1) Back-calculation and quantitative goals

► Musk’s approach: He breaks down big goals into small tasks, like this:

-Suppose you have 5 days to finish reading a 300-page book

-You can calculate that you need to read 60 pages a day

-If you want to finish half of the book by 3pm, you need to read 10 pages per hour in the morning


  1. ⌁Effect: By working backwards and quantifying your goals, you can clearly know what tasks need to be completed every hour and every moment, avoiding wasting time.

  2. Time Box Method


    Musk invented Time Boxing, which is also used by many successful people in Silicon Valley, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.


    ► Time Boxing: Assign a specific time to each task, such as:


    -Task A: Complete within 60 minutes


    -Task B: Complete within 30 minutes


    -Task C: Complete within 10 minutes


    ⌁Key Points:


    If task A only takes 40 minutes to complete, then move on to task B or C.


    The key point is: don’t start the task by time, but plan it by the time it takes. Do the important things first, and don’t be restricted by the order of tasks.


    The core of the timebox is to create a time limit. Musk tends to allocate the least time to each task and use Deadline to maintain the highest efficiency.

  3. Asynchronous communication

    Musk prefers asynchronous communication, such as using email

    ⎖Why? Because emails do not require immediate replies, which can reduce external interference and allow him to focus more on his work.

    ⌁Effect: This can reduce meaningless real-time chats and meetings and improve work efficiency

  4. Pareto Principle


    ►Core idea: Spend 80% of your time on the 20% most important things, rather than allocating your time evenly


    Only a few things in life are the most important, and most things are actually not that important. Focusing on these key 20% can get most of the benefits and even control the overall situation.

  5. Do one thing at a time

    ►Focus on a single task: Musk firmly believes that doing one thing at a time is better than multitasking.

    -Why?

    Multitasking can distract you and reduce your efficiency and work quality.

    -How to do it?

    Focus on one task at any given time, and only start the next one after it is completed.

    ⎆The following methods can help us stay focused better👇

    ◾️ Shielding power: eliminate information interference

    ◾️ Set time: control active rest time

    ◾️ Develop habits: Do one small thing every day

    One hour of focus will get you much more done than five hours of distracted work.

  6. 10% Target Rule


    ► Musk once mentioned that his success was due to the development of a very decisive mentality


    That is the 10% target.


    The idea is that no matter what you want, you should try it at least 10 times first.


    But the problem is that most people won’t try 10 times. The scary truth is that a large portion of people won’t even try once.


    ⌁How to achieve it: I use habit tracking to achieve what I want to do. I try it 10 times to see the effect. How can I not try something that I want so much?


    Just like setting the rules of the game, give yourself two lives every month and analyze them every half month. If the results in the first half of the month are not good, you can make timely adjustments in the second half of the month. You must find a comfortable and sustainable way to last long.

  7. 📌 Let me summarize for you


    Some things really cannot be achieved by hard work alone. Finding methods and improving efficiency are far more important than hard work!


    Time can be managed; life can be designed


    How you treat time is how your future will be


    How you spend your day is how you spend your life


    🧡Remember that time is your most precious resource, don't waste it on meaningless things🧡