Ian Fleming, the creator of the legendary James Bond, had a daily routine that was a recipe for success.
How he set up his days are a testament to the power of focus and determination, allowing him to enter a super-productive flow state.
Inside a day in the life of Ian Fleming
Key takeaways
- Writing was Fleming's vocation, and he was highly focused during his four work hours daily.
- A single-minded focus on a specific task for three hours in a row helped him enter a flow state where he was highly productive and creative.
- Not deviating from a strict routine, with few exceptions, led to success.
- This routine was a safeguard against abandoning a project when felting uninspired.
Mornings
Kenneth Lange studied the habits of this successful novelist down to a T and wrote about them in his blog.
He started his day by swimming in the Caribbean Sea and breakfasting with Ann. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and black coffee as he insisted tea "tasted like mud" and was the reason behind the "decline of the British Empire."
This set him up for his day of writing the novels, which became best-sellers and incredibly successful big-screen movies.
At 9 a.m., he would kiss Ann, leave the breakfast table, and enter the main living room in "Goldeneye." He would close the louvered windows to create a calm and shady space with a hint of a tropical breeze. Then he would take out his old Imperial portable typewriter and type for the next three hours.
By 6:30, he was ready for his first drink of the day and to enjoy the evening without worrying about his work.
Afternoons
At noon, Fleming would stop writing and head outside to the warm Jamaican sun with Ann, and they would sunbathe and swim before lunch. A post-lunch sleep of an hour or two would rest his mind and give him the fortitude to continue.
Around 5 p.m., he would be ready to continue his work at his trusty typewriter, reading through what he had previously written and making the necessary corrections. When he finished, his habit was to place the typed sheets in a drawer and call it a day.
Evenings
By 6:30 p.m., he was ready for his first drink of the day, then dinner, and enjoyed the rest of the evening with Ann.
