4. Immanuel Kant was obsessive about many things, not least his daily routine, and his neighbors used to set their clocks by the philosopher
In retrospect, Immanuel Kant may well have suffered from numerous obsessions, but his undoubtedly strange habits certainly worked for him. Above all, Kant was obsessed with sleep. He firmly believed that he should get up before dawn. To help him achieve this, in 1762, he employed an ex-soldier called Martin Lampe to wake him each morning. Lampe was even under strict orders to use force if necessary. The former military man worked for Kant for 40 years, during which time the philosopher boasted that he had never even got up more than 30 minutes after dawn.
Kant was as obsessed about the rest of his daily routine as he was about his sleeping habits. For instance, he liked to smoke, but only permitted himself a single pipe, and this was to be enjoyed right after he got out of bed. After that, he would work for four hours straight – no more, no less. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around while thinking. Again, he was so obsessive compulsive that Kant’s neighbors would quite literally set their watch by him when he walked past at the exact same time each and every day.