Pablo Picasso's Daily Routine
Make a night-owl body clock work for you. Pablo Picasso slept late, saw friends until 3:00 PM, then painted until 2:30 AM with a break for dinner.
By Colin PaceUpdated
Overview
Pablo Picasso co-founded Cubism with Georges Braque, painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Guernica, and is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. All his life he went to bed late and got up late.
Mason Currey's Daily Rituals finds him in the Bateau-Lavoir years with Fernande Olivier, painting until at least dusk and often silent at dinner. Hours at the canvas never tired him, he said, because he left his body outside the door. Podio's 2014 chart fills out the day: up at 11:00 AM, friends until 3:00 PM, painting until 10:30 PM, dinner, then painting from 11:30 PM to 2:30 AM.
Adopt it if your energy peaks after dark and you would rather see people before work than after. You get a free late morning, about 10.5 hours of painting in 2 stretches and a dinner break between them. The 11:00 AM rise and the night session are estimates from later accounts, and Currey starts the painting at 2:00 PM, not 3:00 PM.
Who's it for
At a glance
- 8 hr 30 min sleep per night
- 73.5 hr work per week
- 1 meal per day
- 28 hr play per week
Sleep
59.5 hours/week8 hr 30 min per night
- Every day2:30 AM → 11:00 AM· 8 hr 30 min
No naps.
Work
73.5 hours/week10 hr 30 min a day
- Creative work3:00 PM → 10:30 PM· 7 hr 30 min · Every day
- Creative work11:30 PM → 2:30 AM· 3 hr · Every day
Eat
7 hours/week1 meal23:1 eating window1 hr eating
- Dinner10:30 PM → 11:30 PM· 1 hr · Every day
Off
Play
28 hours/weekFriends 11:00 AM
- Every day11:00 AM → 3:00 PM· 4 hr