“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.”
Elon Musk · Interview, various
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I've actually not read any books on time management.
About this quote
Meaning
On the surface this sounds like a confession of ignorance, but the real point is more interesting. Musk is signaling that his approach to time management is practical and self-developed rather than drawn from a literature of productivity theory. It implies that direct experience and a clear sense of priorities can teach you more about managing your time than any framework laid out in a book. There is a quiet confidence in the statement: he does not feel he has been missing something essential.
Context
Musk made this remark during a Reddit AMA session in 2015, in response to questions about how he handles an extraordinarily demanding schedule across multiple companies. He went on to describe techniques he actually uses, such as breaking his day into five-minute slots and focusing on first-principles thinking about what truly matters. The comment was somewhat surprising to an audience that might have expected a recommendation list, and it generated significant discussion about the value of self-taught versus formally studied habits.
About the author
Elon Musk is a business executive and entrepreneur known for simultaneously running organizations in fields as different as electric vehicles, private spaceflight, and consumer technology. He is a frequent participant in public Q&A formats and is known for giving unusually candid answers about his personal habits and working methods. His Reddit AMA attracted a large audience precisely because people were curious how one person manages such a broad range of responsibilities.
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