Bill Gates and Elon Musk share a daily scheduling habit that helps them tackle their busy routines

(Pascal Le Segretain, Sean Gallup / Getty Images)

Bill Gates and Elon Musk are two of the biggest names in tech.

Gates cofounded Microsoft in 1975, helping to spark the PC revolution. Now he focuses most of his time on philanthropy.

Musk founded PayPal and currently splits his week traveling between Tesla and SpaceX.

Both men also share one habit that's helped them navigate their jam-packed schedules: They plan out every moment of their days.

Gates and Musk are both said to adhere to schedules divided up into five-minute slots.

The reason for this intricate planning? Well, for one, breaking your day up into small segments can boost your productivity, according to Fast Company's Stephanie Vozza.

Plus, this kind of intensive scheduling keeps you accountable. Presumably, when you're planning things down to the minute, you've got to set aside specific time to relax and recharge. You can't just doze off for an hour -- that's 12 schedule slots down the drain.

Pulling together a segmented schedule can be helpful even for those of us who don't run giant philanthropic organizations or innovative tech companies. You don't have to chop your day up into five minute slices, either -- there are plenty of different schedule structures to choose from.

You just need to find one that's right for you.

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• Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates

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