Title Daily Rituals

Author Mason Currey

Year Published 2013

Kind of Book Productivity/History

How strongly I recommend it 9/10 

My Impressions This book documents how dozens of the great artists, writers, and scientists spent their days. The book offers the reader chances to see patterns across the master's daily routines as well as idiosyncrasies. Instead of asking today's top performers what their morning routines look like, this book aims to document what the masters and geniuses of history did. I found it very interesting and informative.

Date Read Dec 2019

Practical Takeaways

  • Discipline time: decide what you want or ought to do during the day, then always do it at exactly the same moment every day-W.H. Auden

  • Make your workplace messy and chaotic -Francis Bacon

  • Dreamily explore your penis while you think/write-Thomas Wolfe

  • Make the act of writing as pleasurable as possible-Patricia Highsmith

  • After you write a little bit stop and then copy it (while you copy it you're thinking about it and will get other ideas)-John Cage

  • Waste little time in the morning before getting to work-Ludwig van Beethoven

  • Take long baths to aid your creativity-Ludwig van Beethoven

  • Write in the morning, take along walk at noon, then write again-Soren Kierkegaard

  • Sit in your chamber without any clothes on for half and hour to an hour reading or writing-Benjamin Franklin

  • Begin your writing session by reading the work of the day before-Anthony Trollope

  • Write until your three hours is up (even if you finish a novel, begin a new one)-Anthony Trollope

  • Don't write on a full stomach-Gustave Flaubert

  • Reward yourself with something after you've done your days work of writing (eg. Cigar)-Thomas Mann

  • Have lunch after writing and read philosophy-Richard Strauss

  • Write outdoors-Gertrude Stein

  • Write a half hour a day-Gertrude Stein

  • Don't drain the reservoir. Get up from the type writer while you still have things to say-Henry Miller

  • Take a cold bath in the morning-Benjamin Britten

  • Take a hot bath in the evening-Benjamin Britten

  • Don't read in the morning before writing!-Gunter Grass

  • When you're procrastinating say "Come on ___(your name)__, sit down at that typewriter"-Ann Beattie

  • Listen to music in the evening-Haruki Murakami

  • Have a TV or radio playing in the background while you work-Chuck Close

  • Sneak away to the country to work on a computer that is not connected to the internet-Francine Prose

  • Watch a movie at the end of the day-John Adams

  • Have a daily routine that feels new. It doesn't matter so much what it is-Nicholson Baker

  • Bounce out of bed with as much vivacity as if a pretty girl, amorous and willing, were waiting for you-James Boswell

  • Do exercise in the morning-Igor Stravinsky

  • If you feel blocked execute a brief headstand-Igor Stravinsky

  • Designate Sunday's as at-home days-Gertrude Stein

  • Designate Sunday's as at-home days-Pablo Picasso

  • Set yourself a daily requirement of one thousand to one thousand five hundred words-Somerset Maugham

  • Make your writing desk face a blank wall, not a view-Somerset Maugham

  • Get laid each night after writing-John Cheever

  • Write in your boxers-John Cheever

  • Write for at least 2hrs a day whether you feel like it or not-W.B. Yeats

  • Write for 2hrs every day-Martin Amis

  • Take extra showers (to spur creativity) Stand there with steaming hot water coming down for 30-40 minutes to think-Woody Allen

  • Go outside on the street (to spur creativity)-Woody Allen

  • Go into another room (to spur creativity)-Woody Allen

  • Write in hotel or motel rooms-Maya Angelou

  • Don't invite comments from anyone but your editor when you're writing-Maya Angelou

  • Iron (to spur creativity)-George Balanchine

  • Reserve evenings for theatergoing and socializing-Al Hirschfeld

  • Lie down to think-Truman Capote

  • Make life as simple as you can make it-Philip Larkin

  • Only compose for 2hrs a day (after that you're just spinning around in circles)-Philip Larkin

  • Make love to your wife 2-3 times a day-Frank Lloyd Wright

  • Always keep in training-George Gershwin

  • Write for 2-3hrs in the morning and 2-3hrs after lunch-Joseph Heller

  • Go to the gym before lunch after writing-Joseph Heller

  • Practice an hour a day ("the best playing I do is when I haven't touched the instrument for a month")-Glenn Gould

  • Fast on recording day to make the mind sharper-Glenn Gould

  • Set aside a certain number of hours each day to write-Flannery O'Connor

  • Read a lot of theology to make your writing bolder-Flannery O'Connor

  • Be regular and orderly in your life like a Bourgeois so that you may be violent and original in your work-Flaubert

  • Be able to sit still as a writer-Phillip Roth

  • Do a series of calisthenic exercises in the morning-P.G. Wodehouse

  • Read a "breakfast book" ie a light, humorous book in the morning with breakfast-P.G. Wodehouse

  • Do the first draft in long-hand in pencil then sit at the typewriter and polish as you type-P.G. Wodehouse

  • Sing before bed-Thomas Hobbes

  • Don't force anything when writing "it is better to fritter away one's unproductive days and hours, or sleep through them, than to try at such times to write something which will give one no satisfaction later on"-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  • Don’t fail to recognize time as your greatest asset-Friedrich Schiller

  • Use your time conscientiously-Friedrich Schiller

  • Nibble on chunks of chocolate at your desk-George Sand

  • Be in total possession of yourself when you write ie. No drugs or alcohol-George Sand

  • Orgies of work followed by orgies of relaxation and pleasure-Honore de Balzac

  • Take a bath in icy water in the morning-Victor Hugo

  • Write standing-Victor Hugo

  • Face your writing desk towards a mirror-Victor Hugo

  • Do strenuous exercise on the beach-Victor Hugo

  • Place your desk in front of a window-Charles Dickens

  • Stick to your writing hours without fail (whether you write something or not)-Charles Dickens

  • Take a long 3hr walk at 2pm though the countryside or streets of London-Charles Dickens

  • Spend the evenings with friends and families-Charles Dickens

  • Go for a short walk in the morning before breakfast-Charles Darwin

  • After doing your 90minutes of work for the day remark "I've done a good day's work" (10:30am)-Charles Darwin

  • Take a long walk with your dog after you finish your writing for the day-Charles Darwin

  • Take a half hour walk around 4pm-Charles Darwin

  • Read a novel in the evening-Charles Darwin

  • Religiously seclude yourself every morning-Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Write every day without fail A: not so much for the success of the work, as in order not to get out of my routine-Leo Tolstoy

  • Play the piano before bed-Leo Tolstoy

  • Before setting about the pleasant task, always hastened to get ride of the unpleasant//Grannies rule-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Work from 5pm-7pm-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Watch the sun come up-Geogia O'Keefe

  • Practice 2hrs a day to stay in top form (after lunch)-Sergey Rachmaninoff

  • Compose your first draft in pencil on ruled index cards and store them in long file boxes-Vladimir Nabokov

  • Start the day standing to write at a lectern, then sit at a comfortable chair when you get tired, then lay down when you get tired-Vladimir Nabokov

  • Breakfast, enthroned meditation, and bath -in that order-Vladimir Nabokov

  • Work til lunch (after morning routine)-Vladimir Nabokov

  • No work after dinner-Vladimir Nabokov

  • Say a prayer before painting-Balthus

  • Meditate in front of your painting-Balthus

  • Have a traditional tea service with your with at 4:30 or 5pm-Balthus

  • Do 45minutes of calisthenics upon waking-Le Corbusier

  • Set a goal for each day and stick to it-Edmund Wilson

  • Refuse to spend time writing about things you don't care about-Edmund Wilson

  • Put the creative project first (before everything else)-John Updike

  • Never wait until you are inspired to work-John Updike

  • Work for 2 1/2 to 3hrs a day-Willa Cather

  • Make your work an adventure every day-Willa Cather

  • When not working, shut work from your mind-Willa Cather

  • Get your writing done in the morning so you can spend your afternoons and evenings however you want-George Orwell

  • Write whenever and wherever you feel like it-Jerzy Kosinski

  • Do your work even on vacations-Isaac Asimov

  • Swim at the start of the day-Oliver Sacks

  • Use an electric kettle to make tea-Oliver Sacks

  • Write at a standing desk-Oliver Sacks

  • Keep a dream notebook by your bed-Oliver Sacks

  • Watch TV or a movie in the evenings-Annie Rice

  • Avoid social engagements and other outside engagements to stick to your writing schedule-Anne Rice

  • Finish your songs-Jason Pennock

  • Only make a routine for yourself if the writing isn't going well or isn't happening naturally-David Foster Wallace

  • Have a private place to write where you can dream-Stephen King

  • Schedule in your writing time at the same time every day to make yourself ready to dream -Stephen King

  • just as you make yourself ready to sleep by going to bed at the same time each night

  • Don't write when you don't feel like writing-Marilynne Robinson

  • Simply get up in the morning and go to work-Saul Bellow

  • Do 30 push-ups after you write before lunch-Saul Bellow

  • Don't wait around for an idea to occur. Find the idea-Gerhard Richter

  • Go to a café to listen to the buzz of conversation if you get bored while writing-Maira Kalman

  • Hand a 'Do no Disturb' sign over your door when you're working-Georges Simenon

  • Have sex every day-Georges Simenon

  • Sleep with many different woman to understand them and be able to write about them-Georges Simenon

  • Make time to write don't steal it-Bernard Malamud

  • Exercise for 10minutes upon waking-Bernard Malamud

  • Read nonfiction connected to the story you're writing-Bernard Malamud

Nap

  • Take a short nap after writing-Bernard Malamud

  • Take a 1hr nap after lunch-Georges Simenon

  • Nap in the afternoon-Stephen King

  • Have a nap and cup of tea at 1:30pm-Albert Einstein

  • Take a long nap in the afternoon-Franz Liszt

  • Take catnaps throughout the day as needed-Buckminster Fuller

  • Take a half hour nap in the afternoon-Thomas Hobbes

  • Take a small nap after lunch-Henri Matisse

  • Take 5minute naps-Joan Miro

  • Nap every afternoon from 2-3pm-William James

Walk

  • Walk after lunch-Sergey Rachmaninoff

  • Go for a long walk before lunch-Georges Simenon

  • Take a walk for inspiration-Maira Kalman

  • Go for a long walk after lunch regardless of the weather-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Take long walks in the countryside-Franz Schubert

  • Take a walk before dinner-Georges Simenon

  • Take walks in Central Park-Willa Cather

  • Take a two hour walk after lunch-Victor Hugo

  • Go for a 2hr walk every day-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Walk around the block during your lunch break-Oliver Sacks

  • Take a morning walk and meditate as you walk-Thomas Hobbes

  • Hike 15miles a day-Vladimir Nabokov

  • Take walks to aid your creativity-Ludwig van Beethoven

  • Take a walk before dinner-Leo Tolstoy

  • Take a half hour walk in the morning-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Go for a walk after dinner-Sigmund Freud

  • Take a long walk at 3:30pm-Immanuel Kant

  • Go out for walks-Woody Allen

  • After lunch Take a 3-4hr long walk along the shore *opt with your partner-Gustav Mahler

  • Go on an hour long walk at lunch-Wallace Stevens

  • Take a late afternoon walk-George Gershwin

  • Take an hour long walk alone-Franz Kafka

  • Go for a walk after lunch-Benjamin Britten

  • Take long walks-William Faulkner

  • Take a long walk across the same landscape every day-Erik Satie

  • Three hours in the morning, three hours in the evening. That is my only rule.-Jean-Paul Sartre

Read in the evening

  • Read in the evenings-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Read at night-Saul Bellow

  • Read for 3hrs in the evening-Bernard Malamud

  • Read in the evenings-Oliver Sacks

  • Read before bed-Leo Tolstoy

  • Read in the evening-Vladimir Nabokov

  • End the day with a few quite hours of reading-Twyla Tharp

  • Read in the afternoon around 4pm-Thomas Mann

  • Read before bed-Immanuel Kant

  • Read from midnight to 2am-Al Hirschfeld

  • Read in the evenings-Phillip Roth

  • Read for a half hour before bed-Richard Strauss

  • Read after dinner-P.G. Wodehouse

  • Read a little bit in the evening-Benjamin Britten

  • Read in the evening-Haruki Murakami

  • Read in the evenings-Joyce Carol Oates

  • Read a book at the end of the day-John Adams

Take Sunday's Off

  • Don't work on Sundays-John Updike

  • On Sundays skip work to relax with your wife, children, read and daydream-Mark Twain

Write in the morning

  • Compose from 6am to 11am then your day is over-Morton Feldman

  • Write from 6:30am-9:30am-Georges Simenon

  • Work from 6:30am-10am-Richard Wright

  • Work between 7am - 11:30am-W.H. Auden

  • Write from 7am-1pm-Simone de Beauvoir

  • Work from 7am-2pm-Maya Angelou

  • Work from 8am-12pm-John Cheever

  • Write from 8am-1pm-Joyce Carol Oates

  • Write from 9am-10:15am-Graham Greene

  • Write between 9am-12pm-Thomas Mann

  • Work from 9am-12pm-Henri Matisse

  • Write from 9am-12pm-Ingmar Bergman

  • Compose from 9am-12:30pm-Sergey Rachmaninoff

  • Work from 9am-1pm-Igor Stravinsky

  • Compose from 9am until lunchtime-Benjamin Britten

  • Rise at 7am breakfast at 8am start work at 9am-Charles Dickens

  • Settle down to write at 9am-P.G. Wodehouse

  • Work from 9:30am-12pm-Pyotr Llich Tchaikovsky

  • Compose from 10am-1pm-Richard Strauss

  • Write from 11am-1pm-Martin Amis

  • Do 90minutes of focused work after breakfast-Charles Darwin

  • Wrap up your morning work by noon-Somerset Maugham

  • Break off writing at noon-Saul Bellow

  • Work for three hours in the morning, break for lunch, work for three more hours-Chuck Close

  • Set aside two hours in the morning for concentrated writing-Carl Jung

  • Write from breakfast to lunch, take a nap, writing again through the afternoon sometimes into the evening-Henry Miller

  • Write for 2-3hrs in the morning-Henry Miller

  • Work in the morning-Haruki Murakami

Big Ideas

  • There is no one right way to create a masterpiece

  • We can procrastinate by doing just about anything to get out of writing

  • Writing, like drinking is an easy habit to form and a difficult one to break-Somerset Maugham

  • People are sometimes jealous of their partner's work (ie. They wish they would pay as much attention to them as they did their work)

Surprising Facts

  • James Joyce taught piano lessons and English to pay the bills

  • Frank Lloyd Wright at 85 years old would still make love to his wife 2-3times a day

  • James Joyce :"I calculate that I must have spent nearly 20,000 hours in writing Ulysses"-

  • Thomas Hobbes would sing before bed

  • Beethoven would take long baths pouring pitchers of water over his head to aid creativity

  • Woody Allen would take 40 minutes showers to spur creativity

  • Victor Hugo would take ice baths in the morning and do vigorous exercise on the beach

  • Jean-Paul Sartre would go on three hour walks in the morning and at night

  • Henry David Thoreau would take a four hour walk every day