8 habits that helped Bill Gates become the richest man in the world

Building these habits may not make you a billionaire, but they will make you more productive and successful.

How did Bill Gates, with a net worth of $80 billion, become the richest man in the world? In addition to Gates bringing the right product to market at the right time at the beginning of the computer age, some of the billionaire's work and life habits are also worth learning.

Here are some habits and experiences that helped Bill Gates achieve success and build a huge fortune.

1. Always learn

Bill Gates is famous for dropping out of Harvard, but the only reason he dropped out was because he and Paul Allen saw a great opportunity to start their own software company. In fact, Gates loved learning and attended a lot of classes. This is something Gates has in common with Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed College so he could take any class he wanted.

2. Read everything

Gates' father said that Gates loved all kinds of books - encyclopedias, science fiction, etc. Gates' parents were worried that their son would become a bookworm, so they made a rule that he was not allowed to read at the dinner table. Reading is a great habit to cultivate and cultivate. But don't do it while having dinner with your family.

3. Trust and praise others

In an interview, when asked to name the best business decisions he ever made, Gates replied, “My best business decisions have been made with the right people.”

Despite Gates' complicated relationship with Allen, he has always said that choosing Allen as a business partner was always a top priority. We're all good at self-promotion, but it's wise to credit and praise the people you work with whenever possible.

4. Trust your own judgment and judgment

You can have a really good job if you always listen to other people's opinions and predictions. But to have a breakthrough job like Gates or Jobs, you need to listen to yourself first even when the whole world says you are wrong.

This is what happened when Gates and Allen launched Microsoft. In a speech, Gates said that the company was built on a “crazy” idea that no one else agreed with—that computer chips would become so powerful that computers and software would become tools on every desk and every home.

5. Be conservative with cash

“I wanted to have enough money in the bank to pay our employees for a year even if we didn’t have any receivables in the future, and I’ve stuck with that idea all along,” Gates said in a 1998 interview. “We now have $10 billion, enough to pay us next year. How much money do you put aside to pay our employees if something unexpected happens?”

6. Learn from mistakes

In a 2008 interview, Gates attributed Microsoft’s success to his and his management’s ability to quickly recognize “Oh, this isn’t working” and try a different approach. Gates has certainly made a lot of mistakes over the years and learned a lot from them. Remember Windows Vista?

7. Sleep a lot

We all know how important sleep is. Instead of bragging about how late he works and how little sleep he gets, Gates makes sure he gets seven hours of sleep every night because, he says, he can’t be creative otherwise. This is definitely a good habit we can all adopt.

8. Focus on what you are doing

Too many of us get distracted, lose focus, and try to multitask, even when we know it's incredibly inefficient. Gates isn't just against multitasking, he's also incredibly focused when it comes to his work.

The more you focus on what you're doing instead of "wandering" on Facebook or checking stock prices, the better and more effective your work will be.

According to Investment