Bill Gates on Time Management: "I Don't Watch TV"

[deepestblue]

Vinod Hhosla (cofounder of Sun Microsystems) and Bill Gates recently sat down for a fascinating chat.

CEO2012 Bill and Vinod Fireside Chat

Among the memorable quotes,

On time management ...

"I don't watch TV." - Bill Gates

 

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[Rain]

There is no money in TV, except, of course, if you own the network.

 

[EastWind]

I don't watch TV either. I'm not a billionaire tho. lol

 

[socaldude]

Seriously, you don't need a damn TV unless you are retired or something.

 

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[deepestblue]

Slightly off topic, but since I'm the OP of this thread I'll take the liberty; on the subject of TV here is one of its redeeming qualities, Mr. Rogers! lol

Cool little remix here that's making the rounds on FB etc since its initial posting on Thursday with over 2MM views so far:

The message is definitely Fastlane related -

[video=youtube;OFzXaFbxDcM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM[/video]

Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios - YouTube

 

[PatrickP]

I watch approx 10 hours of TV a day.

Well at least I have it on while I am working online with some music playing as well.

 

[Kak]

I dont either. Canceled comcast after months of paying for cable, I just dont watch it. Moved my 42" TV to the office to make a giant computer monitor to tile projects on.

 

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[Deleted5250X]

I'll go in streaks of TV watching sometimes I need silence while I'm working, sometimes I like the noise. I'm definitely going to be watching the NBA finals as its the only basketball I watch all year. I'm pretty good at working and not getting to distracted by the TV, its often to boring to sit and just watch. I love watching the Olympics so I'm going to have that running in my living room every hour its on TV, even if I'm not home so my dog can watch it. Next comes the baseball playoffs and post season, I'll definitely be watching a lot then. Baseball is about the only game I can just sit down and watch on TV without needing to distract myself in some other way, whether it be work, reading, talking, or listening to music. The presidential election comes after that and then I'll take a break and not watch anything until the Australian Open comes on in January.

As you can see most of my Television Watching happens during the summer. I like movies more than TV, if I'm going to watch an hour of TV shows, I might as well bust out a movie, much more entertaining and valuable in my book.

 

[Kak]

I go to sportsbars or the country club lounge with friends and eat wings when Im watching a Texans game or a major golf tourney.

I used to watch the news all day in the background. Now I find I just like to read the WSJ and that's it.

Ill watch a movie or 2 per week with the girlfriend but that about does it for me, and im not kidding at all.

 

[Darkside]

Other than watching live sports and the occasional business program on CNBC, I don't watch television. Not only is it a huge waste of time, but it's also incredibly boring to me. I find it very hard to sit through watching television shows. If I need news, I go online and find out what's happening. If I want to watch a good movie, I rent it from redbox or watch it on Netflix. No purpose to watching television.

 

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[21elnegocio]

Its the same way I think I really dont watch TV at all either unless I end up sitting in my bed tired and the tv is one, but I usually take a powernap then get back to work. No time for tv, not even movies, movies are 2 hours !!! 2 hours in which I can be thinking about my next move

 

[Darkside]

Its the same way I think I really dont watch TV at all either unless I end up sitting in my bed tired and the tv is one, but I usually take a powernap then get back to work. No time for tv, not even movies, movies are 2 hours !!! 2 hours in which I can be thinking about my next move

Watching a good movie is fine in my opinion because everyone needs at least some time to occasionally unwind. If you're 100% focused on business every waking moment, I think you might have a stress induced stroke or drive yourself crazy. I'm not saying that you should slack off; but rather give yourself a few hours every week to just have fun. Getting your mind off of your business will often times help you come up with great business ideas since the best ideas sometimes pop into our brains when we're thinking of unrelated things.

I'll give you an example of what I mean. Walt Disney got the idea to build Disneyland from going to a theme park with his daughters and he noticed how unwelcoming the theme parks of his era were to children and families. So, he set out to create one that parents could feel safe bringing their children to and one in which the kids would really want to visit because the rides were based on their favorite characters from Disney movies.

So, even though he was out having fun with his daughters in an amusement park, which is technically time not spent on his business, he was able to come up with a good idea which made him and his family billions.

 

[The-J]

Hey, I watch TV. Just, you know, not a lot of it. It's good to unwind in many different ways, like exercising, hobbies, etc.

But video games are my guilty pleasure: they are a huge time-waster and what's worse is that you feel like you're accomplishing something by playing the game, when in reality you're doing nothing! And yet, I still play them...

 

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[TheBigPill]

There's not a lot on the tube that I like but there are certain shows that I really like (Fringe, Grim, The Closer). What I really find hard to understand is why people like these faux reality shows that are popping up everywhere.

 

[PatrickP]

OH MAN!

I feel bad for those of you who don't watch TV. You missed the BEST soccer game ever. It was USA vs Canada WOW it was great!

It is much easier to follow the ball on a 72" 3D TV also

 

[JEdwards]

It is much easier to follow the ball on a 72" 3D TV also

Wow, I am surprised you haven't gone to the 80 inch they have at costco for 4700.00.. I personally watch TV on my 120 inch HD screen in my theater room when I want to get into the action.

 

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[JasonR]

I will sometimes have TV on in the background, and I do enjoy some (very little) TV and watch Movies occasionally.

I do love me some football though, but I can work while the game is on...

 

[JEdwards]

I will sometimes have TV on in the background, and I do enjoy some (very little) TV and watch Movies occasionally.

I do love me some football though, but I can work while the game is on...

Actually, besides the theater room, there are no other TV's in the entire house, I have not had any Cable type TV for over two years.

We watch maybe a movie a week.

 

[Vigilante]

I am watching the Olympics as regularly as the Pope eats communion. Love the olympics.

 

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[needchaser]

I remember in an interview Bill Gates said that when Microsoft was starting up he would work on it all day and most of the night but he would take a break and go to the movies in between. I don't watch much TV or movies, but I do enjoy basketball and football. One tip I've learned wih sports is that if you record a game, then watch it later, you will save a lot of time. A 2.5 - 3 hour game can be watched in an hour when you fast forward through time-outs, half-time, stoppage, etc. And I know you're not seeing it "live" but you can even start it just an hour late, fast forward and catch up to the live ending of the game or just don't go on any sports sites and turn off any auto score updates on your phone until you watch it.

Wow, I am surprised you haven't gone to the 80 inch they have at costco for 4700.00.. I personally watch TV on my 120 inch HD screen in my theater room when I want to get into the action.

120 inch? Geez, that's 3 of my TV's combined. Do you ever go to the movie theater and feel let down?