We all know that Elon Musk, owner of X and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is absolutely rolling in it, with a net worth of over $200 billion - but apparently he’s pretty successful at managing his personal life too.
Somehow, he still has time to pursue his hobbies, hit the gym and spend quality time with his kids.
On top of this, the tech mogul is said to spend 85 to 100 hours a week split between SpaceX's LA headquarters and Tesla's base in the Bay Area.
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The secret? Many people think it’s all down to having a structured schedule, and the use of time blocking.
Musk is often said to meticulously plans his day in five minute blocks. The technique is so closely associated with the billionaire that he actually took to X to debunk it back in 2018, writing: "I definitely don’t do this 5 minute thing. Need to have long uninterrupted times to think. Can’t be creative otherwise."
But if Musk did follow the five minute rule, what might that mean?
It would look like designating a specific task to a five minute block, whether that be prepping for a meeting, having a shower, eating lunch or even getting a business meeting done.
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The five minute rule seems pretty simple, but it could be difficult to implement for the average Joe.
The key? Well, it seems to be planning all your tasks in advance, whether that be a meeting or catching up with friends.
It could be useful to break down bigger tasks into smaller ones, like in your personal life - having a shower, getting ready, walking to the pub, and sinking some pints.
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There’s also a few time-tracking apps out there which could help you stick to the time limits.
Being rigid with your schedule is something of a common refrain amongst top executives. Apparently Bill Gates, Microsoft’s former chief executive, used to divide his work hours into ‘four buckets’, dedicating 25% of his tasks to each.
Cal Newport, productivity specialist author of the book Deep Work, is a big proponent for planning every minute of your working day in this way
Newport claims that a 40 hour time-blocked work week has the same output as a 60+ work week that isn't planned in this way.
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So, next time you’re planning out your week, why not give the five minute rule a try? You never know, you could end up a billionaire.