Achievements
As a successful business magnate, engineer and inventor, Elon Musk is an iconic entrepreneur and innovator in the world’s business and technology sector. His achievements range from founding PayPal and Tesla in the early 2000s, to introducing the world’s first reusable rocket and autonomous electric car by 2014. His latest venture, the Starlink satellite constellation has pushed the boundary of the business industry into a new era.
Due to Musk’s innovative nature, numerous topics have been raised regarding his success and how to achieve. While most know that Musk works over 100 hours a week, the key question asked is whether he truly has free time and how he utilizes it.
Many experts argue that work-life balance is critical to success. Professor Justin Lee, a entrepreneurship professor at the University of Central Florida states that “achieving goals requires focus, dedication and creative thinking and it is also essential to take regular breaks to recharge.” As a result, it is important to discover and understand whether Elon Musk maintains a balance in his schedule and life.
The Demanding Schedule
Much of the conversations surrounding Elon Musk’s life and work center on his demanding schedule. Despite this, Musk still takes occasions to publicly participate in activities like playing video games or engaging with fans on social media. It is often said that Musk works seven days a week and 100 hours a week, leading some to question if he simply does not have time for anything else.
Additionally, this grueling schedule presents more questions surrounding his personal life. From his marriage to author and businesswoman, Talulah Riley, to his children, including the six sons he shares the world’s first ever set of sextuplets with his current partner, musician, Grimes. How is Musk able to juggle a successful business career with his personal life? This has been a mystery to many.
However, many of his fans have pointed out that Musk does have time for other activities, even if it is only for a few hours a month. Musk makes sure to take time for himself, whether it’s playing videogames to relax or just having a break spending time with his family. There are reports of him taking days off regularly to recharge and relax.
The Balance of Business & Pleasure
Detractors often suggest Musk is bad at managing his time, but his supporters state that Musk is a master at organizing his schedule and workload. For example, Musk was able to fly out to the British shores this month, participate in a UK-based space conference, take a few days off and return to the States in due time to push forward his other organizations. As such, this shows Musk can effectively and efficiently manage his time and schedule.
However, it’s impossible to work forever and anyone who attempts to do so will eventually succumb to exhaustion or worse, burnout.
In the end, the magic ingredient behind Elon Musk’s success is the fact he realizes success begins with the person and his or her health and well-being. Despite his ambitious workload, Musk is an advocate for taking regular breaks from work to ensure better health and productivity.
How then does Musk choose to utilize his free time? He often speaks of embracing pursuits that provide him with joy and a sense of fulfillment. Generally served on the weekend and week-long vacation, Musk always sets aside time for leisure activities and relaxation. For instance, his Twitter feed shows regular selfies and tweets of gaming sessions, suggesting the importance of this outlet for him to unwind.
Managing Time Efficiently
In order to perfectly balance professional and personal commitments, many believe that managing time efficiently is the most effective way to achieve success. Musk’s life is a testament to this. Despite the hectic and stressful lifestyle he leads, Musk is able to enjoy the best of both worlds.
When asked by reporters about his time usage, Musk regularly mentions finding a balance between his professional and personal life. That is, Musk believes that in order to be successful professionally, one must also have a healthy and successful personal life. This is why he is a firm believer in setting aside time for leisure activities and recreation.
It’s often witnessed that Musk personally takes on the most challenging tasks and delegates the rest. His proactive approach ensures getting the most important tasks done while delegating the rest to associates and subordinates. Not only is this an efficient use of time but a demonstration of confidence and trust in his team.
Personal Passions
When Musk does take some time off to relax, he typically devotes the time to pursuing his passions. For instance, Musk isn’t shy in engaging in sports such as basketball, football and soccer. He also demonstrates a keen interest in the use of virtual reality and augmented reality technology. It’s no surprise then that Musk is fond of using the immersive virtual world platforms like Second Life.
Additionally, Musk also makes sure to set aside time to enjoy his favorite music. He is often seen in music events like Coachella and engagement in activities such as karaoke. His long time love for film has most recently been highlighted by his experience in the world’s first 3D 360 degree immersive experience, Gravity.
Away from the entertainment world, Musk has frequently mentioned the importance of paying attention to our environment. As such, you’ll often find Musk actively participating and contributing in green projects like solar and wind energy initiatives. Recently, he took part in the global climate change march in Washington.
Conclusion
From the discussions surrounding Elon Musk’s lifestyle, it is apparent that he maintains a work-life balance despite his demanding schedule. Musk’s schedule is certainly not 9-5 but this entrepreneur thrives off the adrenaline rush and excitement of work, while still making sure to regularly set aside time for himself. During his downtime Musk enjoys activities like gaming, music and film, as well as taking part in green initiatives. Ultimately, what is an inspiration to most, is the message that personal health is an important factor towards achieving success.
