Many Ways
When I was a college freshman, I recall an orientation talk given by our Director of Admissions that was, in part, about how people have a variety of work styles. Some will do their best work late at night. Others will thrive by going to bed early and get rolling at the dawn’s early light. The fellow turned out to be right. Peoples’ work habits are as varied as they are.
Mason Currey has written an intriguing book about the work habits of famous artists. Their work habits are all over the road. Jean Paul Sartre took a lot of amphetamines and drank a lot. Pablo Picasso’s workspace included a pet monkey (named Monina) and a few other animals. Karl Jung built a pretty cool stone house where he could work in relative isolation. Of course, Freud smoked a steady stream of cigars, even after his doctors warned him about that habit. Louis Armstrong’s routine included the use of a fair amount of weed. Maya Angelou did her best writing in hotel rooms.
If you take a glance at social media, there is no shortage of formulaic recommendations about how one should structure one’s workday. Candidly, I think it’s baloney. You have to figure out what works for you. Yes, most of us need a certain amount of food, sleep, some activity and some fun. But the ways to organize how we do it are up to us.
I read once that Warren Buffett chuckled at the idea that—to be successful—one had to get up very early. He doesn’t and has no interest in doing so.
Our Director of Admission’s comments have surprised me in that—for some reason—I still clearly remember them even though I heard his talk 49 years ago. Regardless, it turns out he was spot on.
Happy Weekend!