Bill Gates would vanish into the woods for a week each year during Microsoft’s peak. No emails. No meetings. Just books and deep thinking.
But this wasn’t casual reading. While others devoured business books searching for success formulas, Gates hunted for patterns about how the world was shifting. His “Think Week” wasn’t about personal development but developing insight.
Warren Buffett once said, “The difference between successful people and successful people is that successful people say no to almost everything.” Gates took this further. He said no to everything for an entire week.
Today’s leaders face a similar challenge but rarely take such decisive action. The average CEO reads 60 books yearly, yet many struggle to find time for deep reflection. Reading without reflection is like eating without digestion.
Consider Reed Hastings at Netflix. During the company’s DVD-by-mail era, he spent months studying how people consumed entertainment. This led to the pivotal insight that changed everything: “People want the movie now.” Netflix’s streaming revolution wasn’t just about technology – it sprang from a leader who made time to think deeply about human behavior.
The woods where Gates retreated didn’t make him smarter. They made him more apparent. In our age of constant connectivity, clarity might be the ultimate competitive advantage.
What do we need now if Gates needed a week to think clearly while running a software company in the 1980s?
