Top 10 Elon Musk Productivity Secrets for Insane Success
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Master CommunicationHe frequently emails
Master Communication
He frequently emails his entire company with updates, how to communicate, company visions and mission, and being more productive at work.
“People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working.”
Use Feedback LoopsMusk incorporates
Use Feedback Loops
Musk incorporates not only his own feedback but also of others: he urges entrepreneurs to seek preferably negative feedback.
While it might be hurtful at first, you normally end up getting a lot more out of it.
He also focuses on hiring the best people in any field that can provide consistent and truthful feedback.
It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree — make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.
Batch TasksElon combines several
Batch Tasks
Elon combines several tasks together in a productivity hack known as batching. For example, he answers emails while eating or having a meeting over lunch.
But what I find is I’m able to be with [my kids] and still be on email. I can be with them and still be working at the same time… If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to get my job done.
I don’t spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.
Start the Day with
Start the Day with Critical Work
Elon typically starts the day at 7 a.m. and replies to critical emails for at least half an hour. Musk is careful to filter anything that is not deemed critical, focusing on only the most important items.
In his own words at the USC Commencement Speech:
“Focus on signal over noise. Don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better.”
I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.
Use Asynchronous CommunicationMusk prefers
Use Asynchronous Communication
Musk prefers to communicate on his own terms. That means defaulting to email and texts, both asynchronous ways of communication.
He also makes himself hard to reach for people outside his company by using an obscure email address.
I do love email. Wherever possible I try to communicate asynchronously. I’m really good at email. That’s my core competency.
This lets him focus on actual work for his companies.
Embrace Stretch GoalsPerhaps one
Embrace Stretch Goals
Perhaps one of Musk’s most notorious character traits is his tendency to set incredibly ambitious deadlines for his companies’ projects. He uses stretch goals as a way to change perception:
“The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.”
Develop a Growth MindsetElon
Develop a Growth Mindset
Elon Musk is never satisfied with where he is now. His companies have had enormous achievements, but Musk knows that there’s always room for improvement — in every area.
There’s always a better, faster, or cheaper way to do things:
“You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong.”
SchedulingLike many other ultra-productive
Scheduling
Like many other ultra-productive and successful people, he follows a very detailed and specific daily schedule.
He breaks his calendar into five-minute slots and finding your way into one of those openings is tough work.
Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.
Develop a Wide Knowledge
Develop a Wide Knowledge Base
Over the years, Musk developed T-shaped skills: a lot of knowledge in one particular field and a substantial amount of knowledge in many other disciplines and topics.
This allowed him to be world-class in one field (business) but also use his broad knowledge to innovate, find different solutions, be more creative, and collaborate with experts in other fields effectively.
Reason from First PrinciplesMusk
Reason from First Principles
Musk reasons from first principles, rather than by analogy (such as previous experiences). This way you build your reasoning from the ground up.
“You look at the fundamentals and construct your reasoning from that and then see if you have a conclusion that works or doesn’t work. And it may or may not be different from what people have done in the past. It’s harder to think that way, though.