How Does Elon Musk Work 100 Hours a Week?
Elon Musk is no ordinary tech genius. A billionaire philanthropist and budding world changer, he’s a new age Renaissance man. Quoted as saying he “thinks about [innovation] day and night — 24 hours a day,” Musk has a superhuman energy that pushes him to work long and hard hours. So just how does Elon Musk work 100 hours a week?
Inspirational Leadership
Musk’s inspirational leadership powers his superhuman work ethic. “What makes Elon Musk special … is his ability to talk in singular, brilliant and provocative ways,” says technology entrepreneur, Ashish Jain. His contagious enthusiasm persuades others to follow his lead and strive to reach a higher standard. He’s also smart enough to avoid micromanagement. By creating a space for individual workers to be creative and push their own ideas, he not only encourages greater productivity but magnifies his own resources.
Master Planner
Musk couldn’t fit this much into a day if he didn’t have something of a master plan. His calendar is carefully crafted down to a T, with every day divided into small time slots for various tasks. By chunking tasks into smaller, controllable segments, Musk is able to stay focused, energized, and on task.
Growth Mindset
It’s no surprise that Musk values improvement over comfort. He actively reinforces this growth mindset with himself and others, encouraging people to push the boundaries. For example, Musk had teams of engineers at Tesla pushing their cars to the limits in order to increase speed and efficiency. This strategy ultimately paid of with the release of the company’s amazing roadster.
Competitive Edge
Musk is motivated to outwork the competition and maximize his potential. As seen with the success of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk knows that if he wants to get ahead, he needs to work harder and longer than his rivals. He’s willing to take risks to get a head start, banking on the notion that working on the cutting edge gives him an advantage.
Balanced Lifestyle
While Elon Musk has earned the nickname of “workaholic”, he hasn’t vanished completely off the map. Musk still finds time for family, friends, and relaxation. He typically makes time to get at least six hours of sleep a night, reminding others that it’s important to properly prioritize leisure and pleasure, along with work.
Friends, Family and Hobbies
Despite the intense workload, Elon Musk makes sure to honor his family, friends and hobbies. One of his favorite pastimes is video games, which he can usually find time for in the early afternoon. Musk also devotes a good portion of each day to his children, who often accompany him on business trips. Musk credits his children as a driving source of his ambition, constantly pushing him to provide them with a better world.
Musk is also a natural people person. He frequently socializes with those close to him, enjoying dinners, long conversations and general merriment. While his work is done for the day, Musk prefers to be surrounded by people and remains connected to them via social media and email. He also loves to travel and explore the unknown, and when he has spare moments of downtime, he enjoys taking luxury vacations to temporarily remove himself from the hectic pace of the everyday.
Choosing the Right Opportunities
Elon Musk isn’t reckless with his time either. He’s a master at identifying the best opportunities and investing his energy into those he believes in. “[Elon] knows what he wants to focus on,” says technology investor David Hirsch. “He picks select goalposts and then drives forward relentlessly.” Musk also carefully applies the 80-20 rule, as he is mindful of the fact that 80% of the value of a venture comes from a mere 20% of the efforts.
Musk is also selective when it comes to the people he surrounds himself with. He deliberately looks for partners who have the same values, beliefs, and dedication as him. As much as possible, he delegate tasks to those he trusts, freeing up his energy for the most important matters.
Work Driven Mindset
From a young age Musk has always been driven by his passion for work. “It’s what I love to do… I would be depressed if I didn’t do it” Musk once said in an interview. He’s motivated by his desire to prove himself and make plenty of money. His strong work ethic significantly reduces the chances of him failing, since he puts so much effort towards achieving his goals.
The combination of ambition and hard work helps Musk maximize his potential. He’s keenly aware of his skills and strengths and utilizes those when making decisions. He explained, “I try to strategize where I think I can make the biggest difference, look at it from a physics perspective — which amount of effort will apply where force and move the lever the most?” Musk also isn’t afraid to admit his mistakes and encourages others to learn from his experiences.
Optimizing Resources
Musk is the master at streamlining efficiency. By investing in personnel, resources, and other assets, he’s created a system of machine-like productivity and automation. From space travel to car manufacturing, Musk uses the latest technologies to revolutionize long-established industries. By running tests, experiments, and trials, he doesn’t just maximize his own productivity but creates optimizations making it possible to increase output and accomplish more.
As he continues to search for new opportunities and efficiency improvements, Musk continues to inspire us to push ourselves to greater heights. His dedication and commitment to hard work and striving for excellence is the fuel that will take us to the next level. Despite the incredibly complex challenges he takes on, Musk is completely immersed in his work and loves every minute of it, seeing his immense 100-hour work weeks as a hobby, an adventure that he eagerly embarks on day after day.
Breaking Limitations
Musk always looks for ways to surpass the limitations set by ordinary thinkers. With the launch of Falcon Heavy, the most powerful operational rocket in the world, Musk has literally blasted the boundaries of what was possible and forged a path of self-imposed greatness. He believes in taking leaps and breaking convention, refusing to accept the boundaries other established. “If something is important enough, you should try, even if the probable outcome is failure,” Musk has said.
As a fervent believer in the power of science and invention, Musk has made it his mission to create possibilities for our future. He never backs down from a challenge, no matter how complex or unfathomable. Using his ambitious drive, Musk is actively altering the world and our perception of possibilities. Elon Musk is a modern day icon, an innovative genius working tirelessly to make the world a better place and inspiring us to reach for our highest potential.
Unconventional Thinking
When you think outside the box, you’re not limited by other people’s thinking. Elon Musk is an expert at unconventionally thinking. He encourages his teams and colleagues to do the same. He has often spoken about the ‘discipline of thought’, which includes bypassing the standard way of looking at anything, in order to find unique solutions that haven’t yet been explored.
Musk also believes in the power of failure. He doesn’t get discouraged if something doesn’t go according to plan, but instead uses every misstep as a learning experience. By staying adaptable and open to change, Musk can quickly redesign and reformat his original idea until it works.
Above all, Musk is constantly pushing himself to the boundaries of what he thought was possible. He encourages others to do the same, insisting that if you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not achieving the most you can out of life.
Following a Healthy Rhythm
Though Musk would argue against it, one of his secrets to success is working within a rhythm that allows him to stay in tune with his physical and mental energy. When asked about his techniques, Musk explains that he stays within a consistent schedule that includes daily exercise, healthy eating habits, plenty of sleep and a high level of focus during hours of work.
Musk understands how important looking after yourself is in the pursuit of fulfillment and success. He almost always exercises in the morning, even when his work days are incredibly long. He puts a lot of emphasis into self-care and works to find a balance between stress and relaxation.
Musk also takes mental health seriously, focusing on reducing stress levels and staying well-rested. He pays attention to what he eats and drinks in order to sustain a healthy level of energy. Even when he has a lot on his plate, Musk isn’t afraid to take momentary breaks throughout the day in order to recenter his focus.
Visualizing Outcomes
According to Musk, visualization is key to setting goals and achieving them. He embraces a ‘What If’ mentality, constantly envisioning what possibilities could come from any given task or project. This technique allows Musk to tap into his creativity and explore different avenues.
Musk also visualizes outcomes to motivate himself and others through their journey. Whenever he takes on a complex task, Musk imagines what it will look like when it’s completed. He believes in the power of visualizing the end goal, as it gives him perspective and illustrates the steps he needs to take to get there.
Above all, Musk stays sharply motivated by his passion for leading a better tomorrow. He consistently surrounds himself with positivity, and uses catastrophizing (imagining worst case scenarios) as a way of protecting himself against failure and disappointment. By focusing on the possibilities rather than the obstacles, Musk has the perspective and confidence to push beyond the normal boundaries and rise to success.
