Sir Martin Sorrell is one of the biggest names in the advertising world.
As CEO of WPP, the world's largest advertising firm, Sorrell says finding a balance between career, family and contributions to society have become his ultimate tests in today's hyper-connected business world.
"I think our business is not brain surgery," Sorrell told CNBC's "Life Hacks Live" series at Four Years From Now, a startup program at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "But it's increasing become more complex. Persistence, determination and speed are really important," he said.
"You have to be increasingly efficient in what you do," he said. "Do more for less ... that's the way of the world at the moment."
Sorrell said being available 24/7 in a professional services business is absolutely critical. "Things don't come up Monday through Friday," he said. "They come up on Saturday or on Christmas Day, or whatever it happens to be."
The need to stay connected through in-flight WiFi now even impacts his airline choices. "Things move so quickly that being disconnected for eight to ten hours on a plane is not helpful," he said.
But being constantly plugged in also makes it challenging to find time to simply think, which he emphasized as a critical activity for running a business.
"Getting time to think is really important, which is not necessarily quiet time in the sense of disengaging from the business," he said.
Sorrell said despite connecting during flights, trips also serve as the perfect time to think and find a balance between plugging in and disconnecting, which he said can ultimately help move business forward.
"You get time on those trips to think about priorities of what you're doing and implement them," he said.