Elon Musk’s 6 Rules for Lean Productivity in Meetings

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3 min readMar 5, 2024

Nobody can say Elon Musk is not busy.

He currently holds several key positions:

SpaceX: Founder, Chairman, CEO, and CTO
Tesla, Inc.: Angel investor, CEO, Product Architect, and former Chairman
X Corp.: Owner, Executive Chairman, and CTO
The Boring Company: Founder
xAI: Founder
Neuralink: Co-founder
OpenAI: Co-founder
Musk Foundation: President

So, no time for BS.

This requires extraordinary productivity.

While not everyone aims to match his level of productivity, there are valuable lessons to be learned from his approach.

Recently, a leaked email revealed Musk’s six rules for meetings, which offer insights that can be applied to any team looking to boost productivity.

Let’s delve into these rules and explore how they could benefit your startup.

1. Avoid Large Meetings

Musk advocates for avoiding large meetings, suggesting they should only be held when they provide significant value and should be kept brief. This challenges the common notion that bigger companies require larger meetings, highlighting the importance of efficiency over size.

Consider this next time you’re scheduling a company-wide meeting. Could it be more effective with a smaller group or a different format?

2. Limit Frequent Meetings

Another rule discourages frequent meetings unless they address urgent matters. While daily standups can be valuable, too many meetings can disrupt your workflow and hinder actual work progress.

It’s essential to balance the value of meetings with the need for uninterrupted work time.

3. Leave When You’re Not Adding Value

This rule encourages attendees to leave meetings where they are not contributing or gaining value. While implementing this may require a cultural shift, you can start by evaluating the necessity of each attendee in your next meeting.

Consider whether all participants are essential and if the meeting could be more productive without them.

4. Avoid Acronyms and Jargon

To ensure clear communication, Musk’s rule at Tesla is to avoid using acronyms and jargon. Clear communication enhances productivity and prevents misunderstandings that can arise from ambiguous language.

Prioritize clarity in your communication to ensure everyone understands without the need for explanations.

5. Communicate Through the Shortest Path

Efficient communication is crucial for decision-making and progress. Musk advocates for communicating directly with the person who needs the information, bypassing unnecessary intermediaries.

This approach ensures information reaches the right people promptly, enabling faster decision-making and progress.

6. Follow Common Sense

Musk emphasizes the importance of using common sense in decision-making. He suggests that if a rule doesn’t fit the situation, it’s acceptable to deviate from it and prioritize common sense over rigid adherence to rules.

While challenging in traditional environments, this approach can lead to more effective decision-making and problem-solving.

Applying Musk’s Rules for Your Startup While these rules offer valuable insights, it’s important to adapt them to suit your team and processes.

Start by identifying which rules align with your current practices and gradually incorporate them.

For more productivity tips and insights, consider following start-up learner