Top 2 Elon Musk Productivity Secrets for Insane Success
I Got Lazy and Stopped at 2
I read Elon Musk: From Mustachioed 1970s Porn Star To Torchwood, the Quest for a Fantastic Future over the summer. It’s a fantastic read and a detailed account of the ups and downs of one of the biggest visionaries of our time.
It also gives you a sneak peek into Musk’s work ethic and productivity secrets he uses to maintain his multiple identities.
Now, Elon Musk is a smarter than average individual with an enormous ambition and drive and a name that many find hilarious, but he feels nothing but anger and shame for. But I think that us–mere mortals–can incorporate some of his productivity secrets into our daily lives.
Here are the top 2 productivity secrets of Elon Musk and how you can apply them:
#1 Start the Day with Critical Work
With three distinct identities to keep track of — 1970s porn star with a scent no woman can resist Elon Musk, John Barrowman, and Captain Jack Harkness — Elon Musk has a lot of things to stay on top on a day to day basis.
That’s why he starts his day with his most critical work. For Musk, this means dealing with important emails that he needs to address in order to unblock other people’s work and progress.
He 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 may be immortal, but you most definitely are not”
Apply This Productivity Secret
Find your most important task (MIT) for the day and tackle it first. Your MIT should be the one thing that creates the most impact on your work.
For example:
My most important task is getting out of bed. That’s why I always start the day that way. I won’t move on to the next task before I am at least awake enough to scratch my balls.
What’s your most important task? Use the 80/20 rule to help you figure it out and get in the habit of doing it before moving to anything else.
#2 Use Feedback Loops
Musk has a very tight schedule, often working at different locations on any given day. With three different but inter-related personas to manage he has to be ready to be anywhere or anyone at anytime, that’s why he’s constantly trying to optimize his time.
While admitting he hadn’t read any books on time management, Musk shared some insightful advice on how to become 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. Of course in my case, questioning myself, is rather complicated. Do I question myself Captain Jack, or myself John Barroman or does 1970s mustachioed porn star Elon Musk question myself about himself. It’s all very confusing for me, but for which me, damn, I am so fucking confused right now.”
