The Bill Gates Reading Strategy: A 4-Step Guide for Book Lovers
Reading is a common habit among successful people.
Leaders, businessmen, investors, and all the figures society has, have been vocal that reading is one of the most important habits they prioritize. Even the American comedian Katt Williams revealed he was a bookworm since he was nine in Joe Rogan’s podcast — no wonder, why he was so articulate and educated in everything.
The fact that reading is a habit that successful people share is enough for you to be convinced that reading is one of the most valuable habits you can have.
Bill Gates has been vocal about his habit of reading.
If you are a book lover, let me give you tips Bill Gates (once the richest man in the world) used to read. Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year, which breaks down to about one a week. He told a business media network called Quartz what he does to get the most out of his reading. Yes, knowing the habits of successful people can help you improve and Gate’s tips on how to read are no exception.
These tips might set you on the path to becoming a billionaire―achieving such wealth is not as easy as walking on sand; it requires hard work.
1. Take Notes
If you don’t focus, you are just wasting your time.
When you read, you have to concentrate on the information. Studies have shown that taking notes while reading can help you to understand and retain information effectively. Think about it for a second, note-taking needs focusing on the book to understand it, and then summarize the main points. You can’t take note of a text you didn’t understand.
There is an effective way for note-taking when you are reading.
2. Don’t start what you can’t finish
I’ve known about this tip for a while, but I only started applying it recently.
Don’t start a book that you will not finish. There is the guilt I felt when I started reading years ago. I would feel bad if I didn’t finish a book I started, and months would be gone struggling with a book I am not enjoying. If you start a book and don’t match your expectations, close it. You didn’t commit a crime―it’s not a big deal. Also, choose a book that you are interested in in the first place.
If you apply this tip, it will save you so much time.
3. Paper Book or eBook
People are not the same, I don’t like eBooks.
I have been trying to start reading eBooks for this year, but in the past I couldn’t read a book from an electronic device. I met people who read eBooks and enjoy it, but for me I have been preferring paper books in all my reading journey. I realized there are books I can’t find on paper all the time, so I have to get used to eBooks. There are three eBooks in my list now. Bill Gates said that he switches paper to eBooks overtime.
You have to adapt to the two choices―the world is technologically advancing overtime.
4. Block out an hour
You want to stick to your reading goal, block time.
Bill says reading is a deep and time-worthy habit that needs to give time. You cannot fix your reading with the little free time you get during the day―an article or short YouTube video may fit, but not reading a book. You have to block time for reading so that you won’t interrupt it. Let’s say you blocked one hour before bed for reading, this one hour should be just for reading.
This tip will help you to prioritize your reading and stick to it at the same time.
In a nutshell, reading is the only habit successful people prioritize over everything.
So, you have to prioritize it if you hope to win. And let me leave you a burst of motivation to read.
Here are five quotes about reading to inspire you.
“What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.” ― Oprah
“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” ― Napoléon Bonaparte
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ― Harry Truman
“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible,” ― Barack Obama
