--- title: Bill Gates Shares His 4 Favorite Learning Hacks description: Bill Gates shares his four favorite learning hacks, including resources on how to code and watching educational videos. canonical: https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/ author: Bill Gates article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-04T12:00:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:44:17.723Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By og:description: And it's all online og:url: https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb876f7c4e486460/6988f53fcf40a8a79bc4a9cc/bill-gates-favorite-learning-hacks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6545 og:image:height: 3682 og:image:alt: Munich Security Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By twitter:description: And it's all online twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb876f7c4e486460/6988f53fcf40a8a79bc4a9cc/bill-gates-favorite-learning-hacks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=4c4ba1fa-585a-4154-bc46-0dd6f93ebba3&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Bill Gates Guest-Edits Time Magazine [Watch (HLS stream): Bill Gates Guest-Edits Time Magazine](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FywCjMzE.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2018-01-04. Bill Gates is the guest editor for a special issue of Time Magazine._  by [Bill Gates](https://time.com/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Jan 4, 2018 12:00 PM UTC  by [Bill Gates](https://time.com/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Jan 4, 2018 12:00 PM UTC There’s never been a better time to be alive if you’re curious. When I wanted to learn something outside of school as a kid, cracking open my World Book encyclopedia was the best I could do. Today, all you have to do is go online. There are many good resources out there, but these are a few of my favorite ways to [continue learning](http://time.com/4825289/world-refugee-day-education-hadi-althib/). ## **Khan Academy** [ Khan Academy](https://www.khanacademy.org/)’s short videos are a great way to get smarter in just a couple minutes. My kids have used them for their classes, and I use them to refresh concepts that I haven’t studied since high school. Their videos are a tremendous resource on topics ranging from basic arithmetic to complicated subjects like electrical engineering. ## **Code.org** I think everyone could benefit from learning how to write even some [basic code](http://time.com/4261554/why-schools-should-teach-more-than-basic-coding/). Even if you don’t use it in your day-to-day life, [computer science](http://time.com/4040637/computer-science-girls-stereotypes/) forces you to think abstractly and solve concrete problems.[ Code.org](https://studio.code.org/courses) is a terrific resource for learners of any skill level – and I got to contribute a[ lesson of my own](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Ux2PnJe6E). ## **The Great Courses from The Teaching Company** One of my favorite sources for interesting lectures is[ The Teaching Company](https://www.thegreatcourses.com/). They get incredible professors to teach courses on pretty much every topic you can think of. I always take at least one of their DVDs to watch when I travel. Right now, I’ve got their courses on oceanography, the surveillance state, and physiology. ## **Big History Project** I may be a bit biased toward this one since I helped fund it. If you consider yourself a lifelong learner, you have to check out the[ Big History Project](https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home). This free online course gives you a comprehensive look at the history of the universe from the Big Bang to today. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Good morning. We were doing some research. You've been on the cover ten times. This is also the first guest edited issue of Time in 94 years. So, Write this in. We want to show you some of the layouts. We're thinking that those photos could go in what would be your editor's letter. We have Steven Pinker, Malala, Ava DuVernay, Bono, they're all in. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] The couple weeks that this team has been immersed in with hurricanes and floods and earthquakes Your relentless optimism, how do you square it with that, and how should we think about it as we approach the issue? So, improvement is kind of a silent thing that happens gradually. You know, the world is unjust, but it's way more just today. [ UNKNOWN ] [ MUSIC ] When you say you're optimistic, you're not saying you can just stand back and you're not to know what reverse is but, you can say okay we've done really well. Let's take the examples of where we've done super well and spread those. 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