What’s the Orange Part of Your Day?

What does your daily routine say about you?

Check out this chart showing the different daily routines of some of the world’s most creative people. You’ll have to click on it to see a version large enough to read, but even at quick glance you can see how different types of creative people allot their time.

White = Sleep
Green = Primary Work
Orange = Social & Meals
Blue = Exercise

I was looking at this chart because I’m working on my next Hunt for Jack Reacher thriller, and I’ve been thinking about the job FBI Special Agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar are tasked with, and the different approaches the two partners take. Gaspar is often totally laid back, and Otto is sharp, quick, and on her toes. Though they aren’t composers or writers like the people in the chart, their work is definitely creative. They’re problem solvers. Kim Otto is a lateral thinker, often at odds with the linear thinking Gaspar.

Some observations:

• Would you look at how many of the people in this chart include coffee as an activity in their day? Honore de Balzac drank as many as 50 cups of black coffee per day. Hey, that’s my kinda guy.
• Gaspar is a constant nap taker, like quite a few of these creative types.
• I blogged recently about reasons to walk, and these folks seem to agree it’s a good idea. Charles Darwin typically took three walks every day.
• I’m wondering what the orange portion of Otto and Gaspar’s charts would be. Orange signifies “Social & Meals” time. Is this something you make time for? When I’m very busy writing, or up against an important deadline, orange often gets pushed to last place. But maybe that’s a mistake. What do you think?

Stay tuned– next week I’ll share some of my research about thinking styles that lead to Gaspar asking Otto questions like this:

“Are you sure you don’t have kids? That’s the kind of logic I get from my teenagers.”

–Don’t Know Jack by Diane Capri

Don’t forget to leave a comment (if you’re seeing this in email, push the RED COMMENT button first) and let me know what the Orange part of your day is. Is “Social and Meals” something you set aside time for daily?