Bill and Melinda Gates Just Gave Us New Insight Into Their Evening Routine and, of Course, It's GeniusYou don't have to be a billionaire to adopt these habits.
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Everyone has their own way to unwind at the end of the day, andBill and Melinda Gatesare no exception. So what do a couple of billionairesdo to de-stress? Thanks to some new insights from Melinda, we now have a better idea. (Spoiler: it doesn't involve having Enya perform private concerts in their living room.) As it turns out, theevening routineof the Gates Family is actually pretty normal -- and involves things anyone can do. Here are threerelaxing strategies, straight from Bill and Melinda's playbook:
Connect with the people you love
Despite their hectic schedules, the Gates Family -- including Bill and Melinda's 16-year-old daughter Phoebe -- all try tohave dinner togetheras often as possible, Melindarecently toldThe Cut.They usually sit down between 6 and 7 p.m., and eat a mix of what each person likes -- from Mexican or Asian food, to steak or fish dinners, she says. At a time when so manypeople are gluedto their devices,spending facetime(to clarify: not FaceTime) with loved ones and discussing the events of your day is a great way to de-stress.
And if you're wondering who does the dishes, it's all Bill. Ina 2014 Reddit "Ask Me Anything"he said that he does them every night. "[O]ther people volunteer, but I like the way I do it," he wrote. Not only does mean that all the silverware is up to his standards of cleanliness, it also gives himthe opportunity to meditate, if he so chooses: a2015 study foundthat washing dishes was the perfect time topractice mindfulness.
No work after dinner
Speaking of dinner,that's the cut-off pointfor doing work for the day, Melinda noted in the same interview. "I try not to work after dinner -- that was kind of a mantra I made for myself about four years ago," she said. "I'll often read, talk with Bill, and then, generally, I'll watch something relaxing before bedtime with Bill or Phoebe."
Their show of choice at the moment is the royal period dramaVictoriaon PBS. And like dinnertime, this must-see TV is a group activity: Gates toldThe Cutthat they had to binge-watch the last three episodes of the third season before going on her book tour because they don't watch the show without each other. "If we're in separate locales, we'll agree to both watch the same episode at the same time so we're caught up with each other," she added.
Get to bed as early as possible
When it comes to our bedtimes, most of us have the best of intentions, but somehow never manage to make it under the covers as early as we'd like. And like ourThrive founder and CEO, noted "sleep evangelist" Arianna Huffington, Melinda makes getting enough sleep a priority. "My aspirational time to go to bed is 9:30 p.m.," she toldThe Cut."Realistically, it's between 10 and 10:30 p.m. I go on about a dozen [work trips every year] -- give or take -- and if I've been on an international trip, I'm literally in bed by 9:30 p.m."
Though Melinda didn't address Bill's bedtime,in a previous interviewhe stressed the importance of getting at least seven hours of sleep each night in order to be creative. Plus, we know thatsleep deprivationleads to poordecision-making, which is, of course, key to performing at our best.
