The big daddy of Microsoft, business magnate, Bill Gates recently attended an event for high-profile founders and venture capitalists.
In conversation with entrepreneur Julia Hartz, Bill Gates spoke about work, his young self at the nascent stage of his company and more.
One of the things that came about in the conversation was his work-life balance or lack thereof in his 20s. Gates revealed that he regrets not taking any vacations in his 20s. Gates says,
My 20-year-old self is so disgusted with my current self.
Now, a hardcore advocate of taking necessary breaks, Gates says,
I think you could over worship and mythologize the idea of working extremely hard. For my particular makeup — and it really is true that I didn’t believe in weekends; I didn’t believe in vacations; I mean, I knew everybody’s license plate so I could tell you over the last month when their car had come and gone from the parking lot — so I don’t recommend it and I don’t think most people would enjoy it.
Gates added,
Once I got into my 30s, I could hardly even imagine how I had done that. Because by then, some natural behavior kicked in, and I loved weekends.
Taking a vacation is an essential part of one’s wellbeing. Especially in the initial stages of entering the workforce, in order to avoid burnout.
Now that Bill Gates gives his seal of approval, it’s time you talk to the boss about that long overdue vacay.