Melinda French Gates Says This Lesson From Warren Buffet Was Life Changing
Ever feel like your to-do list has a mind of its own? Melinda French Gates has a solution, and it’s surprisingly simple: start saying no. It turns out that Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK, BRK.B)) CEO Warren Buffett gave her this advice years ago, and it has been a game-changer ever since.
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French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently shared this golden nugget of wisdom on a recent LinkedIn’s podcast, “Hello Monday.”
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“When we created our foundation, Buffett told us, ‘Know where your bullseye is. If you keep your eye on your target, you’ll focus on what matters most.’ I’m grateful to Warren for his friendship, wisdom, and support,” she said. In other words, stop trying to do everything—zero in on what truly matters.
This isn’t just self-help talk. A marketing leader, certified executive coach, and founder of Cove & Compass, Laura Nguyen emphasizes setting clear boundaries, especially in the digital world where constant availability consumes most of our time. That’s the work-life balance jackpot.
Buffett has lived by this principle for decades. Back in 2014, he shared his famous “two-list” strategy with his pilot, Mike Flint. The trick? Write down 25 career goals, pick the five most important, and ignore the rest completely. The idea is that half-committing to everything leaves you fully committed to nothing.
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Not everyone thinks saying no is the magic solution. TV producer Shonda Rhimes—the mastermind behind “Grey’s Anatomy”—went viral for her “Year of Yes” philosophy. Ten years later, she offers a candid review of her bold decision.
“Ten years ago, I had this epiphany that I would spend a year saying yes to everything that scared me. The very act of doing the thing that scared me undid the fear. It’s amazing how powerful one word can be. ‘Yes’ changed my life; ‘Yes’ changed me.”
On the flip side, productivity expert Tim Ferriss has built an entire brand on the idea of selective no’s. He frequently talks about the 80/20 rule, which suggests that 80% of success comes from just 20% of efforts. If that’s true, cutting out the distractions could be the key to leveling up. One way of cutting such distractions is by learning to say no.
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An excerpt introducing his book, “The No Book” published on his blog, says, “The goal of life is to make good decisions. And decisions are the simplest thing in the world. They consist of a single choice between ” yes ” ” or ” no.” Tim recommends saying no to help set clear boundaries and eliminate distractions.
Author James Clear summed it up perfectly in a post on X: When you say no, you only say no to one option. When you say ‘yes,’ you say ‘no’ to every other option. ‘No’ is a decision. ‘Yes’ is a responsibility. Be careful what (and to whom) you say ‘yes’. It will shape your day, career, family, and life.”
Historically, some of the world’s most successful people have followed Buffett’s strategy. According to Entrepreneur, Steve Jobs tasked the Apple’s vice president of industrial design at the time, Jony Ive, with creating the iMac, a user-friendly and visually appealing computer, upon returning to the company in 1997.
This strategic focus on simplifying the product lineup and emphasizing design innovation was instrumental in revitalizing Apple and steering it away from bankruptcy
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