What Bill Gates learned from Warren Buffet after 30 years of friendship

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet: The Power of Time Optimization

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two of the wealthiest men in the world.
Gates, the founder of Microsoft, led the company for 25 years until 2000 before turning to philanthropy.
Buffet, on the other hand, is the founder of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the most significant financial holdings globally.

What many may not know is that Gates and Buffet have shared a friendship that has spanned over 30 years.
Buffet, still regarded as the king of investments and astute entrepreneurial insights, has mentored countless investors, including Gates himself.
Gates recently confessed on Threads that he wished he had learned Buffet’s lesson on time optimization much earlier in his career.

“It took me too long to realize that it is not necessary to fill every second of your schedule to be successful,” Gates wrote on Meta’s social platform.

Lessons Learned from Warren Buffet

Gates admitted that during his time as CEO of Microsoft, his schedule was always packed with commitments.
There was no rest, no weekends, no vacations.
“In hindsight, it’s a lesson I could have learned much earlier if I had taken more peeks at Warren Buffet’s intentionally light calendar,” Bill said.

The philanthropist acknowledged being a tough boss, capable of sending requests to employees even at 2 in the morning: “I thought that was the only way things could get done,” he confessed.

Warren Buffet’s lesson on time optimization became evident to Gates when he noticed free days with no commitments on Buffet’s calendar.
It taught him a crucial lesson: “Control your time, filling every minute of your schedule is not an indicator of your dedication.”

The Balance in Working Smart

Buffet’s method boils down to working smarter, not harder.
Supporting Buffet’s theory are statistical data showing that working more than 50 hours a week leads to decreased productivity.
A recent study demonstrated that those working 70 hours a week are as productive as those working 55.

Finding the right balance is crucial.
Working too little can lead to unhappiness as people get bored with excessive free time.
On the other hand, working too much increases stress levels.
A 2021 study suggested that the optimal amount of daily free time should be up to 9.5 hours.

It was not an easy path for Bill Gates to achieve this balance.
“When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations.
I didn’t believe in weekends.
I didn’t think even the people I worked with did them,” Gates shared with students.

“Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson,” he added.
It’s essential to make time for leisure, social relationships, take breaks to celebrate successes, and recover from setbacks.

For further insights on how Bill Gates became so wealthy, read more here.