The 7 Habits JPMorgan's Billionaire Clients Swear By — And the Reading Shortcut They All Seem to Share
What separates a billionaire's Tuesday from yours? According to JPMorgan's 2025 Principal Discussions Report — a rare, candid look inside the daily lives of more than 100 ultra-high-net-worth clients with a combined net worth exceeding $500 billion — the answer isn't a hedge fund or a lucky break. It's a set of habits, practiced with almost religious consistency. The top seven: reading, exercise, consistency, waking up early, prioritizing tasks, setting goals, and carving out time for deep thinking. Most of us already know these habits exist. The question is why so few of us actually do them — and what the billionaires know that we don't.
1. The Habit That Topped Every Billionaire's List
Reading came out on top. Not skimming headlines. Not scrolling LinkedIn. Actual, deliberate reading of books — business books, biographies, novels. Rafael Badzaig, who spent five years interviewing 21 self-made billionaire entrepreneurs for his 2019 book The Billion Dollar Secret, found that nearly all of them read voraciously, across genres. The challenge, of course, is time. It takes the average person 10 hours to read a book, which is a lot of time many of us don't have. That's why modern intellectuals are turning to Blinkist, an app that distills the most powerful ideas from the world's best nonfiction books into 15-minute reads and listens. With over 9,000 titles across 27 categories — from money and investing to leadership and psychology — there are 40 new titles added every month, so even the most voracious reader will never run out of great content.
"Blinkist encourages you to read more nonfiction books. The app contains cleverly written digests — called blinks — where books are broken down into their main arguments." — The New York Times
2. It's Backed By the Same Principles Billionaires Use
The JPMorgan principals aren't just reading for pleasure. They're reading to think better. "The currency of life is time. It is not money. You think carefully about how you spend one dollar. You should think just as carefully about how you spend one hour," one unnamed principal told JPMorgan. At Blinkist, that philosophy shapes everything about the product. A dedicated team of experts sifts through the millions of books published each year to find the best ones — not just bestsellers, but hidden gems, timeless classics, the books written for intellectuals, by intellectuals.
The content is built using neuroscientific research methods designed to make insights easy to understand and retain. The ideas that took an author years to develop, delivered in the time it takes to drink a coffee.
‘When we started most apps were for social media or gaming. We wanted to do something different and build an app that would add genuine value to someone’s life’ — Holger Seim, Blinkist co-founder.
Take a look — here's the explainer to the international bestseller Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, one of the most-read books among the world's top performers:
Think and Grow Rich
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
3. It Replaces the One Habit That's Quietly Costing You Hours
The JPMorgan billionaires are intentional about their time. The rest of us? Less so. You know those moments when you catch yourself endlessly swiping through social media? It's something an alarmingly high amount of people suffer from and it's called "doom-scrolling" — a phenomenon that leaves people feeling tired and angry. Blinkist was built to fill exactly that gap. Instead of reaching for Instagram during a commute or a lunch break, users reach for a Blink. Here's what some of them are saying:
"This app should be in Essentials category: One of the best app purchased. I have been a member for 6+ years and I don't think I will ever stop. This is a learning experience that truly enhances my life." — 5-star review on the Apple Store
So, say goodbye to mindless scrolling and hello to a new habit that'll feed your curiosity, spark intellectual growth, and help you become a better you. No wonder so many users call it the best swap they've ever made:
"This has been the biggest boost to my productivity / lifelong learning ever. Honestly, I can't think of a better habit to start than Blinkist." — 5-star review on the Apple Store
4. The Billionaires Learn by Listening — So Can You
Waking up early, exercising, commuting — the JPMorgan principals don't waste a single transition in their day. Neither do Blinkist's most dedicated users. The app became particularly popular when the audio feature was introduced, making it possible to listen to every title — which means learning never has to wait until you have time to sit down.
Today, listening is the most popular way to consume the packs of actionable insights, with around 70% of users opting to listen to Blinkist. This is no surprise as over 30% of people learn and retain information better when it's heard as opposed to reading. The billionaires aren't sitting at a desk with a highlighter. They're absorbing ideas on the move — and Blinkist makes it just as easy to do the same.
5. Over 94 Thousand 5-Star Ratings
The numbers behind Blinkist's App Store presence are hard to ignore: 148,000+ ratings at 4.8 stars from people who use it every day. The reviews that keep appearing aren't about novelty – they're about a habit that holds up over time. Two users put it well:
"Perfect for populating your mind with smart thoughts and the latest research. I use the audio format while in transportation." – 5-star review
"Very informative and insightful. I can cook dinner and enjoy the knowledge over audio." – 5-star review
6. Prioritize the Books Worth Your Time — Before You Buy Them
One of the JPMorgan principals' top habits is prioritizing tasks — knowing what deserves their attention and what doesn't. Blinkist applies the same logic to your reading list. With 15-minute explainers, you can take a book for a test drive before committing 10 hours to it. If the ideas grab you, buy the full thing. If they don't, you've saved yourself a week of reading.
"I've found that if a book is still interesting after reading the highlights I end up buying the book anyway. I now buy half as many, the ones I do buy are higher quality and more impactful." — @DaleyErvin
Not only does this save money on books that would gather dust on a shelf — it saves the one resource the billionaires guard most jealously: time.
"Blinkist has helped me read more — period. I love that I can get the key learnings from 10+ books a week, and immediately implement them in my own life. Blinkist has also helped me filter the books I purchase — if I couldn't get enough of the Book-in-Blinks, I buy it." — Hitha Palepu, entrepreneur, author and Blinkist user
7. One of the Best Apps in the World — Recognized by Apple, Google, and the United Nations
“Blinkist is one of the world’s best apps.” – Apple
Blinkist has won numerous major awards from Apple, Google, and even the United Nations. It's loved by everyone from The New York Times to Forbes, along with its millions of users.
The app is a favorite among book lovers who use Blinkist to keep their minds sharp and discover new titles.
8. The Right Idea at the Right Moment
Deep thinking time was one of the seven habits the JPMorgan billionaires named — not passive consumption, but active, focused engagement with ideas. Blinkist is built for exactly that. Whether you want to understand a concept before a meeting, explore a new field, or simply stay curious, the app puts the right knowledge in your hands in minutes, not hours.
“Blinkist is a lens to kick off thinking, a surveying tool. I can, for example, quickly review a few of the best books on negotiation.” – Adam Gries, Founder of OKpanda
9. The Company Behind the App
Many people find out about Blinkist by hearing about the inner workings of the company itself. It’s proven itself a great place to work with a unique company culture. LinkedIn named Blinkist the best startup employer in Germany and 95% of its employees on Glassdoor would recommend the company to a friend.
Employees love the startup’s culture and feel like they’re taken care of. This has led to a low attrition rate where staff has stuck around for the long run to help make the app even better.
“I moved to Berlin after living in New York City for ten years to work at Blinkist. I knew I would be working alongside some amazing people, building a revolutionary product. This, mixed with an exciting new culture and the way of life Berlin offers, made the move an easy decision.” – Carlos Alvarado, Country Manager at Blinkist
10. 43 Million People Have Already Started
The JPMorgan principals didn't become billionaires by waiting for the perfect moment. They built habits, stuck to them, and let the compound interest of daily learning do its work. We're proud of what we do — we believe in our product because it has meaning, purpose, and intention. This was recognized and praised by the United Nations, who acknowledged Blinkist as a Global Leader in Learning and Education.
"With Blinkist you can boost your knowledge and gain new perspectives so that you can be a better professional, a better partner, or a better you — and finally get through your book list or make sense of the increasingly big and busy world of ideas." — United Nations
With a community of 43 million people located across the world — from tech entrepreneurs to full-time moms to top CEOs — Blinkist has a loyal fanbase of users who are all discovering powerful ideas in nonfiction books on the app. Be part of it! Download the Blinkist app now and start reading like the world's most successful people – one 15-minute session at a time.
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The Blinkist editorial team
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What is Blinkist?
Blinkist is an app that transforms key insights from great nonfiction books into quick, easy-to-understand highlights. The reality is – everyone loves reading, but no one has the time. Blinkist fills this learning gap and makes acquiring new knowledge effortless.
