Use Elon Musk’s 12 Principles to Knock Out Your Biggest Creative Projects
Improve your work with the philosophy of an entrepreneurial giant.
Elon Musk may be the most significant entrepreneur of all time. He has dabbled in banking, underground boring, neural implants, and solar power, plus revolutionised two stagnant and challenging industries: automotive and space exploration. He has done so by using a unique philosophy that boosts creativity and gets things done.
This 12-part framework, drawn from studying Elon Musk’s personal approach to his work, can help us improve our own productivity and reach our goals more efficiently with our own creative projects.
Let’s get started.
Elon MuskSpeed up the process
“If the schedule is long it’s wrong, if it’s tight it’s right.” - Elon Musk
Musk tries to build things as soon as possible. Anything that slows down development is jettisoned or changed to a faster process. The idea is you will learn more from actually making something rather than endlessly planning. Trying to be perfect can stifle innovation and lock you into rigid patterns of thought.
For example, Starship, the audacious reusable mega-rocket, was going to be made from carbon fibre. This material was durable, light and seemed to be the best choice. The problem was it was challenging to manufacture and needed large custom-made moulds that would take years to produce. Musk decided to switch to stainless steel. Six months later Starship Mark 1 was built by water-tank welders in a Texas field-something that would have taken NASA decades to produce.
He rejects the notion that good things take time, and often letting go of slow processes can lead to unexpected and much better outcomes. During the Starship manufacturing process, they discovered the type of steel they developed performs better in the vacuum of space than carbon fibre.
If anything is slowing down your creative output, discard it. Substitute the ‘best’ way for the ‘fastest’ method and see what happens.
Embrace failure
“There’s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimise their ass-covering.” - Elon Musk
Space X was trying to land the Falcon 9 rocket-a feat never before achieved. It crashed into the sea countless times. With every new launch, they made adjustments. Finally, there was a success. This approach goes against every fibre of NASA’s being where there is a strong mentality of “failure is not an option.” This conservatism has merits when you are trying to avoid losses, but innovation can slow to a crawl.
Most creative people understand that trial and error is part of the process. Push this further by having such a grand vision that failure is a certainty. Then rebuild with greater wisdom.
"The creative community often works in seclusion until the finished product is produced, presented to the world and then never changed again. But iteration is the process of building something as best you can then improving it"
Iterate, even when you think you have finished
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” - Elon Musk
Tesla owners often wake up with their car having new features after an overnight software update. When they take their vehicle in for a service, they might have some hardware replaced with a new version. Continuous improvement is new territory for this industry-in the past, what you purchased was frozen in time.
The creative community often works in seclusion until the finished product is produced, presented to the world and then never changed again. But iteration is the process of building something as best you can then improving it by repeated updates.
For you, whether it’s your movie, art exhibition or piece of writing, it might be worth considering publishing, receiving some feedback, and then improving it for version 2.0.
Think using first principles
“I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy.” - Elon Musk
The concept of first principles permeates all his work. Baggage can accumulate over time, and the original intentions are lost. Musk cuts to the core and rebuilds.
Zip2 was Musk’s first substantial project. He reflected on what people most wanted from a bank-not large buildings, physical cards, or complicated services. It was merely to transfer money. He went back to basics, disrupted an entire industry and Zip2 later became PayPal.
To apply this, think about the central message you are trying to convey with your work. Can it be expressed in a simpler or better way? Often, you might find the world has changed and the way you did things has become irrelevant.
Let go of things that are not working
“Don’t delude yourself into thinking something’s working when it’s not, or you’re gonna get fixated on a bad solution." - Elon Musk
Musk is into the comic book series, Tintin. He loves the 50’s aesthetic of the rocket depicted. He wanted his rocket to mimic this and have the tail fins to double as the legs - a simple and elegant design. Years of research and development went into creating it. Millions of dollars went into simulating the dynamics of atmospheric reentry. In the end, the engineers couldn’t make it work. A sunk cost is not something Musk is concerned with and was happy to let it go.
Even if you have spent years working on a project, if it’s not working, it’s time to try something else. “Future you” will probably thank you for letting go.
The right question is often more important than the answer
“It’s just like Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy… best book on philosophy ever... The answer is 42, but did we ask the right question?” - Elon Musk
Rockets are most efficient when they run on kerosene or hydrogen - so obviously you would use those fuels when designing the ultimate one. The question Musk asked was not what is the best rocket, but how do you get to Mars and back? It turns out that the Martian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide: mix this with water and some solar power, and you can create methane. That’s what Musk chose to power his rocket so it will be able to return with a full tank. It will be the world’s first when it reaches orbit.
You may have a lot of great answers about how and why you create your work. But are you asking the right questions?
Remove complexity
“The best part is no part. The best process is no process.” - Elon Musk
Autonomous driving is a dream of many car manufacturers. Whoever achieves it first will attain riches. It’s the early days, and we have seen many technological trials, but most have implemented LIDAR technology-a dome that sits on top of the car. It beams out lasers and measures distance with pinpoint accuracy.
However, Musk has opted for a more straightforward camera-only system for Tesla. He argues the world’s road system developed with human eyes in mind (not lasers), and LIDAR is expensive and exerts a heavy load on the AI system. Almost everyone in the industry thinks he is wrong. Time will tell, however, it is a common Musk trait to engineer out anything that is not necessary or is overly complicated.
Examine your work. Are there unnecessary elements? Are you using tangled processes or systems to create it? Sometimes artists employ convoluted diversions to make it seem like the work is sophisticated. It might be better to remove and simplify.
Question limitations
“Question your constraints - they are probably wrong.” - Elon Musk
Musk instructs all his teams to question the limitations that others impose. Senior scientist, Dan Rasky, wanted to use a particular glue to apply heat shield tiles to the Dragon crewed capsule. Another department informed him that it ‘turned to butter’ at high temperatures. Instead of taking it at face value, he placed a sample into a custom-built furnace and discovered the glue properties far exceed the specifications. He not only had the perfect glue, but he also learned more about its attributes.
If others (or yourself) impose limitations - question them. These constraints were unlikely to be perfectly conceived, and therefore, misplaced.
"An intense desire to better humanity propels Musk. It underpins everything he does and is echoed in the boisterous cheers from Space X employees whenever there is a successful launch. Lofty goals are contagious"
Persist
“When you start, there is optimism… and then you encounter all sorts of issues and you will go through a whole world of hurt.” - Elon Musk
Tesla’s manufacturing was not going well. The new Model 3 production line had stalled, and investors were panicking. Musk needed to fix the problem. He set up a makeshift mattress next to the production line and spent days and nights pinpointing the issues. It turned out every time a custom fit-out was needed, everything would grind to a halt. His solution: build a giant tent next to the factory and move all the problem cars there. The main floor was now flowing, and production soared.
Things go wrong. Projects stall, and things break. Instead of giving up, try making outside-of-the-box decisions to dedicate real-time and energy to fix the problem.
Believe in yourself and take a risk
“The odds of me coming into the rocket business, not knowing anything about rockets, not having ever built anything, I mean, I would have to be insane if I thought the odds were in my favour.” - Elon Musk
Musk’s proceeds from the Paypal sale were $180 million. He put $100m in Space X, $70m in Tesla, and $10m in Solar City. He had nothing left - and for a while, slept on friend’s couches. It was a considerable risk, but he believed in himself. He had skin in the game, and if his companies failed, then he would go down with them.
“Elon time” is an example of self-imposed pressure. He suggests ambitious timelines that motivate himself and his team. Per a point earlier, they often disrupt preconceptions about how long something will take to develop and build.
Musk uses an analogy to challenge the Boring Company to dig tunnels as fast as a snail-double the average speed of his competitors. Pictures of slimy molluscs fill the Boring head office.
Put something on the line for your projects. It could be money, time or reputation. Apply pressure in a way that resonates with your personality: use deadlines, metaphors, or social accountability.
Make failure painful and rewards substantial.
Find synergies
“If you’re trying to create a company, it’s like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.” - Elon Musk
The tail fins on the Falcon 9 rocket use hydraulics to move, but for Starship, Musk wanted a more straightforward solution. He just so happened to own a company that manufactured precision electric motors and large capacity batteries (Tesla). Starship uses both.
Synergies are everywhere in Musk’s work. He borrows and combines previous work to enhance new projects.
You might have several areas of competence. Think about what you can use to cross-pollinate your projects. It might be a particular skill, a piece of work, or a contact.
Find your greatest passion and shoot for the stars
“There have to be reasons that get you up in the morning and make you want to live. Why do you want to live? What’s the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future? If the future does not include being out there among the stars and being a multi-planet species, I find that incredibly depressing.” - Elon Musk
An intense desire to better humanity propels Musk. It underpins everything he does and is echoed in the boisterous cheers from Space X employees whenever there is a successful launch. Lofty goals are contagious.
If your work can bring joy to someone, grow human knowledge, or bring about positive change-keep reminding yourself of that. It will help you mobilise when times are tough and boost you higher when you are on a roll.