For a man as wealthy and successful as Bill Gates, he must be doing a lot of things right. What’s more, he must already have an established pattern in place, one that he follows to the letter.
Being one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, there’s no doubt that the man is tasked with making vital decisions every single day. This, as we all know, is part of the entrepreneurship package.
What we may be in the dark about, however, is that even the best of the best can only be at it for so long. They need to take some time off, blow off some steam, and in the process avoid mental fatigue or burnout.
“Think Week”
For Bill Gates, taking some time off involves going on a “think week,” a practice he started in the ’80s. He would spend time locked away in a Pacific Northwest cedar forest, reading papers in a cabin in the woods. The papers were actually stuff his employees had written, being either innovations or investment plans.
That Microsoft rose to become the company it is today shows that these weeks Bill Gates spent away actually worked. In fact, the launching of the Internet Explorer browser in 1995 was a direct result of one of these “think weeks.” At the time, such a browser was light years ahead of its competition, and it still comes in handy to this day.
Bill Gates is a man who wears many hearts, but one of his most favorite ones has to be where he mentors millions around the globe. The fun fact is that he inspires people from all walks of life, and as it turns out, there’s a lot we (as entrepreneurs in waiting) can borrow from his “think week” approach.
Most successful businessmen and women agree with the fact that solitude breeds innovation. Warren Buffett, a fellow billionaire and Mr. Gates’ long-time friend has admitted to spending most of his time (around 80%) thinking and reading.
Time spent alone and away from distractions allows you to have an eagle-eyed view of happenings around you, this time particularly around your business.
As people say, an entrepreneur’s business is like a mirror image of their life. Why then, wouldn’t you value it as much as you value yourself?
Taking time to jog your mind on its operations, vision, and everything else that appertains to it should be top among your list of priorities. So how about setting at least 30 minutes aside every day to maul things over? It could do both you and your business some good!
Working Smart
We tend to have this notion that the more we work and overwork, the better the results we get, right? Unfortunately, we couldn’t be more wrong. In as much as we want to be hardworking, we should also work smart. And working smart involves knowing when you need to recharge your batteries.
Most people tend to be so engrossed in their work that they hardly ever have time to eat, sleep, or spend time with family. But doing this all day every day is what eventually leads to burn out, and that’s not good for anyone, is it? Take some personal time to reenergize yourself, and you’ll see things flowing smoother in no time.