Elon Musk is known for his success, visionary leadership, and his ability to inspire others. However, all of this reputation is based on his incredible productivity and efficiency, factors that have allowed him to create companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and Starlink, among others. Below, we will learn some tips from Elon Musk to be a more productive person.
Questioning existing processes
For a person to be more productive, Elon Musk advises questioning existing processes and looking for ways to improve them since this type of behavior can help foster innovation and improve the ability to solve problems in a more creative and productive way because it can increase the ability to identify more efficient methods of doing tasks.
For example, by questioning existing processes, a person may identify obsolete or inefficient practices or methods, which may allow them to apply improvements or eliminate them and proceed to apply innovative ideas and better advances to make the processes more efficient.
According to Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk has a five-step framework called “the algorithm” that he uses to solve problems, optimize processes, and foster innovation in his companies. The first step is to question each requirement, as every requirement must be justified from scratch and tied to a specific person, not a department. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s eliminated. Example: At Tesla, he removed a noise-reduction badge after proving it didn’t work.
Eliminate unnecessary processes
To be more productive, Elon Musk advises eliminating processes or parts of processes that are unnecessary since, in this way, the workflow can be streamlined (in a more efficient way), minimizing the loss of time and resources.
generated added value are identified and eliminated, people can focus on activities or tasks that are more relevant or that have a direct impact on achieving objectives in a more efficient manner.
In Elon Musk’s “algorithm,” the second step is to eliminate unnecessary parts or processes because if something doesn’t add value, it’s thrown away. Musk says that if you don’t recover at least 10% of what you eliminated, you didn’t cut enough.
Automate only at the end
Many companies and businesses make the mistake of automating all their processes at an early stage, however, there are many tasks and processes in which humans are better than machines. First, an evaluation and optimization of the entire human system must be done since, in this way, points of improvement or automation that are really necessary can be identified. As Elon Musk says, “human work is underestimated and automation is overestimated.
For example, in Elon Musk’s “algorithm,” the fifth and final step is to automate since it should only be applied when the process is already optimized. Musk learned this lesson from Tesla when he mistakenly automated most of the processes in his production line from the start but then realized that many tasks and processes were being delayed by certain machines and robots, so he had to eliminate them.
What are the 5 steps of Elon Musk’s algorithm?
The five steps of Elon Musk’s algorithm for business management are as follows:
– Question every requirement.
– Eliminate unnecessary parts or processes.
– Simplify and optimize.
– Speed up cycle time.
– Automate.
What do you think about this topic? Do you know any other tips from Elon Musk on how to be more productive?
If you have any questions or queries, you can write your question below (comments section).
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