Top Productivity Lessons Learned from Elon Musk (and how to apply them without burning out)

Elon Musk is a polarizing figure, but there's no denying that his companies are built around speed of execution and operational intensity. A lot of the most practical "productivity" takeaways aren't motivational quotes - they're process rules: how meetings work, how communication flows, how decisions get made, and how waste gets removed.

Below are 10 lessons you can borrow (and adapt to a normal human schedule).

1) Treat big meetings as a productivity bug

Musk has explicitly called out large meetings as a drain and urges teams to avoid them unless they clearly create value for everyone attending.

How to apply it:

• Default to a smaller group (only the people doing the work)
• If the meeting doesn't need decisions, replace it with an update doc or async message
• Keep a "meeting tax" mindset: every extra attendee multiplies cost

2) Kill recurring meetings unless there's an active emergency

Recurring meetings tend to survive long after the urgent problem is gone. Musk's guidance is: if it's not urgent anymore, the meeting frequency should drop rapidly.

How to apply it:

• Add an expiry date to every recurring meeting ("auto-cancels after 2 weeks unless renewed")
• Convert status meetings into a weekly written update

3) Leave meetings the moment you're not adding value

One of his most repeated rules: if you're not contributing or learning, leave. Staying is what's rude, because it wastes time.

How to apply it (politely):

• "I'm no longer needed here - I'll drop and continue on my tasks. Ping me if anything changes."

4) Drop jargon and acronyms to speed up thinking

He argues that anything requiring a glossary slows execution and increases misalignment.

How to apply it:

• If a term needs explanation, rename it
• Replace internal slang with plain language ("release blocker," "customer bug," "cost spike")

5) Let communication travel via the shortest path (not chain of command)

Musk's internal guidance is clear: the fastest route to solving the problem wins, not hierarchy.

How to apply it:

• If you're blocked, message the person who can unblock you directly
• Managers should reward direct problem-solving, not "proper routing"

6) Fix cross-team friction aggressively (it's where "super dumb things" happen)

He specifically calls out the failure mode where information has to hop manager-to-manager across departments - and how that creates delays and broken outcomes.

How to apply it:

• Create a single cross-team channel for the problem (not 3 separate threads)
• Assign one owner and one next action after every discussion

7) Prefer common sense over rigid rules

Another practical rule from his email: if following the rule would be obviously ridiculous in a specific situation, the rule should change.

How to apply it:

• Review your "process rules" quarterly
• Keep rules that prevent real risk; delete rules that only create friction

8) Use first-principles thinking to cut through assumptions

Musk has described reasoning from first principles as boiling things down to fundamental truths and reasoning up from there.

He also pushed for a "first principles understanding" of costs (e.g., supplier quotes and line items) before approvals.

How to apply it to productivity:

• When you feel stuck, ask: "What do I know is true? What's an assumption?"
• Break big work into the smallest verifiable steps

9) Bias toward "execution speed" in communication

In Musk's internal communication guidance, the theme is execution: solve problems ultra-fast, keep the company agile, and don't let process slow outcomes.

How to apply it:

• End messages with the next action ("I will do X by 16:00" / "Can you approve Y today?")
• Use fewer words, clearer requests, and deadlines when needed

10) Build a daily system that makes priorities obvious

This one is a takeaway from the patterns above: meetings, hierarchy, jargon, and unclear ownership all fail in the same way - they hide what matters.

A strong daily planning system makes the day's priorities visible and forces trade-offs.

How to apply it in 10 minutes/day:

• Pick 1–3 outcomes that define a "win"
• Timebox one deep-work block
• Put admin into a smaller block
• Delete or defer anything that doesn't fit today

The most important caveat

A lot of Musk's public "productivity" reputation is tied to extreme intensity and long hours. That's not a requirement for being effective - and for most people it's not sustainable.

The best parts to copy are the process rules that reduce waste:

• fewer meetings
• clearer communication
• faster decisions
• direct problem-solving

How to tie this back to Self-Manager style daily planning

If you like calendar-first daily planning, the workflow is simple:

• Plan your day as time blocks + a short "must-do" list
• Keep tasks attached to dates so you can review what actually happened
• Do a quick end-of-day review to improve tomorrow's plan

The principles above - clear communication, obvious priorities, minimal waste - fit perfectly into a daily planning system where you decide "what wins today" instead of collecting infinite tasks.