Friedrich Nietzsche died at the age of 55 and left behind more than 20 philosophical scientific works. Karl Marx died when he was 64, his legacy is about 7 monumental works. Immanuel Kant lived for 79 years, only his main philosophical ideas make up 8 volumes.

And now the question is: what do you think the daily routine these thinkers followed? What helped them to work day in and day out? And how did you manage to leave such an impressive spiritual legacy?

You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche was a philologist by education – he studied first at Bonn, and then at Leipzig and Basel Universities. However, there are few philologists who know Nietzsche, but the whole world is familiar with Nietzsche the philosopher. It was he who developed the idea of the "Superman". Superman is a new round of evolution. He should surpass an ordinary person as much as the latter surpassed a monkey. He is an egocentric, in love with life. He is a creator whose fate depends only on his will.

Was Nietzsche such a "superman"? Not at all. He was in very poor health. He lived in the Swiss Alps and led a fairly simple, if not ascetic life.

Like many successful people, Nietzsche was very sensitive to the morning. Here is what his biographer Curtis Cate writes about this:

With a spartan rigor that never ceased to amaze his grocer landlord, Nietzsche got up every morning at dawn, when the sky was just beginning to twitch gray. He washed his face with cold water, drank warm milk and, if he did not feel a headache or nausea, worked without stopping until 11 o'clock in the morning.

Today, we would call such concentrated work a state of flow. After that, Nietzsche would go for a two-hour walk in the forest or to a nearby lake. His constant "companion" at the same time was a notebook – wise thoughts often come to mind in the fresh air.

Then Nietzsche returned, dined alone (as a rule, it was steak and fruit) and went for a walk again. And again with him – a notebook and a pencil. Returning home around 5 pm, the philosopher had dinner (biscuit and tea) and sat down to work again. Nietzsche again plunged into a state of flow, until finally, at 23 o'clock, he went to bed.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx is an economist, philosopher and writer who created the theories of "surplus value" and "class struggle". From 1849 he lived in London and followed, like Nietzsche, a very sedate, albeit slightly more free, lifestyle.

The historian and thinker Isaiah Berlin wrote about Marx's routine:

Marx's regime included a daily visit to the reading room of the British Museum, where he went at 9 am and where he stayed until closing time (7 pm). This was followed by long hours of night work, accompanied by continuous smoking. The addiction greatly affected his health, the disease prevented him from working, exhausted and irritated him.

Immanuel kant

Kant is an outstanding German philosopher of the XVIII century. His "Critique of Pure Reason" is considered a fundamental philosophical work and the main work of the thinker. To keep his mind clear, Kant followed a strict daily routine.

As you know, Kant liked to sleep, but did not allow himself to deviate from the accepted schedule. He woke up at 4:45 and was proud that he never got up even half an hour later, despite the fact that getting up early in the morning was very difficult for him.

After rising, Kant drank one or two cups of weak tea and smoked a pipe. For him, smoking was akin to meditation. At the same time, the philosopher strictly determined that there is only one "meditation" per day. However, contemporaries recalled that over the years the size of his smoking pipe became larger.

After the morning "relaxation", Kant wrote lectures and worked on his books until 7 am. From 7 to 11 he taught. Then I had lunch and went for a walk. But unlike Nietzsche, he preferred to walk not alone, but with a friend. Upon returning home, Kant resumed his work and read a lot.

As you can see, the everyday lives of the great philosophers were not very diverse. But each of them worked out an optimal daily routine for himself and strictly followed it. This is what allowed them to work fruitfully.

And what kind of regime do you follow?