How much time per day to mathematicians usually spend working?

Question

I was reading Poincare's wikipedia page and I noticed that Poincare only did 4 hours of hard mathematical research a day, preferring to let his subconscious have the rest of the time to attack the problems. Is this true for other mathematicians and physicists as well?

Answer 1

From a biographical note on the great G.H. Hardy

In fact for most of his life his day, at least during the cricket season, would consist of breakfast during which he read The Times studying the cricket scores with great interest. After breakfast he would work on his own mathematical researches from 9 o'clock till 1 o'clock. Then, after a light lunch, he would walk down to the university cricket ground to watch a game. In the late afternoon he would walk slowly back to his rooms in College. There he took dinner, which he followed with a glass of wine. When cricket was not in season, it was the Australian cricket scores he would read in The Times and he would play real tennis in the afternoons.

By the way, that's real tennis as in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_tennis

Answer 2

As answers and comments indicate, probably some four hours a day. The rest of the typical 9 to 5 day teaching and doing random administrative tasks, on evenings and weekends sometimes grading.

Answer 3

Success is all about hard work. Mathematicians usually don't maintain a routine like a football player or a businessman. They found their work more interesting than any other works. This interest or passion made them obsessed to their research and personal inquiry including calculations. Sometimes they work more than regular schedule. Sometimes they take leisure.