Sigmund Freud's Daily Routine
For people whose days belong to other people. Sigmund Freud's daily routine saved his own writing for after 10:30 PM.
By Colin PaceUpdated
Overview
Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis and wrote The Interpretation of Dreams. His daily routine gave nearly all its hours to patients, so his own writing waited until the end of the day.
He saw patients from 8:00 AM until noon, ate his main meal in concentrated silence, then walked the Ringstrasse at terrific speed, buying cigars on the way. More patients followed until late evening. After supper and cards he went to his study at 10:30 PM to read, write and edit the psychoanalytic journals until 1:00 AM, as Meaning Ring's notes on the book retell it.
It's for anyone whose days belong to clients or an employer and whose own work lives at the edges. It also suits people who feel their real work never gets a turn.
You get a hard stop for a fast walk in the middle of the day and a protected late block for your own work. Try 1 hour, not 2.5, and take real holidays, as he took 3 months every summer. The chart leaves the summer holidays out.
Who's it for
At a glance
- 6 hr sleep per night
- 87.5 hr work per week
- 3 meals per day
- 16 hr eating window
- 7 hr movement per week
- 7 hr play per week