How Bill Gates works

How does the world's richest man (and Microsoft Chief Software Architect) work?

• Uses three screens synchronized to form one single desktop: "Once you have that large display area, you'll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity". Screen on the left: e-mail boxes; on the center: the message he's reading; on the right: the browser.
• Gets about 100 e-mails a day, filtered so that messages "from anyone I've ever corresponded with, anyone from Microsoft and the partner companies, and anyone I know" go straight to him, while the rest is written-up by his assistant.
• Acknowledges that it's not easy to stay focused, because of info overload, but "info underload" is also a problem, as in not having the right info or not being in touch with the right people.
• Uses collaborative software to deal with that.
• Uses desktop search, "has transformed the way I access information".
• Uses little paper, "I get 90% of my news online".
• One low-tech piece of equipment in his office? Yes, the whiteboard: "I always have nice color pens, and it's great for brainstorming when I'm with other people, and even sometimes by myself".

From Fortune magazine.

[tags: Bill Gates]