Bill Gates uses these 4 tricks to read 50 books a year, but reveals his only problem with reading: “If I don’t agree with the book …”

In an interview with Quartz in 2017, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates shared his reading habits and strategies that allow him to read about 50 books a year.

What happened: Gates revealed the four most important habits he uses to optimize his reading performance: take notes, don’t start a book if you can’t finish it, read paper books rather than e-books, and take at least an hour to read.

He spoke about the importance of concentration when reading, especially when reading non-fiction. “When you’re reading, you have to make sure you concentrate, especially when it’s a non-fiction book,” he explained.

Gates also noted that taking notes helps him think critically about the content and connect new information with his existing knowledge.

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The Microsoft co-founder also admitted that he struggles with long and complex books, citing “Infinite Jest” as an example. Despite his interest in the author, David Foster-WallaceHe shared that he was hesitant to read the book because of its length and complexity.

“If I don’t agree with the book, sometimes it takes a long time to read… It’s actually quite frustrating: ‘Oh, please say something I agree with so I can finish the book.'”

He also said that he prefers longer, uninterrupted reading sessions rather than short intervals. “When you read books like this, you want to sit for an hour at a time.”

He added that shorter content, such as magazine articles or YouTube videos, fits into smaller time slots.

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Why it is important: Gates’ reading habits provide insight into the mindset of a man who topped Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people for 18 of 23 years from 1995 to 2017.

Its ability to accumulate, preserve and grow wealth over time despite market fluctuations and economic challenges is well documented.

It was previously reported that Gates’ financial success could have been even greater if he had kept his Microsoft shares. The tech mogul would be sitting on $1.47 trillion today, potentially making him the world’s first trillionaire.

At the time of writing, Gates’ total net worth was $159 billion, making him the eighth person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

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Disclaimer: This content was created in part with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.