Napoleon's Productivity Habits for Empire Building

Maintained 16-hour workdays spanning military planning, governance, and correspondence. Integrated work into meals and leisure activities like theater visits.

Used mental 'drawers' to isolate different projects, enabling abrupt task-switching without cognitive interference. Could transition from military strategy to civil engineering within minutes.

Slept in multiple short bursts (3-4 hours nightly), waking to work during nocturnal hours. Maintained mental clarity through segmented rest.

Equipped carriages with writing desks, maps, and document cases for continuous work during travel. Conducted meetings and drafted orders en route.

Consumed meals in 15-minute intervals, favoring simple foods like roast chicken. Avoided elaborate courses to minimize downtime.

Converted recreational activities into work opportunities. Read reports during baths, dictated letters at theaters, and inspected troops during strolls.

Grilled officials on precise statistics - grain prices, battalion counts, road widths. Required numerical answers to three decimal places.

Purposely 'forgot' completed tasks to avoid mental clutter. Discarded documents immediately after processing.

Awoke at 7 AM for tea and urgent correspondence review by fireplace light. Prioritized cold-weather comfort during morning rituals.

Conducted 2-hour morning grooming with scented baths and meticulous shaving. Traveled with personal grooming kit containing 40+ items.

Avoided fixed offices, working from couches, carriages, and camp beds. Preferred informal postures for prolonged mental exertion.

Deliberately erased dismissed ideas to prevent reconsideration. Burned obsolete plans immediately.

Alternated between French, Italian, and broken German when issuing commands. Mixed languages mid-sentence for precision.

Postponed non-urgent tasks systematically. Used pending matters to pressure subordinates into faster resolutions.

Recalled obscure soldier names and battle details publicly. Memorized regiment numbers and supply lists.

Occasionally feigned difficulty reading documents to assess aides' honesty during summaries.

Compiled personal archives of letters and orders. Preserved even trivial notes for historical legacy.

Demanded heated rooms due to cold sensitivity. Positioned desks near fireplaces year-round.

Spoke faster than secretaries could transcribe, forcing them to develop shorthand. Never repeated phrases.

Assigned overlapping responsibilities to ministers. Encouraged inter-departmental competition.

Collected rumors from servants and locals during travels. Cross-referenced gossip with official reports.

Purposely neglected etiquette with foreign dignitaries. Used social discomfort as negotiation leverage.

Used specific scents (eau de cologne) and sounds (Italian opera) to enter focused states. Associated sensory inputs with work modes.

Wrote 80+ letters daily during intense periods. Dictated 12-hour letter chains without breaks.

Switched between intimidation and flattery. Memorized personal details to disarm opponents.

Drafted alternative battle plans for every possible weather condition. Carried multiple uniform types.

Transformed setbacks into propaganda victories. Framed retreats as strategic repositioning.

Occasionally pretended not to understand questions to evade commitments. Used language barriers strategically.

Paced during discussions, throwing objects to emphasize points. Forced participants to match his physical intensity.