The Productive Habits of a Billionaire - Jeff Bezos’s Story

The richest man today, CEO and Co-founder of Amazon is a living example of how our habits can increase our productivity and revolutionize our business. “What’s dangerous is not to evolve,” Jeff Bezos once said in an interview. His statement reflects his own attitudes towards success and proves he is a powerhouse of an entrepreneur and innovator. To become powerful, rich and worth of people’s respect, you need to evolve. His own business evolved when he decided that being a CEO of the online retail behemoth Amazon is not enough for him. By pursuing his own dreams he has had since childhood, this tech mogul bought the Washington Post and a private rocket ship company, Blue Origin. Sometimes considered having “ice water in his veins,” some people think of him as a ruthless workaholic. It’s true, he does work hard, but his habits and daily routine show that he isn’t addicted to work. Even though he has some tough qualities, his personality reflects courage and big-picture thinking.

1. Get enough sleep

One of the most productive habits which any person can have is getting enough sleep. Jeff Bezos never sets an alarm in the morning nor does he schedule early meetings. He believes that lack of sleep affects the quality of our decision-making and us. He always makes sure to get enough sleep, at least eight hours every night. Many studies have shown that the lack of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and weaken the immune system. While he was working on Wall Street, he brought a sleeping bag to make sure he will have enough rest.

2. Fight for your ideas and take risks

Bezos is a risk taker and the person who fights hard for his winning ideas. The Princeton grad wanted to get into the world of e-commerce. After searching the internet for new business ideas he discovered an increase in the World Wide Web usage. He immediately compiled a list of 20 products which people may find interesting to buy. The first thing on his list was the books, so he ran with books. In the beginning, he could only buy a book when a buyer ordered it. Soon the growth of sales was exceeding his supplies, and Amazon was born.

3. Plan long-term investments

Jeff Bezos is a person who always thinks about long-term investments. He is a big — picture man. When he recognized the potential of internet trade, Amazon conquered electronics, music and many other products. So he didn’t stop with books and soon Kindle was born and won their niche. Now Amazon offers cloud computing services to other big businesses, the US government and NASA. He once stated: “I knew that I might sincerely regret not having participated in this thing called the Internet that I thought was going to be a revolutionizing event. When I thought about it that way… it was incredibly easy to make the decision.”His mind never rests on new ideas and currently, he is investing in the 10,000-year clock whose purpose is to last for ten thousand years and give the descendants a sense of perseverance of human race.

4. Make your own rules

Bezos always adopts and implements his own rules. He doesn’t want anything to distract him, so he performs his tasks one by one. Even as a child attending the Montessori school, he often refused to move to a new task until finishing the first one. He once said: I like to do what I'm doing right now. He prefers face-to-face conversation he even implemented a two pizza rule, so he won’t be distracted by unnecessary meetings. Basically, he won’t organize or attend a meeting if two pizzas wouldn’t be enough to feed the entire group. His staff doesn’t use PowerPoint Presentations to showcase their ideas but rather write a narrative and distribute to everyone attending the meeting.

5. Find your way to relax

Bezos always starts his day by eating a healthy meal with his novelist wife, Mackenzie Bezos. He orders unusual dishes, spends time with his family (one of the reasons why he never schedules early meetings), likes jogging and even washes the dishes after dinner. His daily rituals make him a great husband, a wonderful father, and an ambitious and innovative entrepreneur.

Jeff Bezos's unique way of thinking has led him becoming the wealthiest man in the world and made his inventions into successful business ideas. By focusing on the things his inner voice tells him to do, he evolved into a positive, highly respected role model among businessmen.

Sources:

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-founder-ceo-jeff-bezos-early-life-2017-5

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197608