5 Elon Musk habits you can realistically try (and 5 you avoid)

When it comes to creating businesses, like Tesla or SpaceX, as well as challenging himself to achieve something extraordinary, Elon Musk is considered one of the hardest-working people out there. Although many of his practices are quite motivating, some of them are not very practical and, perhaps, even harmful for regular individuals. What needs to be done is to distinguish what habits are worth embracing and which should better be avoided. As an example, below are presented 5 habits of Elon Musk that one can adopt in their lives and 5 habits that are better left alone.

By segmenting the day into shorter periods, such as 5-minute blocks, Elon Musk maximizes his efficiency. Although planning one's schedule in this way is somewhat unrealistic, the practice of splitting time into blocks and assigning specific tasks to these periods might be helpful. By allocating certain periods of time for particular activities, one can achieve greater effectiveness.
Avoid – Workaholic routine
Elon Musk admits to spending an enormous number of hours at work each day, up to 80-100 per week. It can be a temporary situation; however, constantly putting oneself through long hours of hard work can negatively impact well-being and productivity.

Rather than relying on the existing experience of other people when solving any problems, Elon Musk prefers to start from scratch, analyzing basic principles. Such an attitude to solving any problem can be adopted for use in ordinary life as well as in business. For instance, in a situation when one needs to make a certain decision, one can use first principle thinking.
Avoid – Scheduling every minute
Although scheduling might be efficient, it might also be rather stressful for an individual to plan all the actions throughout the whole day. Hence, some flexibility needs to be maintained.

Elon Musk manages to devote a lot of his time to self-learning; he reads extensively regardless of being incredibly busy. As far as this habit is concerned, it is quite possible to follow it and to find even a small amount of time during the day for self-studying.
Avoid – Constantly operating under pressure
Due to the atmosphere of tension in which Elon Musk operates, this approach might seem rather productive for him. Still, keeping oneself in a high-pressure environment every day might be counterproductive.

According to Elon Musk, it is very useful for an individual to have someone telling him or her how bad they are at something and how to improve their skills. In fact, even such an unpleasant thing as criticism can be helpful in improving one's performance.

Avoid – Forgetting about personal time

Due to an extremely intense lifestyle, one might neglect personal life and communication with friends and relatives. Nevertheless, this aspect plays a crucial role as well.

Elon Musk has made a point of leaving meetings that do not have any sense at all for him. Although one may be unable to walk away from a meeting right away, one can make the effort to limit its length and relevance.
Avoid – Copying everything blindly
Every person's life is different; therefore, trying to implement each of Elon Musk's habits blindly might result in negative consequences.
Disclaimer:
This article is for general informational purposes only. The habits and routines associated with Elon Musk are based on publicly available interviews, statements, and widely reported insights. These may vary over time and may not be suitable for everyone. Readers are advised to adapt these practices based on their individual lifestyle, work environment, and personal well-being.