Introduction:
Bill Gates is one of the most voracious readers in the world. He is known to read about 50 books per year, averaging 1 book per week. This habit has played a major role in expanding his knowledge and fueling his success.
But how does Bill Gates actually remember all the information he consumes through reading? What tactics and systems has he developed to memorize and comprehend so effectively?
In this article, we’ll explore the science-backed reading and memorization techniques that allow Bill Gates to retain virtually everything he reads.
Bill Gates Takes Extensive Handwritten Notes While Reading
Whenever Bill Gates reads non-fiction books and articles, he takes extensive handwritten notes in the margins. He highlights key passages, writes out questions, and jots down his thoughts, opinions and analysis.
This active reading strategy is known as “elaborative rehearsal” in cognitive psychology. It forces a deeper level of cognitive engagement and processing compared to just passively reading.
By actively engaging with the text – making connections, noting disagreements, asking questions, summarizing important points etc. – Gates cements the information deep into his long-term memory.
Gates has repeatedly emphasized the importance of fully concentrating when reading and avoiding distractions. As he explains, “When you’re reading, you have to be careful that you really are concentrating…with this particular book, are you taking notes in the margin?”
Taking handwritten margin notes is more cognitively demanding than simply highlighting, forcing stronger memorization. While it’s time-consuming, it’s a small price to pay for retaining knowledge long-term.
Gates says, “If I disagree with the book sometimes it takes a long time to read the book because I’m writing so much in the margin.” But it’s worth it.
He Carefully Vets Each Book Before Committing to Reading It
With over 2 million new books published annually just in the U.S., being highly selective is crucial for someone like Bill Gates. Gates mainly sticks to non-fiction, focusing on science, healthcare, history, politics, and education.
He chooses books based on recommendations from his wide network of experts, thought leaders, and literati. Once Gates starts reading a book, he finishes reading it cover to cover, no matter what.
In a 2017 interview, he emphasized this point: “I refuse to stop reading a book in the middle, even if I don’t like it.” This ensures that he fully absorbs the author’s complete perspective from start to finish.
Gates advises deciding carefully beforehand whether a book seems worthy of your scarce reading time before committing to it. Be intentional and strategic in vetting what you read.
He Reads in Long, Uninterrupted Blocks to Maximize Immersion
Many people try reading in short, fragmented bursts, like 15 minutes here and there. But Bill Gates says this is ineffective for deep reading and retention:
“You want to be sitting down for an hour at a time because otherwise just getting your mind around what you were reading is not the kind of thing you can do in 5 or 10 minute increments.”
Gates carves out 1-2 hour blocks for reading every day. He eliminates distractions and protects this time, allowing him to fully immerse himself in the book.
Long, uninterrupted reading sessions allow him to absorb the author’s viewpoint, recall connections to other books, and synthesize concepts – key for comprehension.
I recommend scheduling your reading sessions like doctors appointments – block off calendar time well in advance and guard that time slot. Consistent long reading periods are vital for retention.
He Develops a Broad General Knowledge Base Before Reading Deeply
Bill Gates emphasizes first constructing a broad general knowledge framework on a topic before diving into the specifics.
For example, before reading deeply about current affairs and policies in China, first study its history, geography, politics, economics and culture at a high level.
As Gates explains, “A broad framework…then you have a place to put everything. If you want to learn science, reading the history of scientists and the story of when they were confused and what tools or insights allowed them to make progress – so you have the timeline, map, branches of science and what’s known.”
Having an extensive scaffolding of background knowledge allows you to better contextualize and retain new information. The details fit into the bigger picture in your mind.
Gates recalled how reading the encyclopedia cover to cover as a child gave him this broad general knowledge that allowed him to better understand science books later on.
He Goes on Annual Reading-Focused Vacations to Immerse Himself
Bill Gates takes weeklong reading vacations every year where his priority is simply to read and recharge, without work distractions.
A friend who accompanied Gates on one such vacation said, “He doesn’t just read one book, he’ll read five books about it, most of which are too dense for anybody else to get through. He almost always knows more than the other person he talks to.”
When asked on Reddit how much time he spends reading per day on these vacations, Gates replied, “On vacation I get to read about 3 hours a day so I get through a lot of books.”
These reading vacations allow two benefits simultaneously: mental rejuvenation combined with focused absorption of new information and knowledge. It’s the perfect dual-outcome activity.
He Balances Reading Across Varied Topics and Genres
While non-fiction makes up at least 80% of Gates’ reading, he also intersperses fiction once in a while for enjoyment and mental stimulation.
He has said his favorite fiction authors are Vaclav Smil and David Christian for their insights into history and humanity. Some other fiction Gates enjoys include the Bermuda series and Hyperion series.
Within non-fiction, Gates diversifies his reading across science, technology, business, politics, health, education, history, and more. This exposes him to varied viewpoints, cross-disciplinary connections, and new ideas he wouldn’t encounter otherwise.
A broad balance of both fiction and non-fiction works across different genres expands the scope of ideas seeded in his knowledge frameworks.
He Re-Reads Seminal Books to Refresh His Understanding
There are some books that have had an outsized impact on Gates’ worldview and thinking. He periodically re-reads such seminal books to refresh his recollection and understanding.
For example, he has re-read Andrew Grove’s High Output Management, which shaped his early thinking on management, multiple times over the decades. Other such influential books he revisits include The Mythical Man-Month and Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos.
Re-reading pivotal books strengthens his grasp of the key mental models and lessons in them. It acts as a knowledge recharger.
He Discusses Books Extensively to Clarify His Thinking
After completing a book, Gates discusses it extensively with friends, colleagues and experts to clarify his thinking and gain alternate perspectives.
As he told Wired magazine, “When I read, I’ll often convene a group to discuss a book. It’s partly to test my own understanding, partly to get other people’s interpretations.”
Discussing and debating a book’s core ideas cements Gates’ comprehension and allows him to reconcile differing viewpoints. It’s a crucial stage in his learning loop.
Speed Reading Allows Him to Cover More Ground
According to an interview in Fast Company magazine, Bill Gates can read extremely quickly: up to 4-5 books per week. He’s an avid speed reader.
Gates notes that reading speed depends on the complexity of the book. Straightforward novels can be read faster, while dense non-fiction requires more concentration.
But speed reading combined with his focused approach allows Gates to cover all the books on his lengthy reading list. It expands the scope of ideas he’s exposed to.
Retention Is Bolstered by Handwritten Note Taking
We’ve already covered that Gates takes extensive handwritten notes when reading. But why handwritten specifically?
Research shows writing notes by hand requires different brain processing than typing notes, boosting retention. The cognitive effort of handwriting improves understanding compared to passive highlighting.
As Gates told the Wall Street Journal, “When I’m reading on the screen I underline and it’s just not the same as writing marginalia. I try both, but it’s clear that the pen is sometimes still mightier.”
Handwriting notes may be slower, but strengthens deeper internalization. Gates’ pen-and-paper system boosts his learning.
Consistent Repetition Spaced Over Time Strengthens Recall
While occasional re-reading strengthens Gates’ grasp of seminal books, he also believes in repeating key ideas across multiple formats over time.
In an interview Gates noted, “You need to repeat yourself to really learn. Over time, you need to keep revisiting the ideas.” Spaced repetition across diverse mediums drives retention.
For instance, he may read the book Deep Work, discuss it with colleagues, listen to interviews with the author, and then summarize the core concepts in an internal memo a month later.
This type of varied repetition and elaboration of key learnings spaced out over time leads to fluent recall. Neuroscience confirms spaced repetition boosts memorization.
Execution Is More Important Than Knowledge
While the above methods are clearly useful, Gates stresses that execution is actually more important than knowledge: “It’s not power anybody tells you that is full of it. Knowledge is potential power. The only real power is execution.”
Simply reading without applying the lessons is fruitless. You must execute on the knowledge by taking action in the real world. Only then can you produce concrete results.
So in summary, employ Bill Gates’ best practices – take smart notes, read deeply, create knowledge frameworks, and leverage spaced repetition. But don’t forget the critical final step: execute. That’s the ultimate key that unlocks the value of knowledge.
