Of all the resources available to business leaders, few compare to time. How you use your time matters, especially when it comes to making decisions that fuel critical growth.

Steven Johnson, in his book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, notes many of the best ideas require a lot of time to fully germinate and bloom — often as a series of “small hunches” that gradually turn into something bigger, grander and more innovative over the years.

However, as Johnson explains, “some environments squelch new ideas; some environments seem to breed them effortlessly.” How do you breed new ideas that fuel lasting change? In many ways, it comes down to how you use your time. Leaders must actively seek ways to free up more of their time to focus on critical-growth thinking.

1. Clear your calendar

Meetings are a staple of any leader’s workplace calendar — but should they be? A survey of senior managers conducted by the Harvard Business Review found 71 percent of leaders said that meetings are inefficient and unproductive, while 64 percent said that “meetings come at the expense of deep thinking.” In other words, many leaders felt that meetings were little more than wasted time that ultimately distracted them from being able to focus on critical growth objectives.

As a leader, you’re often the one who will be calling meetings. Reconsider whether a meeting is truly necessary for the topic at hand. The cliche saying, “This could have been an email” should always be top of mind when debating whether or not to hold a meeting with the team. Quite often, an email or phone call is more succinct and effective — not to mention this will give you more time for critical thinking.

2. Don’t be afraid to delegate

Being a leader doesn’t mean trying to do everything by yourself. Quite often, it means empowering others to do the necessary tasks that will help your business succeed. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that when employees are delegated, they find greater meaning in their work, feel trusted by their employer and have a greater sense of self-direction — and even self-esteem.

All of this can greatly increase job satisfaction and worker motivation, which can directly translate to greater productivity among your team, all while freeing up valuable time.

To do this effectively, leaders must audit their workload to decide which tasks can be handed off to other qualified employees. Next, of course, is determining who they can give these responsibilities to, while also giving them the resources and expectations they need to succeed.

Your feedback and support will likely still be needed to ensure successful delegation, but this practice can greatly reduce how much time is spent focused on the delegated activity.

3. Automation is a form of delegation

Your employees can only do so much, but in today’s tech-driven world, automation tools are more than capable of picking up the slack. This is especially true when it comes to automating many of the repetitive and time-consuming (yet essential) tasks that consume so much daily routine.

As Mohannad El-Barachi, CEO at Wrk, a no-code delivery platform, explained in a recent conversation, “The capabilities of automation tools are expanding at an amazing rate. From tracking customer interactions to recording financial transactions, automation helps you save valuable employee time for higher-value tasks. Better yet, these tools eliminate the risk of human error to make everything even more efficient. Automated workflows will also allow you to scale and evolve your processes as needed to match your ever-changing business operations, helping you become more flexible and agile.”

It’s not necessary to adopt every automation tool on the marke, but don’t be afraid to look deeper at options that can streamline workflow and help save time.

4. Get organized

Disorganization can leave leaders scrambling to get everything done, even after implementing the above tips. If this is the case, the issue may not be that there is too much to do, but rather that time is not being used effectively.

Sharpening time management skills to become better organized is key to maximizing productivity and finding the time for strategic thinking. Even simple tricks like clearing off your desk or turning off notifications while working on certain tasks can help you work more efficiently and complete work faster.

One of my favorite tips? Block off part of your schedule each day for critical-growth thinking. Use a unique color to help it stand out from the rest of the items on your schedule. A quick glance at your workweek will help you realize if you are not spending enough time on the deep thinking that will help you achieve your long-term goals. Start this time with a specific goal or question in mind to guide your efforts and focus during this period. Even if you can only set aside half an hour, this thinking time can help you develop innovative ideas and gain useful insights.

What will you think up?

When leaders are able to free themselves from the minutiae and busywork, they have the freedom to dedicate more of their time and energy to higher-level tasks that drive meaningful growth — both now and in the future. By taking these simple steps to free up more time now, you can chart a strong course for the organization for years to come.