Wealth

Buffett and Gates agree on this key to success

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

It may not be what you jack-of-all-trades want to hear but according to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, focus is the most important factor to success.

Both men agree that relentlessly focusing on one specific passion or problem leads to achievement. And that means pushing aside other ideas and interests until a goal is reached, according to TIME.

Buffett biographer Alice Schroeder writes, "He ruled out paying attention to almost anything but business—art, literature, science, travel, architecture—so that he could focus on his passion."

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Steve Jobs knew this too. He took Apple from a company with hundreds of products to one with a simple 10 products when he returned to the company in 1998.

But focus alone is not enough. Putting in the time to commit to something is also crucial to achieving success.

In the past Buffett has said that, "successful investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: you can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."

Read the coverage from TIME.