 minutes after the call ended.

The recap

Action register, week 41 Excel, shared with owners. Reminders go out 24 hours before each due date.

When something slips Item 7, Thursday morning

How I follow up

The week on one screen, with his decisions at the top.

Friday brief, week 41

Needs your decision

Done this week

Watch next week

Next week at a glance

Everyone who needs Karim, and how they reach him.

Stakeholder map

Who decides what

I handleNo need to ask Karim

I draft, Karim approvesNothing goes out without his OK

Only KarimI prepare, he decides

What Karim got back this week.

Week 41 review

What slipped

What I'd change next week

Want this kind of support around your own week?