You’ve probably heard of how the wealthy built their wealth: Bill Gates started Microsoft, Warren Buffet began investing very early in life, and Oprah became a world-renowned talk show host. They became successful through very different means but do they spend their time on similar things?
In this article, we will highlight some very successful people and dig into how they spend their time. What does their schedule look like? How many hours a day do they work? And how can you learn from their example in order to achieve your own goals? This is how 5 of the world’s wealthiest people spend their time, you’ll learn some lessons about habits to cultivate from them.
Bill Gates reads 50 books a year
Reading is one of the most important habits of successful people.
“The single best investment you can make in yourself is to read good books,” says Warren Buffett. It’s no wonder he and Bill Gates are friends.
According to Blinkist, Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year, and he even has a blog where he recommends books every year that he thinks people should read.
He has also given away 70% of his wealth through donations to charity and foundations that support education, health care and scientific research.
Reading 50 books a year might be farfetched if you’re a beginner, but you can start with reading one book a month. At Cowrywise, we’ve built a really strong reading culture and every new staff gets a book as part of their welcome kit.
Some of our favourite books include Morgan Housel’s Psychology of Money and James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
Warren Buffet spends five to six hours reading every day
In this video, Warren Buffet says “I read, I read and I read”. He also advises that everyone spend hours reading every day. He reads about 500 pages of reports and newspapers daily and when asked about social media, he answered “we pretty much ignore it”.
It might be impossible to ignore social media altogether. However, if you spend too much unproductive time scrolling online, then you need to set boundaries in place. Things like timers, reminders or other nudges will help keep you more productive.
Arianna Huffington sleeps eight hours a night
Arianna Huffington sleeps eight hours a night.
“When I get eight hours, I feel ready to handle anything during the day without stress and without paying a heavy price in terms of my own health and my own mental well-being,” she shared with NBC news.
Getting enough sleep daily is vital as it has been proven to help boost moods, clarity and productivity. It also helps to reduce stress and lower your risk of serious health problems.
Arianna Huffington is not the only wealthy person prioritizing sleep. Jeff Bezos also values a good night’s rest as it helps him have more energy and allows him to make high-quality decisions as a senior executive.
If you’ve lacked energy or been unable to make creative decisions lately, it might be that your body has not been getting the amount of sleep it needs to function at an optimal level.
Richard Branson works out regularly
Richard Branson believes that he is able to achieve “twice as much” in a day by keeping fit. Working out, like getting enough sleep, also helps improve one’s mood. If the founder of Virgin Airlines recommends a habit, then it is likely to be beneficial to you.
Additionally, scientifically, the body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins activate a positive feeling in the body that help reduce stress and pain. So apart from the benefit of maintaining an ideal body weight that helps you look and feel confident, working out regularly also will help you stay productive.
Oprah Winfrey starts her day with journaling and meditation
Oprah Winfrey, the successful media personality and businesswoman journals and meditates every day.
Journaling – documenting your feelings, plans and personal thoughts.
Meditation – the action or practice of musing, thinking or contemplating.
Both of these activities have come highly recommended in recent times and they both require you to pause and think deeply about your thoughts and feelings. The world is very distracting, therefore, building the habit of journaling and meditating can help you be more present in moments.
How do wealthy people spend time? They are guided by habits!
“Habits are like the atoms of our lives, each one is a fundamental unit that contributes to your overall improvement.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits.
Though their effect may not be immediately seen, habits have the power to change one’s life. That’s probably why successful people cultivate habits that help them grow wealth and stay healthy.
Some of the habits highlighted above like reading, getting enough sleep, and working out are not only for Bill Gates or Oprah but are vital for you too.
Conclusively…
It’s important to remember that everyone’s work style and financial goals are different. Warren Buffet might be able to read 500 pages every day because his financial goals look very different from yours. However, we can all conclude that reading is an important habit to cultivate.
You can also begin by reading the different financial guides on our blog to learn more about how to build wealth for the long term.
In conclusion, if you’ve ever wondered “How do wealthy people spend time?” I hope this gives you some insight into their lives. Like these known names, building sustained wealth will require you to stay healthy, be present and continually acquire financial education.
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