Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
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- Create Date：2021-08-23 09:53:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mason Currey
- ISBN：0307273601
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Summary
Franz Kafka， frustrated with his living quarters and day job， wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912， “time is short， my strength is limited， the office is a horror， the apartment is noisy， and if a pleasant， straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers。”
Kafka is one of 161 inspired—and inspiring—minds， among them， novelists， poets， playwrights， painters， philosophers， scientists， and mathematicians， who describe how they subtly maneuver the many （self-inflicted） obstacles and （self-imposed） daily rituals to get done the work they love to do， whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing， drinking vast quantities of coffee， or taking long daily walks。 Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in the kitchen， the top of the refrigerator as his desk， dreamily fondling his “male configurations”。 。 。 Jean-Paul Sartre chewed on Corydrane tablets （a mix of amphetamine and aspirin）， ingesting ten times the recommended dose each day 。 。 。 Descartes liked to linger in bed， his mind wandering in sleep through woods， gardens， and enchanted palaces where he experienced “every pleasure imaginable。”
Here are: Anthony Trollope， who demanded of himself that each morning he write three thousand words （250 words every fifteen minutes for three hours） before going off to his job at the postal service， which he kept for thirty-three years during the writing of more than two dozen books 。 。 。 Karl Marx 。 。 。 Woody Allen 。 。 。 Agatha Christie 。 。 。 George Balanchine， who did most of his work while ironing 。 。 。 Leo Tolstoy 。 。 。 Charles Dickens 。 。 。 Pablo Picasso 。 。 。 George Gershwin， who， said his brother Ira， worked for twelve hours a day from late morning to midnight， composing at the piano in pajamas， bathrobe， and slippers 。 。 。
Here also are the daily rituals of Charles Darwin， Andy Warhol， John Updike， Twyla Tharp， Benjamin Franklin， William Faulkner， Jane Austen， Anne Rice， and Igor Stravinsky （he was never able to compose unless he was sure no one could hear him and， when blocked， stood on his head to “clear the brain”）。
Brilliantly compiled and edited， and filled with detail and anecdote， Daily Rituals is irresistible， addictive， magically inspiring。
Kafka is one of 161 inspired—and inspiring—minds， among them， novelists， poets， playwrights， painters， philosophers， scientists， and mathematicians， who describe how they subtly maneuver the many （self-inflicted） obstacles and （self-imposed） daily rituals to get done the work they love to do， whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing， drinking vast quantities of coffee， or taking long daily walks。 Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in the kitchen， the top of the refrigerator as his desk， dreamily fondling his “male configurations”。 。 。 Jean-Paul Sartre chewed on Corydrane tablets （a mix of amphetamine and aspirin）， ingesting ten times the recommended dose each day 。 。 。 Descartes liked to linger in bed， his mind wandering in sleep through woods， gardens， and enchanted palaces where he experienced “every pleasure imaginable。”
Here are: Anthony Trollope， who demanded of himself that each morning he write three thousand words （250 words every fifteen minutes for three hours） before going off to his job at the postal service， which he kept for thirty-three years during the writing of more than two dozen books 。 。 。 Karl Marx 。 。 。 Woody Allen 。 。 。 Agatha Christie 。 。 。 George Balanchine， who did most of his work while ironing 。 。 。 Leo Tolstoy 。 。 。 Charles Dickens 。 。 。 Pablo Picasso 。 。 。 George Gershwin， who， said his brother Ira， worked for twelve hours a day from late morning to midnight， composing at the piano in pajamas， bathrobe， and slippers 。 。 。
Here also are the daily rituals of Charles Darwin， Andy Warhol， John Updike， Twyla Tharp， Benjamin Franklin， William Faulkner， Jane Austen， Anne Rice， and Igor Stravinsky （he was never able to compose unless he was sure no one could hear him and， when blocked， stood on his head to “clear the brain”）。
Brilliantly compiled and edited， and filled with detail and anecdote， Daily Rituals is irresistible， addictive， magically inspiring。
Reviews
Sipho
，
A charming but largely unhelpful catalogue of the work habits of some of the West's most well known writers， artists， poets and actors。The author's aim here was to answer the questions of how best to do creative work: devote yourself completely to a project or set aside a small portion every day。Generally speaking， I don't find knowing about the habits and routines of top performers to be all that useful。 So many factors are usually unaccounted for in these narratives。 To the point that it's som A charming but largely unhelpful catalogue of the work habits of some of the West's most well known writers， artists， poets and actors。The author's aim here was to answer the questions of how best to do creative work: devote yourself completely to a project or set aside a small portion every day。Generally speaking， I don't find knowing about the habits and routines of top performers to be all that useful。 So many factors are usually unaccounted for in these narratives。 To the point that it's sometimes worth asking what came first， the routine or the output。That said， it was interesting to note the similarities in the habits of most of these artists: wake up early， work in short bursts when the mind is still fresh， spend most of the afternoon doing administrative chores， walk frequently and relax in the evenings。Hardly the secret sauce you'd expect but very notable that from Maya Angelou to Charles Darwin to Einstein， these were the patterns of work that so many followed。It's worth noting though that many of these individuals had already achieved some level of success and/or recognition that afforded them the flexibility to eg take afternoons off。 This is hardly the sort of thing the average person would be able to do。Fascinating book but "don't try this at home"。 At least not in exactly the same ways described here。 。。。more
Audrey
，
Hard to rate this as it seems the author's main creative input was in curation—a lot of the entries are largely quotes from another source。 There are plenty of other reviews pointing out the biases of this curation and the framing within entries。 I did on the whole enjoy reading about the mundane daily schedules of various creatives though。 Hard to rate this as it seems the author's main creative input was in curation—a lot of the entries are largely quotes from another source。 There are plenty of other reviews pointing out the biases of this curation and the framing within entries。 I did on the whole enjoy reading about the mundane daily schedules of various creatives though。 。。。more
Bethany
，
I didn’t plan to read it cover to cover， but here we are。 Inspiring and relatable。
Erica
，
An interesting idea well executed。 The author does a good job with the research。 I wish this could comprise more diverse voices （almost all of the "artists" mentioned are white males）！ An interesting idea well executed。 The author does a good job with the research。 I wish this could comprise more diverse voices （almost all of the "artists" mentioned are white males）！ 。。。more
Madiyar Kubriyanov
，
Книга особо не требует какого-то отзыва， потому что это просто краткие описания， взятые из разных статей， писем， авто-/биографий разных публичных деятелей， которые вы сами можете найти в открытом доступе， но… зачем？ Когда за вас это уже сделали。 Автор в самом начале и говорит， что вся книга выстроена как вырезки из статей и его блогов。 Вроде это даже упоминается в описании к книге。 Никаких четких руководств к тому， что вы должны сделать， чтобы стать продуктивным как кто-то здесь нет。 Просто опис Книга особо не требует какого-то отзыва， потому что это просто краткие описания， взятые из разных статей， писем， авто-/биографий разных публичных деятелей， которые вы сами можете найти в открытом доступе， но… зачем？ Когда за вас это уже сделали。 Автор в самом начале и говорит， что вся книга выстроена как вырезки из статей и его блогов。 Вроде это даже упоминается в описании к книге。 Никаких четких руководств к тому， что вы должны сделать， чтобы стать продуктивным как кто-то здесь нет。 Просто описания， напоминающие сжатые статьи из Википедии。 Ну и сам автор в самом начале говорит， что он просто превратил свой блог в книгу。 Так что не ожидайте от книги чего-то грандиозного。 Но можно послушать на скорости 1，5-2，0 пока занимаетесь своими делами хотя бы для того， чтобы поднять немного свою уверенность в том， что мы все обычные люди， и у нас есть дни， когда из нас просто фонтаном бьет энергия， дисциплина и мега продуктивность， а иногда мы просто медленная， скучающая и антипродуктивная 💩 как например сейчас я， пока пишу отзыв， хотя мог бы уже приступить к работе 😸Самые главные плюсы этой книги， которые я отметил для себя были:1。 Ты понимаешь， что нет никакой волшебной пилюли или метóды， которые будут работать на тебе， потому что они сработали на Роулинг， Жорж Санж， Маске， Скорсезе или Джейн Остин。 В последнем описании о распорядке Маломуда очень понравилась его идея， что нужно просто сесть и делать。 Дисциплина — наше всё;2。 Не надо искать эту информацию о разных людях где-то по просторам интернета。 Всё сжато， коротко и по делу。 Экономия времени — профит;3。 Есть некоторые биографии， в которых узнаешь себя и понимаешь «Блин， а может я Хемингуэй？ Очень похож распорядок на мой。 Может и не стоит бороться с этим？ А просто исходя из данных мне качеств， используя их， правильно выстроить день и выжимать максимум？！»;4。 Есть некоторые идеи， которые хотелось бы попробовать。 Например， был там один писатель， которые считал себя копушей и лентяем — он просто заставлял себя делать необходимую работу и следовал графику。 Окружение считало его продуктивным。 Интуитивно я делаю примерно тоже самое。 Составляю график и стараюсь ему следовать。 И некоторые знакомые считают， что я продуктивный и всё время занят 😸 Иногда прямо врунишкой себя считаю из-за этого 🤥😸 особенно， когда говорят， что я продуктивен и делаю очень много 😸;5。 Я очень сильно загонялся по поводу того， что я мог бы и должен быть продуктивным; но вот когда читаешь/слушаешь о том， что Эйнштейн был немного неряшлив и забывчив， или что кто-то был не так организован как хотел бы， то как-то становится легче на душе， что ли 😸 и перестаёшь себя ругать и заниматься самобичеванием;6。 Ну и， конечно же， пополнился список книг к прочтению， потому что много примеров из жизни разных писателей и перечисляются их труды。В общем， прослушать можно пока едешь в машине или идёшь до работы/учёбы， в самолете/поезде или на пляже， чтобы уж совсем не скучать。 Ничего напряжённого， сложного и требующего полного включения。 Слушается как радио или подкаст。 То， что нужно вам или перекликается с вами и вашими взглядами и чертами характера обязательно услышите。 И наверняка услышите один-два трюка， которые захочется повторить и применить на себе， чтобы стать немного эффективнее。 。。。more
Karl Tammik
，
Daily Rituals gives a small and quick overview for some of the greatest artists of our time and how they spent their days。What were the habits and rituals of known composers， filmmakers， writers and poets， to help them in their daily struggles to make better art。How did they scheduled their days to get work done。 How did they prioritise other aspects of life， like family， friends， eating and sleeping。You can find some really good， also funny and destructive habits which to start practicing or to Daily Rituals gives a small and quick overview for some of the greatest artists of our time and how they spent their days。What were the habits and rituals of known composers， filmmakers， writers and poets， to help them in their daily struggles to make better art。How did they scheduled their days to get work done。 How did they prioritise other aspects of life， like family， friends， eating and sleeping。You can find some really good， also funny and destructive habits which to start practicing or to learn from。If you are already using habits and rituals in your everyday life， then probably you wont find that much new ideas use， but some for sure。Happy readingKarl 。。。more
Noco
，
Quick，interesting read。 It explores how great artists and public figures set up their daily routines or the lack thereof。 This book covers a copious amount of people’s’ daily routines and rituals which is no doubt inspirational but left me craving a bit deeper insights。 The chapters are short and snappy which makes this book perfect for sneaking some quick read， yet once again， I would have liked to know more about the individual artists。
Benay
，
Yaratıcılığın herkesin içinde olduğunu， onu keşfetmemiz ve nasıl büyüteceğimizi bilmemiz gerektiğini gösteren onlarca örnek。 Birçok yaratıcı yazarlık kitabından daha ilham verici。
McLaren P
，
This book is my daily companion， my weapon against procrastination， my adviser on how to become productive。 It's those book I never finish reading， I just go on and on and again， back and forth over the months（ and in this particular book years）， always getting a different insight。 One of the keys to peak performance as explained by Ander Ericsson is to emulate an expert on whatever subject you want to improve and in this "daily rituals" Mason Currey provides us with a handful of high-achievers This book is my daily companion， my weapon against procrastination， my adviser on how to become productive。 It's those book I never finish reading， I just go on and on and again， back and forth over the months（ and in this particular book years）， always getting a different insight。 One of the keys to peak performance as explained by Ander Ericsson is to emulate an expert on whatever subject you want to improve and in this "daily rituals" Mason Currey provides us with a handful of high-achievers and how they manage they days。 You won't find a fit for all solution here， each master had a routine that most resonated with their wit。 But all of them had to put the hours， and the great majority daily。 。。。more
Marina Ramírez
，
Muy interesante！ Imprescindible para los creativos
Travis Morton
，
This book delivered exactly what it promised， but just wasn't that interesting。 It gives a page or two to each highlighted artist （usually writer or painter） and presents any details the author could dig up about their rituals and daily practices。 Some were very interesting， but often the book felt repetitive。 This book delivered exactly what it promised， but just wasn't that interesting。 It gives a page or two to each highlighted artist （usually writer or painter） and presents any details the author could dig up about their rituals and daily practices。 Some were very interesting， but often the book felt repetitive。 。。。more
Eleanor
，
I LOVED this book and it is also one I can see myself reading multiple times。 It is no literary masterpiece and the writing itself is straightforward and simple， but the structure and concept of it really appealed to my curious， creatively stunted self。 I loved the peeks into the lives of people I have grown up admiring， getting a glimpse into their creative process and their own frustrations。 I was pleasantly surprised at how innumerable amounts of wine， chocolate， coffee and tobacco seemed to I LOVED this book and it is also one I can see myself reading multiple times。 It is no literary masterpiece and the writing itself is straightforward and simple， but the structure and concept of it really appealed to my curious， creatively stunted self。 I loved the peeks into the lives of people I have grown up admiring， getting a glimpse into their creative process and their own frustrations。 I was pleasantly surprised at how innumerable amounts of wine， chocolate， coffee and tobacco seemed to have no impact on life-expectancy， how even the greats struggled with self-doubts and word blocks （counting two sentences a day a success） and how early mornings or late nights seem to be the favourites of creatives。 It made me feel far more optimistic about my own writing pursuits and struggles and also inspired me to think more consciously and deliberately about my rituals and routines。 It was easy to dip in and out of， but quite consuming when you get into it。 。。。more
Neha D'souza
，
Currey draws out， in brief， the daily lives， rituals and artistic practices followed by great and inspiring minds - among them - writers， poets， painters， scientists， musicians， screenwriters and philosophers。 All of them， had their own and sometimes bizarre methods that got their creative juices flowing。 And yet， by the the end of the book， I noticed a somewhat similar pattern。A majority of them were early risers， breakfast eaters and coffee/tea drinkers。 Almost all of them also included physic Currey draws out， in brief， the daily lives， rituals and artistic practices followed by great and inspiring minds - among them - writers， poets， painters， scientists， musicians， screenwriters and philosophers。 All of them， had their own and sometimes bizarre methods that got their creative juices flowing。 And yet， by the the end of the book， I noticed a somewhat similar pattern。A majority of them were early risers， breakfast eaters and coffee/tea drinkers。 Almost all of them also included physical activity in their schedules。 Murakami has been going for a run every day for quarter of a century。 Kant， Voltaire， Wodehouse - they all walked a little， every single day。 A majority of them worked daily too。 Stephen King works every single day， including weekends， Christmas and his birthday。 A majority of them avoided social obligations。 They’d seldom party， rarely entertain and have/had a very tight knit， small circle of close confidantes。 Most of the negative reviews seem to be coming from those who went into this book expecting to find inspiration。 I went into it hoping to understand the daily life of some of the greatest minds of our time。 I wanted to understand how often they wrote， whether they exercised， whether they socialised， were they prone to substance abuse， and how many of them balanced full time jobs along with an artistic side hustle。 I guess， that’s why the book worked for me。 It’s served exactly what I was looking to consume。 。。。more
Chris
，
I was going to accuse this book of being too thinly spread and not offering enough depth of insight。 But then it's my own fault for not reading the book's synopsis properly: it covers the daily rituals of over 160 people in only 236 pages。 These are vignettes into the working habits of famous writers， artists， and intellectuals， sometimes only half a page long。 I think what would be more interesting would be a book that tries to synthesise commonalities in these routines and gives more in-depth I was going to accuse this book of being too thinly spread and not offering enough depth of insight。 But then it's my own fault for not reading the book's synopsis properly: it covers the daily rituals of over 160 people in only 236 pages。 These are vignettes into the working habits of famous writers， artists， and intellectuals， sometimes only half a page long。 I think what would be more interesting would be a book that tries to synthesise commonalities in these routines and gives more in-depth case studies of interesting or outlying individuals。 。。。more
Anisa Mehedi
，
The book made me realize that i am not caffinated， medicated and drunk enough XD I really like books like these。1。 I am nosy and want to know about famous people's lives 2。 I am obsessed with the idea of rituals and productivity 3。 I like factual stuff and short chapters The book made me realize that i am not caffinated， medicated and drunk enough XD I really like books like these。1。 I am nosy and want to know about famous people's lives 2。 I am obsessed with the idea of rituals and productivity 3。 I like factual stuff and short chapters 。。。more
BooksMyInspiration
，
Gives a sneak peek into the daily routines of some of the most famous achievers/influencers in the history of mankind。Good read。
Robert Sanek
，
I had high hopes for this book as I had seen it recommended a few times on Hacker News。 It was a disappointment。 The author introduces the book by saying he originally started collecting these insights via a blog， with very short posts。 Unfortunately， the book is essentially just that -- there's nothing other than a raw description， always only a few paragraphs long per artist。 I was hoping for a more curated kind of approach， or even one that would weave together a few similar styles into a nar I had high hopes for this book as I had seen it recommended a few times on Hacker News。 It was a disappointment。 The author introduces the book by saying he originally started collecting these insights via a blog， with very short posts。 Unfortunately， the book is essentially just that -- there's nothing other than a raw description， always only a few paragraphs long per artist。 I was hoping for a more curated kind of approach， or even one that would weave together a few similar styles into a narrative。 Not so。I also found it disappointing that each artist was given a singular explanation of their specific working style。 I don't know anyone who's approach has stayed the same throughout their life。 Potentially this was limited by the sources the author was able to find， though。Not recommended， maybe OK as a coffee table book you read in small chunks。 。。。more
Betül Bozkurt
，
Umberto Eco， Pablo Picasso， Franz Kafka， Tchaikovsky， Balzac， Tolstoy gibi birbirinden yetenekli insanların günlük ritüellerinden bahseden bu kitap sırf bu kadar bilgiyi derleyip toparlamasından dolayı bile övgüyü hak ediyor。 Kitap isminden de anlaşılacağı gibi bahsi geçen başarılı insanların çoğunun hayatın akışı içinde kendileri için koruyup kolladıkları bir rutinleri var。 📌Yani az da olsa devamlı yapabildiğimiz， alışkanlık haline getirdiğimiz çalışmanın yanısıra hayatın bilinmezliğini minimum Umberto Eco， Pablo Picasso， Franz Kafka， Tchaikovsky， Balzac， Tolstoy gibi birbirinden yetenekli insanların günlük ritüellerinden bahseden bu kitap sırf bu kadar bilgiyi derleyip toparlamasından dolayı bile övgüyü hak ediyor。 Kitap isminden de anlaşılacağı gibi bahsi geçen başarılı insanların çoğunun hayatın akışı içinde kendileri için koruyup kolladıkları bir rutinleri var。 📌Yani az da olsa devamlı yapabildiğimiz， alışkanlık haline getirdiğimiz çalışmanın yanısıra hayatın bilinmezliğini minimuma indiren rutinler oluşturmak başarı için çok önemli。 Öyle ki kitapta her gün aynı kahvaltıyı yapan insanları bile örnek olarak göreceksiniz。 Ne yiyeyim， ne giyeyim， bugün egzersiz olarak ne yapayım diye düşünmekten ziyade tüm enerjilerini kendilerini başarıya götürecek işlere kanalize ediyorlar。 Böyle olunca da başarı kaçınılmaz oluyor⭐️ 。。。more
Mark Trenier
，
A fascinating look into the minds of various artists。 Not sure it's a good idea to read it cover to cover， but it's amazing at how many of these people relied on drugs to get them going。 A fascinating look into the minds of various artists。 Not sure it's a good idea to read it cover to cover， but it's amazing at how many of these people relied on drugs to get them going。 。。。more
Logan Roberts
，
This is the perfect book to keep on the corner of your desk when you need a short burst of inspiration。 Easy to pick up and put down。 Full of concise， digestible insights into the work habits of history’s greatest creative minds。
Phil Topping
，
Loved this book and found it strangely inspiring。 You need to understand what works for you。
Francesca Pohlman
，
This is a reference book on the daily rituals of writers， philosophers， scientists， and painters。 Perhaps Currey could have grouped the people into categories to avoid the repetitious stories of rituals: wake， eat， exercise， work， eat， nap， drink， sleep。 Or maybe just include rituals that are unique or eccentric。 This was an extremely boring read。
Sharan
，
more a series of short stories meant for isolated exploration than a novel/self-help book with a coherent narrative – still fascinating to see the commonalities and divergences across the lives of the minds behind the worlds/perspectives that I love inhabiting。 Nonetheless， it would've really enhanced the reading experience to see some attempt from the author to synthesize his learnings from his deep dive into these lives。 more a series of short stories meant for isolated exploration than a novel/self-help book with a coherent narrative – still fascinating to see the commonalities and divergences across the lives of the minds behind the worlds/perspectives that I love inhabiting。 Nonetheless， it would've really enhanced the reading experience to see some attempt from the author to synthesize his learnings from his deep dive into these lives。 。。。more
Colleen
，
Enjoyable， though I wish the diagrams I've seen people make of the days （circles with different shades of colors） could be included in some way。 （Yes I know different artists- royalities- all that。） Also I was disappointed with how few women were included （and also the complete ignoring of the fact that the reason person X could even eat breakfast/lunch/etc in a short amount of time was that someone else- servant or wife- was making it for them）。 BUT Mason Currey did a sequel- Daily Rituals: Wom Enjoyable， though I wish the diagrams I've seen people make of the days （circles with different shades of colors） could be included in some way。 （Yes I know different artists- royalities- all that。） Also I was disappointed with how few women were included （and also the complete ignoring of the fact that the reason person X could even eat breakfast/lunch/etc in a short amount of time was that someone else- servant or wife- was making it for them）。 BUT Mason Currey did a sequel- Daily Rituals: Women at Work！ Which I have bought and am enjoying currently。 Still trying to find a schedule for me but appreciate the ideas and notions that there are dozens of different ways to work。 。。。more
Danielhaycox
，
A great reference for structuring your time as an independent artist。 I heard about this book from Nathaniel Drew's habit videos and wanted to give it a read。 As an artist fresh out of college and now working from home， I've been trying to build a daily routine that will provide space for creative work （and everything else I need to do！） Reading this book gave me the context I needed to see if I was on the right track。 It's not a self help book， but allows you to draw your own conclusions from t A great reference for structuring your time as an independent artist。 I heard about this book from Nathaniel Drew's habit videos and wanted to give it a read。 As an artist fresh out of college and now working from home， I've been trying to build a daily routine that will provide space for creative work （and everything else I need to do！） Reading this book gave me the context I needed to see if I was on the right track。 It's not a self help book， but allows you to draw your own conclusions from the lives it profiles。 And despite the roster of great artists included in this book， it's not intimidating to read。 Many of the artists led fairly mundane days， and worked for reasonable hours。 And although some artists seemed to create effortlessly， most of them struggled， and needed their routine to overcome that resistance。 How encouraging！ Although habits vary widely across the artists in the book， I was surprised by the similarities that emerged: 3-4 hour blocks of uninterrupted working time， numerous walks， and entertaining friends。 I'd recommend using this book more as a reference rather than reading it cover to cover。 I didn't know most of the artists in this book， and it was difficult to remain interested in the profiles of people I didn't know （and possibly should not imitate。） But for the handful of artists I did know， it was a practical and well-researched look into the daily structure of their lives。 。。。more
Lori Kresse
，
Interesting snippets of how creatives and scientists manage their days。 Great to pick up and read a dozen entries at at time。 Not a lot of women in here， but I'm more impressed with them， since they had to juggle so much more than the men in order to find time for their art or research。 The majority of the men seemed to have a team of aides to ensure they had food and space and quiet and materials and assistance in order to maximize the time they could spend on their life's work。 Freud even had Interesting snippets of how creatives and scientists manage their days。 Great to pick up and read a dozen entries at at time。 Not a lot of women in here， but I'm more impressed with them， since they had to juggle so much more than the men in order to find time for their art or research。 The majority of the men seemed to have a team of aides to ensure they had food and space and quiet and materials and assistance in order to maximize the time they could spend on their life's work。 Freud even had his wife put toothpaste on his brush every day。 Seriously dude？ Must be nice。 。。。more
Peter Mayeux
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This short book offered profiles of those who are creative in their work。 A good variety of people are included。 These include writers， poets， artists， cartoonists， composers， actors， directors， philosophers， politicians， mathematicians， anthropologists， musicians， architects， inventors， and scientists。 There is no particular order in which the subjects appear in the book。 Each profile was a short as one-half a page or as long as four pages。There are very few distinctive features of one person c This short book offered profiles of those who are creative in their work。 A good variety of people are included。 These include writers， poets， artists， cartoonists， composers， actors， directors， philosophers， politicians， mathematicians， anthropologists， musicians， architects， inventors， and scientists。 There is no particular order in which the subjects appear in the book。 Each profile was a short as one-half a page or as long as four pages。There are very few distinctive features of one person compared with another。 There is a great amount of repetition in many of the profiles。There is an easy flow to the narrative throughout the book。 The author provides excellent citations for the sources of information -- primarily written biographies and personal interviews。 。。。more
Robert
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Inspirierend， aber auch etwas redundant。
Charlotte
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This is a good Sunday book。 A quick read， on a topic near and dear to my heart--how routine can make one's life simpler and provide time to do things that are of interest。 After the first half of the book it began to feel repetitive。 Also， while this is not the author's fault， as he was working with the descriptive material he could obtain， these descriptions didn't provide the very detailed info I wanted about people's routines。 There seem to be two kinds of productive people: a） the ones that This is a good Sunday book。 A quick read， on a topic near and dear to my heart--how routine can make one's life simpler and provide time to do things that are of interest。 After the first half of the book it began to feel repetitive。 Also， while this is not the author's fault， as he was working with the descriptive material he could obtain， these descriptions didn't provide the very detailed info I wanted about people's routines。 There seem to be two kinds of productive people: a） the ones that depend on Benzedrine， methamphetamines， Valium， alcohol and smokes to see them through， and b） the ones who don't。 All equally successful as far as I can tell but the "a" category people tend to die a lot sooner （though not always）。 Here are the notes I took while I was reading it （for my own future reference）:Beethoven thought a cup of coffee should contain exactly 60 beans。 He made his own coffee， and counted out the beans！It's interesting how many of these people start the day with coffee， and then get right to work。 Some walk first。 Many of them remark upon the need to walk to generate ideas。Of course many of them had servants。Trollope （one of my most favorite authors） wrote 3 hours a day， and began his day by reviewing the work of the day before， before starting to work on it again。 If he finished one book， but hadn't spent the requisite 3 hours， he immediately started the next book。 （He must have had a paracosm of these people and was just recording their lives as they "lived" them）。 I think I relate most to Trollope's approach to work （and maybe hope to live that way after I retire）。Many of the people I've read about so far seem to work 3 hours a day intensively。 I imagine the rest of the time they are thinking about it。 I think it would be a good idea for the external work world to move to a 3-5 hour work/school day。Jung & Freud spent many hours seeing patients， so they did most of their writing while on holiday。Mahler had a composing hut （i。e。 a studio）Some people like Mahler， Chopin needed inspiration and struggled to produce; others like Richard Strauss just sat down and cranked out work （like Trollope， too）。Many of these people depended on alcohol and drugs to set the mood。Anne Beattie described herself as a moody and unhappy person。 She didn't have a routine。 She accepted that about herself。Toni Morrison always had a full time job and squeezed in writing in between （and raised a family） but she didn't socialize。 This seems like a good idea to me。Kant thought your character （and thus， your ability to keep to a routine） didn't really form until you were 40。 I'm inclined to agree with that。 In my case， maybe， 50！Picasso and his girlfriend Fernande had an "at home" day so they could put all socializing into one short period。 Philip Larkin drank with and after dinner and then wrote for 2 hours only。 He worked as a librarian his whole life。 Obviously no TV and no internet， and I bet he had a housekeeper。A lot of people hung out in their pajamas for their morning work。 NO THANKS。Joseph Heller daydreamed for a couple of hours a day， after writing in the morning。 Oliver Sacks was inclined to daydream also。-NOTE: this book has very few women， but the author published a second volume which is all women。 It will be interesting to see if they are as dedicated as many of the men to drinking and taking drugs。I note that many people profiled （but not all） were pre-internet and pre-TV people。 I think we'd probably all be better off that way， but then how would I know what you're all reading？？？I definitely think I'm going to up my alcohol intake after reading this book。 。。。more
Justin Rutledge
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