Elon Musk has famously said he works 80 to 100-hour working weeks, regularly sleeps in the office (and expects his staff too, if the Twitter takeover pictures were anything to go by!)
And since the Twitter buyout (now rebranded X, to much opposition from users), he has upped his hours to 120-a-week, saying there’s just “too much work to do”.
The Tesla CEO calls working from home “morally wrong,” telling CNBC news that the Silicon Valley “laptop classes” need to get off their “moral high horse” with their “work-from-home bullshit.”
Does Elon Musk sleep?
To be productive, Musk says he needs 6-hours sleep a night. This compares to former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos who said he needs 8-hours a night to be on top form, saying “if you short-change your sleep, you might get a couple of extra ‘productive hours’ but that productivity might be an illusion.”
Entrepreneur and investor Matt Haycox talks a lot about personal motivation, productivity and how to get the best out of your businesses, teams and deals. Sign-up to his newsletter at the bottom of the page to receive weekly insights.
In a recent column, he said: “I like to back work my goals into targets. And then break those targets into smaller chunks that can be closely monitored. Monthly, Weekly, DAILY.
“The simplest hack here is you can almost ignore everything else and just set yourself 1 simple target – BE 1 % BETTER THAN YESTERDAY. That can be at anything. Be better, Do more, Try harder.
“1% is nothing right? It’s so easy! Even the laziest person in the world must be able to achieve 1% growth?! But what people never appreciate is the power of compounding. Those minuscule daily gains, adding up and up. At first invisible. Then barely noticeable. Then looking quite small. Then one day BOOM! You’re a millionaire, muscular, overnight success story!” he added.
SUPER-CHARGE YOUR DAY
Maximising productivity within a working day requires effective time management and strong self-discipline. Essential tools for any entrepreneur and successful business owner.
We bring you 7 tips to help you pack the most into your day…
START WITH A MORNING ROUTINE
Begin your day with a consistent routine that includes activities to sharpen the mind, like exercise or meditation. This sets a positive tone and helps you start your workday focused and energised.
SET CLEAR DAILY GOALS
Identify 2-3 main goals or tasks you want to accomplish during the day. Having a clear focus helps you direct your efforts and feel a sense of accomplishment.
PRIORITISE TASKS
Use the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) to identify the tasks that will yield the most significant results. Focus on high-impact tasks that align with your goals.
TIME BLOCKING
Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or categories of work. This technique prevents multitasking and ensures dedicated focus on one task at a time.
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
Minimise interruptions by silencing unnecessary notifications, creating a clutter-free workspace, and letting others know when you need focused time.
USE THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
Break your work into 25-minute focused intervals (Pomodoros) followed by a short 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This approach is meant to enhance focus and prevent burnout.
LIMIT MEETINGS
Schedule specific times for meetings and communication rather than allowing them to interrupt your entire day. Use tools like email filters and chat settings to manage communication effectively.
As with billionaires Musk and Bezos, who need different amounts of sleep a night to perform at their best, it’s key to remember that everyone’s productivity routine may be different. Experiment with these tips to see what works for you, try things at different times of the day, regularly evaluate your strategies and adjust them based on your own experiences and results.
Have a great idea but need the money to get it up and running? Want to start building your investment portfolio? Or have a great start-up but need coaching to take it to the next level? We can help – get in touch to find out more.
