Want Greater Focus? Try Beethoven’s 5 Daily Habits

Simple routines—coffee counts, deep work, and long walks—helped Beethoven create timeless music. They could sharpen your life, too.

This late 19th-century engraving illustrates Beethoven's alleged meeting with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna in 1787.ZU_09/Getty Images

In the list of the greatest musical geniuses of all time, the German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven takes a high place, if not the highest. With his innovative and poignant symphonies, sonatas, and quartets, Beethoven played a pivotal role in Western music’s transition from the Classical to the Romantic age.

Not only did Beethoven widen the scope of what was possible in music—he did it while battling against growing deafness, even composing some of his greatest works after his hearing was gone. And he accomplished all this as history’s first freelance composer, unbeholden to any form of court patronage.

Underpinning all this incredible success was a strong sense of discipline and routine. Certainly, Beethoven possessed a level of genius and natural ability that flames forth like a shooting star only rarely, maybe a handful of times, each century. But he refined that raw talent through diligent work. And when genius meets discipline, the results are spectacular—as spectacular as Beethoven’s career.

For those of us who lack the genius of a Beethoven, discipline and routine are even more important for achieving success. Here, then, are five daily practices from Ludwig van Beethoven to consider incorporating into our own daily routines in order to achieve higher levels of effectiveness and success in whatever our calling may be.

"Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven when composing the Missa Solemnis," by Joseph Karl Stieler.Public domain

Rise Early With Ritual

There’s nothing like an early start. Beethoven began his day before dawn, rising at about 6 a.m. most mornings. Part of his morning ritual involved counting out exactly 60 coffee beans for his morning jolt. It’s possible that this meticulous process served as a kind of mental warm-up and creative ritual before he began his work. Certainly, frugality was on his mind as well.

Get to Work Right Away

At about 6:30 a.m., after the customary cup of coffee, Beethoven would sit down at his walnut veneer writing desk and begin composing. Like many people, Beethoven’s most productive hours were at the beginning of the day, and he didn’t let trivialities distract him from his work. Composition took the bulk of the day, lasting until about 2:30 p.m.

Take Strategic Breaks

The composer did take breaks during these working hours. In addition to eating a large meal at noon, often with guests, he had unusual practices to help clear the mind and stimulate new ideas: Beethoven would stand at his washstand and pour pitchers of water over his hands while humming or singing at a loud volume as he meditated on his current project. He’d also take short walks to boost creativity.

Beethoven's handwritten facsimile of Handel's "Variations on a Theme," published in 1885.ZU_09/Getty Images

Exercise Regularly

In addition to these brief saunters to break up the workday, Beethoven would engage in a long and energetic walk in the late afternoon, taking a pencil and music paper with him in case any bolts of inspiration struck him. These excursions could last multiple hours.

Beethoven documented them in his sketchbooks, some of which we still have and which provide us with insight into his daily life. These journals also reveal how meticulously Beethoven would work on a piece of music, sometimes for years, before he felt it was finished. For example, his early work on the Fifth Symphony dates from 1804, yet the final piece wasn’t published until 1808.

Keep Up a Social Life

After putting in dedicated hours of work, exercise, and mental stimulation, Beethoven could relax later in the day through socialization or attending concerts. He would frequent favorite pubs, inns, restaurants, and cafes in the evenings, where he’d talk with friends as he swigged at a beer and pulled at a pipe.

On one of these occasions, the Austrian official Eduard Klosson sketched the great musician leaning back in his chair, a quizzical look on his face, with an enormously long, slender pipe protruding from his mouth.

In winter, Beethoven would more often stay home and read. Unlike many artists and intellectuals, Beethoven didn’t burn the candle at both ends—he’d normally be in bed by 10 p.m.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, contemporary independent musician Mary Spender tried living according to Beethoven’s routine for a period of time. Reflecting on the experience, she noted that “Learning and working more like Beethoven made me realize that there is ultimately nothing but process, so you better start enjoying it. To be creative and constantly improve on yourself, you need discipline and routine. You need to show up and do the work.”

These are wise words not just for creatives but for anyone who wants to achieve great things in their life, whether that be professionally or personally. Success always begins with the daily grind. After all, it’s through grinding away that gems are purified and polished, as Beethoven well knew.