CEO has offered a glimpse into his daily routine, which includes 8.5 hours of sleep, early-morning workouts, around three hours of reading and a cap on meetings. Despite leading a major airline and travelling frequently, the 59-year-old executive describes himself as “probably the least stressed person you’ve ever met”.
In an interview with , Kirby, who is based in Dallas, detailed how he balances his responsibilities as an airline CEO with exercise, reading and family commitments.
8.5 hours of sleep and an early-morning workout
Kirby typically wakes up between 5 am and 5:30 am after getting around 8.5 hours of sleep. He does not set an alarm and said he has rarely needed one in his life.
After waking up, he eats an apple or banana before exercising. His workout routine includes upper-body weight training, kettlebells, running and core exercises, although he sometimes skips his workout while travelling.
He also uses the time between exercise sets to read emails, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Breakfast with his children
By around 7 am, Kirby’s children are usually awake. During the school year, he has breakfast with them and often takes them to school.
“We have a tradition I love, which is particularly embarrassing for my now-seventh-grader, with big hugs and kisses. Everyone thinks it’s hilarious, and he actually thinks it’s funny, too,” he said.
In addition to family breakfasts, Kirby attends a business breakfast meeting once or twice a week.
Why the United CEO limits meetings to four hours
Kirby generally begins work around 8 am when he is in Texas, although he makes himself available earlier for international calls.
The United CEO follows a strict guideline of limiting meetings to four hours a day, with 2 to 2.5 hours being his preferred duration.
“I’m allergic to the kind of meeting where people just go through slides,” Kirby said, explaining that he prefers discussions in which executives address issues instead of simply reviewing presentations.
United’s executive team meets three times a week, with each meeting lasting one to two hours.
“We all know what’s going on in each other’s groups because we spend so much time together. We’re not going through decks — we’re just talking,” he told the outlet.
Five-minute lunches and three hours of reading
Kirby said he has little interest in food and treats lunch primarily as “fuel”.
“I usually eat lunch in five minutes,” he said.
Reading, meanwhile, occupies around three hours of his day. Kirby has developed the habit of walking while reading and said he has averaged more than 20,000 steps a day for four consecutive years.
“I probably read one and a half books a week. Science fiction is my favorite. I think reading is one of the best ways to understand the world. I feel like I have a better assessment of what’s happening, especially when crazy stuff happens,” he said.
He added that his reading helped him recognise the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic early because he had previously read about the history of pandemics.
Family time and an early bedtime
Kirby tries to finish work by around 5 pm to spend time with his children. During the school year, he often takes them to their practices and other activities.
The family typically has dinner together around 6 pm. His evening routine includes playing hide-and-seek and chasing each other with his children before winding down with reading.
He aims to go to bed around 9 pm to maintain his 8.5-hour sleep schedule.
“I like to get to bed early. I’m probably the least stressed person you’ve ever met. I think it surprises people that my schedule isn’t nearly as packed as they assume,” he said.
Kirby also offered his perspective on productivity and executive work.
“A lot of executives judge their self-worth by how busy their schedule is, but when you’re sitting in meetings, you’re rarely thinking. I’d say my job is not to work hard; it’s to think hard. I detest wasting time,” he added.
At least three flights a week
Kirby’s routine frequently changes because of his travel schedule. He is usually away for a couple of nights a week, spends considerable time in Chicago and Washington, DC, and takes around five overseas trips in a normal year.
He averages at least three flights a week and sometimes flies with other airlines to experience their services and test their technology.
When booking flights in advance, he generally chooses first class. However, frequent changes to his schedule mean that last-minute bookings sometimes leave him flying economy.
“Mostly it’s about the convenience of the schedule,” he said.