On the eve of SpaceX trying to launch a rocket that will bring supplies to the International Space Station and then try to land itself (or at least its first stage) back on a barge in the ocean (NBD), Elon Musk did a Reddit AMA: First question:

TCEchicago
What daily habit do you believe has the largest positive impact on your life?

ElonMuskOfficial
Showering.

Also:

aerovistae
tl;dr: How do you learn so much so fast? Lots of people read books and talk to other smart people, but you've taken it to a whole new level.

It seems you have an extremely proficient understanding of aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, all various subdisciplines (avionics, power electronics, structural engineering, propulsion, energy storage, AI) ETC ETC nearly all things technical.

I know you've read a lot of books and you hire a lot of smart people and soak up what they know, but you have to acknowledge you seem to have found a way to pack more knowledge into your head than nearly anyone else alive. Do you have any advice on learning? How are you so good at it?

ElonMuskOfficial
I do kinda feel like my head is full! My context switching penalty is high and my process isolation is not what it used to be.

Frankly, though, I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.

One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.

Not the most scintillating of AMA's, but the man can be forgiven if his mind is elsewhere.