Everyday and repetitive things that, in fact, make up a large part of our lives. How do they affect us? Do the habits you develop in your daily routine help you become better and more successful? It turns out yes, and even very much! Here are examples of several famous people and their habits, after studying which the formula for the success of these people will become clear.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer and virtuoso musician.
In his youth, the famous composer had to make a lot of efforts to earn his living. He gave a huge number of piano lessons, took part in almost all available concerts, and constantly traveled around Vienna in search of new work.
However, despite such an intense rhythm of life, Mozart adhered to one habit that eventually led him to success. Returning home around 11 p.m., he wrote music before allowing himself to collapse into bed, exhausted. And it usually happened not earlier than one in the morning. The composer got up early, at six in the morning.
Ernest Hemingway, American writer
Hemingway was a man of passions, but at the same time, he was demanding of his work. He woke up at first light, even when he had been drinking most of the previous night, and spent the quiet hours of the morning writing down everything that came into his head by hand. He sat down at the typewriter only when the work went well.
After the flow of thoughts dried up, Hemingway always counted how many words he wrote in a day. And only after counting all the words, he considered himself free from all the “hardships of a writer’s life” and, with a clear conscience, abandoned work until the next day.
Charles Darwin, naturalist and traveler, author of the theory of evolution
His theory of evolution was too radical for its time and could shake the prim Victorian society to its foundations. To strengthen his position in society and increase scientific authority, Darwin chose an interesting tactic.
He waited as long as 17 years, all this time gradually consolidating his position in the scientific community. He established himself as a well-known expert on shellfish, received a medal from the Royal Society of London for a three-volume scientific work. As a result of such severe restrictions, the scientist acquired an impeccable reputation as a person about whom no one could say anything reprehensible. And then he decided to present his theory of evolution to the world.
Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor
Closing himself in his studio at about two o’clock in the afternoon, Picasso could work at least until dusk. His family and friends were left to their own devices until dinner. But even then, the artist who left the workshop rarely exchanged even a word with them. There were days when he could not say a word, except when someone from the company forced him to. Picasso was known as an unsociable person.
If it were not for the attempts of those around him to introduce him to social life, he could have stood at the easel for many hours without getting tired and not looking up. Once tuned in to the right wave, he tried his best to stay focused as long as possible, no matter what the circumstances.
Charles Dickens, English writer
Throughout his life, Dickens’ daily routine remained the same: early rise, breakfast, a little work until it was time for lunch with his family, at which he was only physically present, thoughts were far away. Then again work until two o’clock, and finally a long-awaited three-hour walk in order to refresh the mind. Dickens was very fond of such sorties and during them he always looked for inspiring things that would give him food for thought. Returning home, he was full of energy, she just burst him from the inside. After the walk, he waited with a vengeance for the next working day to think it over and transfer his impressions to paper.
Herman Melville, American writer
During the writing of Moby Dick, Melville devoted eight hours a day to work. To get a little distraction, the writer had to find some extraneous activity, not related to the main activity. After moving to Berkshire, Massachusetts, he suddenly found the perfect solution: farming.
Every morning Melville went out to feed the cattle and take care of the farming business. It made him feel alive. After a full day of hard work on a novel, he put it out of his mind and returned to the field and the animals again. He abstracted from “Moby Dick” and greedily absorbed everything that was happening around. Before going to bed, he skimmed through the day’s writing once more.
Mark Twain, American writer
Every summer Mark Twain went to a farm in upstate New York and lived there according to a certain routine. He had a hearty breakfast and then locked himself in a specially equipped office in order to write. Here he remained alone with his thoughts until dinner. No lunch, no breaks, no excuses—nothing was to get in his way.
After working time was up, the writer had dinner and read aloud to his family what he had written during the day. Adhering to just such a routine, Twain created most of his works.
Stephen King, American writer
Already the author of an impressive number of books, King continues to write every day, whether it’s a holiday, a weekend, or his birthday. Under no circumstances will he miss a day without writing exactly two thousand words. King starts at 8 or 9 in the morning and, on particularly successful days, finishes by noon. But this rarely happens, and usually the working day lasts much longer.
On free evenings, Stephen King relaxes by watching Red Sox games, answering accumulated letters or going for a walk. He does it with a pure heart, without fear of wasting precious time.
