According to Forbes, Musk currently has a net worth of $491 billion, firmly retaining his title as the world’s richest person. He has stated that he did not achieve his current success through the traditional 40-hour workweek; on the contrary, he is known for his intense work rhythm, having even worked up to 120 hours a week in the past.

Nevertheless, this South African-born business magnate shares many similarities with ordinary people in his daily habits. Like many others, he enjoys desserts in the morning and spends time browsing social media.

Below is a typical daily routine of Musk compiled by foreign media outlet BusinessInsider based on his interviews and social media posts over the years:

Wakes up around 9 a.m., with breakfast usually consisting of steak, eggs, and coffee

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2023, Musk said he typically goes to bed around 3 a.m. and sleeps for about 6 hours, so he wakes up at approximately 9 a.m. every day.

In 2023, when replying to a doctor on the X platform, he claimed that “he eats a donut every morning”. A look through his past posts reveals that he does have a real fondness for this pastry.

However, during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast in December 2025, he updated his breakfast habits, stating that his typical breakfast is “steak, eggs, and coffee”.

Picks up his phone first thing after waking up

In 2022, Musk said he was trying to break the habit of checking his phone as soon as he opened his eyes. He described it as “a bad habit” on the Full Send podcast and hoped to get rid of it.

Yet, according to a 2023 report by The Wall Street Journal, he still checks his phone immediately after waking up to confirm if there are any urgent matters that need handling.

Judging from his level of activity on the X platform, this habit is clearly still ongoing. Since acquiring the platform for $44 billion in 2022, he has frequently posted late at night or in the early morning. It is unclear whether Musk sets aside time every day to post content and reply to others, but he obviously rarely goes a day without using the app.

As he said in Walter Isaacson’s biography Elon Musk: “Some days I wake up and immediately check Twitter to make sure it’s still functioning properly.”

Showering is one of the most important parts of his daily life

Musk has stated that showering has had the most positive impact on his daily life.

In 2015, when asked during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session which daily habit had the greatest impact on his life, he replied succinctly: “Showering.”

Chooses between multiple Teslas during his commute

As the CEO of America’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, Musk has a variety of options for his daily commute.

When an X user posted a meme about “driving a Cybertruck without FSD or a Model S with FSD”, Musk responded that this was exactly the choice he “faces every day”.

Fitness habits have fluctuated

Like many people, Musk’s attitude towards exercise has had its ups and downs. In 2021, he told Joe Rogan that he would rather not exercise at all if he could help it.

In June 2023, he wrote on X: “I almost never exercise, except for picking up my kids and throwing them in the air.”

But less than two months later, he said he was “doing high-intensity strength training almost every day”. At that time, there was also widespread speculation online that he would have a boxing match with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Often skips lunch, while loving good food and dining out for dinner

In a podcast interview in December 2025, Musk told host Katie Miller (whose husband is White House advisor Stephen Miller) that he often skips lunch or only eats a small “snack” to get by.

As for dinner, he said the location is “not fixed” and that he likes “a wide variety of cuisines”, with a particular preference for American food such as cheeseburgers and pizza.

He added: “If I had to eat only one food for the rest of my life — although that would be a bit monotonous — it would probably be a cheeseburger, because cheeseburgers are amazing, they’re a genius invention.”

No wonder the Tesla Diner he opened in Hollywood features hamburgers prominently on its menu.

Work sometimes lasts all night

Musk has repeatedly admitted that running multiple companies simultaneously is by no means easy. In 2021, he said he allocates his time among his companies based on the “most pressing crisis at the moment”.

In January 2023, an X user pointed out that Musk had testified in court one morning, attended an event at Tesla’s Nevada factory in the evening, and worked on Tesla’s artificial intelligence project late at night on the same day.

Musk responded that he also went to “Twitter headquarters and stayed until after midnight” that night.

In 2023, he told The Wall Street Journal: “I sleep, wake up, work, sleep again, wake up again, and work again — seven days a week. I have to keep this up for a while; I have no choice. However, I think once Twitter is on track, it will be far less difficult to manage than SpaceX or Tesla.”

During Tesla’s earnings call in April 2024, he further explained: “Tesla takes up most of my working hours, and I work almost every day of the week. It’s very rare that I can take Sunday afternoon off.”

Goes to bed at 3 a.m., sleeping about 6 hours a night

Although falling short of the recommended 8 hours of sleep, Musk’s sleep schedule has improved compared to the past.

In May 2023, he told CNBC that he no longer pulls all-nighters and instead tries to ensure at least 6 hours of sleep.

According to Isaacson’s biography, the billionaire has pulled multiple all-nighters thinking about various problems facing his companies. His former partner, Claire Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, also revealed to Isaacson that Musk stayed up all night playing the game Elden Ring when it was first released.

In addition, Musk has a history of sleeping on the floor of his office or Tesla factories.

After acquiring Twitter in 2022, he almost moved into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters and said there was a sofa in the library where he would occasionally sleep.