After musing about some of the recent contracts, I was pondering how hard a HC has to work, how many hours a week, how often he can take a week off, how much he can relax.
Way back, I shadowed a VP at our company for a day. It started at 7:00, he was there when I arrived. He did emails and read memos for 45 minutes and we were off to meetings, and meetings, and meetings. He had people talking to him ALL DAY. He had to appear to be paying attention. He didn't really give orders as much as ask questions or just nod. He barely had time to pee. He drank coffee all day. His admin would come into a meeting and give him a note and he'd have to leave for a couple minutes while everyone waited.
By 6 PM he told me to go home. He said "I'll be here a while, this is the only time I can get work done." And laughed.
Another VP I got to know pretty well told me he didn't really take vacations, he accompanied his wife and kids somewhere and then sat most of every day ... in meetings.
I am pretty sure being a HC is all that on steroids.