Many hands make light work for today's busy executives, a new survey shows. Thirty-eight percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) recently polled said that delegating projects is their best method for time management. Maximizing technology tools ranked a very close second, with 37 percent of the response.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, the world's premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with more than 20 employees.

CFOs were asked, "Which one of the following is most effective in helping you manage your time at work?" Their responses:

- Delegating more responsibilities: 38%
- Taking greater advantage of technology tools 37%
- Spending less time in meetings 15%
- Traveling less frequently 4%
- Other/don't know 6%

"Financial executives navigating their companies through the lengthy recession have a growing list of challenges," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. "While delegating projects does not come easily for someone used to doing it all, it can be critical to ensuring strategic business objectives are met. Asking others to expand their roles is also key to developing future management talent."

Technology is also saving time for executives, notes McDonald: "For CFOs who travel frequently, mobile phones, laptops and wireless handheld devices enable them to remain accessible to staff."

Robert Half Management Resources has locations in major cities throughout North America, Europe and Australia, and offers online job search services at www.roberthalfmr.com.