Elon Musk’s Rule for Working Smarter (Not Just Harder)

Hey,

Everyone knows Elon Musk works insanely hard.
But what most people miss is how intelligently he works.

Sure, he puts in long hours.
But the real secret?
He has a ruthless mindset when it comes to productivity — one that could instantly change how you work on your side hustle.

Here’s the rule Elon lives by:

Let that sit with you for a second.

What Does That Actually Mean?

Most people think productivity means doing more in less time.
So they try to improve systems, use new apps, or automate workflows.
Which sounds smart — and often is.
But there’s a trap: sometimes, we’re optimizing things that shouldn’t be done at all.

Instead of asking, “How can I do this faster?”, Elon starts by asking,
“Do I even need to be doing this in the first place?”

If the task doesn’t directly lead to results — he cuts it. No second thoughts.

Here’s an Example:

Let’s say you spend three hours a week designing Instagram carousels.
You start using a content calendar or scheduling tool to make it faster.

Great, right?

But what if those posts aren’t actually driving traffic, leads, or sales?
Then all you did was build a better system for wasting your time.

This is exactly what Elon warns against — putting energy into making something efficient… that probably didn’t need to be done in the first place.

So How Can You Apply This to Your Side Hustle?

Before you try to improve anything — your funnel, your content process, your outreach — pause and ask yourself:

1. If I stopped doing this altogether, would my business suffer?

2. Does this task directly move me closer to making money or creating impact?

3. Can this be simplified, replaced, or deleted entirely?

Be honest with your answers.
Because most people stay busy, not productive.
They’re stuck improving things that won’t actually grow their business.

But when you remove the noise and only focus on what truly matters — that’s when things start to take off.

Takeaway:

The goal isn’t to do more.
The goal is to spend your energy doing the right things — and only those things.

That’s how Elon Musk thinks.
And that’s how you start working smarter, not just harder.

Talk soon