Alexander Graham Bell's Daily Routine
Try ending each day on a question. Alexander Graham Bell worked from 9:30 PM to 4:30 AM, set a problem in his mind, then slept until noon.
By Colin PaceUpdated
Overview
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876 and spent the rest of his life inventing, from flying machines to hydrofoils. He did his best work at night: from about 9:30 PM to 4:30 AM.
He described the routine to Orison Swett Marden for How They Succeeded (1901). He slept from 4:30 AM until noon and ate breakfast at 1:00 PM. Before he slept, he set a problem in his mind to take to bed with him. Once a week the night began with company, at the Wednesday Evenings he hosted, drawn here before work on Wednesdays.
Take this one if you're a true night owl with nobody to answer to at 9:00 AM. You get long, quiet working nights, and a bedtime habit anyone can borrow: end the day on a problem, not a solution. Dinner, the salon's start and the open afternoon are our estimates.
At a glance
- 7 hr 30 min sleep per night
- 49 hr work per week
- 2 meals per day
- 7 hr eating window
- 1.5 hr play per week
Sleep
52.5 hours/week7 hr 30 min per night
- Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun4:30 AM → 12:00 PM· 7 hr 30 min
- Wed4:30 AM → 12:00 PM· 7 hr 30 min
No naps.
Work
49 hours/week7 hr a day
- Research9:30 PM → 4:30 AM· 7 hr · Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun
- Research9:30 PM → 4:30 AM· 7 hr · Wed
Eat
10.5 hours/week2 meals17:7 eating window1 hr 30 min eating
- Breakfast1:00 PM → 1:30 PM· 30 min · Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun
- Dinner7:00 PM → 8:00 PM· 1 hr · Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun
- Breakfast1:00 PM → 1:30 PM· 30 min · Wed
- Dinner7:00 PM → 8:00 PM· 1 hr · Wed
Off
Play
1.5 hours/weekFriends 8:00 PM
Nothing on Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun
- Wed8:00 PM → 9:30 PM· 1 hr 30 min