Bill Gates doesn’t think he could have become a billionaire if he had grown up like a child today – distracted by smartphones and social networks.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is currently the 8th richest person in the world with 166 billion USD. He contributed to making computers and the Internet popular around the world. But Gates would never have built this technology giant without his childhood habits: hanging out with friends, exploring the outside world and poring over books for hours in his room.
“When I feel restless, tired, or have just caused trouble, I will go to my room and immerse myself in books and ideas. I will do this for hours without anyone disturbing me. At these times, I can turn my free time into an opportunity to think deeply and learn everything,” Gates wrote in a post on his personal page early last month.
Bill Gates at an event launching the Windows 95 operating system in 1995. Photo: Reuters
He affirmed that this habit helped shape his future personality and “made an important contribution to his future success”. In the post, he suggested people read the book “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
The book describes how smartphones and social networks affect children’s brains. The author believes that these technologies cause many mental health problems for young people. Continuous use will reduce memory and concentration.
Gates believes that his “childhood full of fun activities” helped improve his creativity compared to his “phone childhood” today. “Our concentration level is like a muscle. Social media addiction will make it difficult to develop,” Gates wrote.
Throughout his career, Gates repeatedly affirmed that his success came from his reading habit and his ability to “isolate” himself from the outside world. In the 90s of the last century, when he was CEO of Microsoft, he lived alone in a cabin in the forest, “with only a large backpack full of books and research materials”. He calls this his annual “Reflection Week.” During this time, Gates will not be bothered by anyone. He doesn’t even check email, so he can “read, think and write about the future” without interruption.
Weeks of intense concentration helped Gates come up with many big ideas, including the Internet Explorer web browser, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, he also believes that the very technologies that he and Microsoft help popularize are preventing people’s ability to think deeply.
“Without the ability to focus intensely and pursue ideas, the world will miss many breakthroughs,” he concluded.