When I first came across Elon Musk’s list of habits to avoid for success, my first thought was how relevant they are for entrepreneurs. These habits are not just about personal growth; they touch on productivity, resilience, and decision-making, core qualities for anyone building a startup. Musk’s insights come not from theory but years of practice, which makes them worth dissecting.
Let me walk you through the six habits Musk advises us to leave behind. For each one, I’ll add practical applications, pitfalls to avoid, and how you can use these lessons to strengthen your business approach.
1. Over-caring about criticism
Musk talks openly about how critics can stifle creativity. The focus should be on whether feedback improves the end product. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to hear opinions ranging from constructive advice to outright negativity. Distinguishing between the two ensures you don’t lose momentum obsessing over unnecessary input.
Practical Tip: Filter criticism.
Prioritize feedback that’s actionable and specific. For startups, user reviews are often invaluable. Tools like NPS surveys can help you gather focused feedback quickly.
Mistake to watch for:
Ignoring criticism entirely because it feels uncomfortable. While it’s tempting, blind spots can sink businesses.
2. Procrastinating on decisions
Musk stresses the damage of delayed actions. For time-sensitive ventures like startups, hesitation can cost funding, customers, and opportunities. Not every decision will guarantee positive results, but it’s better to learn from errors than stall for perfection.
How to act faster:
Rely on simple decision-making frameworks. The Eisenhower Matrix is ideal for sorting urgent vs. important tasks. Decide efficiently, and move on.
Pitfall:
Waiting for “perfect conditions.” Especially in business, there rarely is a perfect moment.
3. Dwelling on past failures
Failure is all but guaranteed in entrepreneurship. Musk openly admits learning from setbacks at Tesla and SpaceX, two ventures that many predicted would collapse. What matters is using failures as data points, not emotional anchors.
Manage failure:
I use the concept of postmortems in my startups, a structured review of any mistake, answering three key questions: What went wrong? What worked anyway? What will we do differently next time? It keeps emotions out and emphasizes lessons learned.
Mistake to avoid:
Avoid framing failure as an absolute. Fewer than 25% of startups succeed, making resilience a non-negotiable skill.
4. Excessive multitasking
Despite Musk running multiple companies simultaneously, he advocates focused execution over scatterbrained multitasking. Research from APA on multitasking shows how splitting focus reduces performance and quality.
Entrepreneur strategy: Block time.
Set specific slots for critical work. For me, mornings are reserved for strategy while afternoons are open for meetings. The result? I can concentrate deeply at least part of the day.
Pitfall:
Getting stuck in the illusion of multitasking’s productivity. It often leads to unfinished tasks and rising frustration.
5. Avoiding discomfort
Growth rarely comes without discomfort, especially when launching innovative products. Musk could have easily avoided the risks of Tesla and SpaceX, but it’s his willingness to tackle uncomfortable odds that led to groundbreaking successes.
Building comfort in discomfort:
Lean into challenges through preparation. If pitching your startup terrifies you, rehearse extensively with a mentor or use beta pitching platforms for practice.
Mistake:
Equating discomfort to failure. They’re not synonyms. Lean into uncomfortable moments, they’re often indications of growth opportunities.
6. Poor time management
Musk reportedly manages his companies through blocks of 5-minute meetings. While this approach may not suit everyone, the underlying principle remains the same: rid your calendar of time-wasting activities.
Managing time better:
Use tools like Calendly to streamline scheduling. Automate recurring tasks wherever possible. For me, cutting back on unnecessary meetings freed hours weekly.
Mistake:
Over-scheduling. Don’t pack your day only for the sake of appearing busy, it won’t make you more productive.
What can entrepreneurs apply?
Musk’s anti-habits are simple but powerful when implemented correctly. As someone who’s operated startups across multiple continents, I can attest to the importance of decisiveness, resilience, and focus. These traits separate founders who build scalable companies from those who falter at hurdles.
To apply these principles, start by conducting a mini self-audit:
- What criticism bothers you most? Does it add value or is it noise?
- Where are you stalling? Is indecision holding your progress back?
- How often do failures deter you? Are you moving on from missteps efficiently?
- How is your focus? Are your tasks spread thin across too many priorities?
- What are you avoiding? Are fear and discomfort limiting your initiatives?
- Are you over-scheduling? Is your day balanced or chaotic?
Useful conclusion
In entrepreneurship, success comes down to choices, what to pursue and what to leave behind. Musk’s recommendations are less about adopting behaviors and more about eliminating problematic ones. They highlight the value of focusing deeply while staying adaptable.
Whether you’re building your first startup or scaling your tenth, these are habits to abandon immediately. Not because Musk says so, but because avoiding them could make the difference between fulfilling your business vision or falling short.
FAQ
1. Why does Elon Musk advise against caring too much about criticism?
Musk believes that criticism can inhibit creativity and innovation if not approached carefully. He emphasizes that constructive feedback is valuable, but obsessing over every opinion can derail progress. Learn more about Musk's views on criticism
2. What does Elon Musk say about decision procrastination?
Musk stresses that delaying decisions is harmful, especially in time-sensitive industries like startups. He advocates making decisions quickly, learning from any mistakes, and moving forward. Explore Elon Musk’s perspective on decision-making
3. How does Musk approach failures in his professional life?
Musk sees failure as a learning opportunity rather than a dead-end. He often references failures from Tesla and SpaceX to highlight the importance of resilience and adaptability. Discover Elon Musk’s approach to overcoming failure
4. What is Musk's stance on multitasking?
Despite managing multiple companies, Musk discourages excessive multitasking, as it can lead to reduced focus and productivity. He advocates for focused execution. Learn about the drawbacks of multitasking
5. What advice does Elon Musk have for handling discomfort?
Musk recommends leaning into discomfort, as growth often requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone. He cites the risks taken with Tesla and SpaceX as examples of pushing boundaries. Explore how Musk embraces discomfort for growth
6. How does Elon Musk manage his time effectively?
Musk is known for scheduling his day in five-minute blocks, which allows him to eliminate time-wasting activities and maximize productivity. Tools like Calendly can streamline scheduling for others. Check out how Musk manages his time
7. Why does Musk believe digital distractions should be limited?
He emphasizes the importance of using technology intentionally to avoid productivity loss and improve focus. Endless scrolling and online distractions can hamper innovation. Discover strategies for reducing digital distractions
8. How can entrepreneurs apply Musk’s advice on criticism?
Filter negative input by prioritizing actionable, specific feedback. Musk advises seeking critiques that help improve the product, not just opinions. Learn more about gathering useful criticism
9. What tools does Musk recommend for decision-making?
While Musk hasn’t recommended a specific tool, frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix can help prioritize urgent and important tasks for faster decision-making. Explore the Eisenhower Matrix for better decisions
10. How does Musk suggest entrepreneurs handle failure constructively?
Using mechanisms like postmortems, Musk advises reviewing failures to identify what went wrong and what worked, turning mistakes into learning opportunities. Learn how to conduct postmortems for success
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.