- Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has a tradition of taking "Think Weeks" twice a year to focus on reading and thinking about technological advancements and innovations.
- During these weeks, Gates would retreat to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest, away from distractions and interruptions.
- He would read as many as 18 hours a day, often staying up until the early morning hours to study and reflect on his reading materials.
- The materials Gates would read during these weeks included a wide range of topics, from technical papers to suggestions from Microsoft employees.
- The concept of "Think Weeks" was inspired by a practice at Intel, where employees were encouraged to take time off to think creatively.
- The first "Think Weeks" were held in the 1980s, starting as visits to his grandmother's house before evolving into more isolated retreats.
- During these weeks, Gates would use analogue tools like paper and pen to take notes and make annotations on the papers he read.
- The cabin where Gates spent his "Think Weeks" was stocked with Diet Orange Crush and Diet Coke, but no visitors were allowed except for someone who dropped off two meals a day.
- The idea of a "Think Week" was not just for Gates to read and think, but also to write a memo at the end of the week summarizing his thoughts and ideas.
- One of the most notable outcomes of a "Think Week" was the decision for Microsoft to develop its own internet browser, leading to the birth of Internet Explorer.
“You write down all these things [...] then you think, okay do I need to read some books about this? Who do I need to talk to about that? And some things, I say to myself - ‘Hey, I just need to think. It’s CPU time. When you write down these things to think about, that’s like the code.”
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