Overly busy? Plan like Benjamin Franklin

Overly busy? Plan like Benjamin Franklin

Posted by Andy Quayle
August 21, 2009

I stumbled across a text that contains a page on which a day planner for Benjamin Franklin’s day is printed.

It’s really quite interesting.

Benjamin Franklin is known for inventing bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, the urinary catheter and much more.

However, he spent just (‘just’ is relative) 8 hours per day dedicating himself to his work. franklinschedule thumb Overly busy? Plan like Benjamin Franklin

7 hours (between 10 and 4) were to sleep

4 hours for cleaning up and hanging out. “Put things in their places”.

2 hours for reading or accounting.

What I found most intriguing of all are the questions that Mr. Franklin asked himself at the beginning and end of each day. These questions meant so much that they were a part of his daily schedule.

“What Good shall I do today?

“What good have I done today?”

Wouldn’t the World be a better place if some of us asked ourselves that even once in a while?

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Andy was born in the Isle of Man and currently lives in Pittsburgh. Known globally as a willing source for tech news and views, Andy takes great pride in consultation and education. Should his schedule permit, Andy is available to help you with your SEO and Web Analytics needs.

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  • I've been bitter about Ben Franklin since 12th grade literature when I read about his gout, and I'll admit to this point it's the only thing I can think about when he's brought up. But this is such an excellent post that I may have to revisit my earlier attitudes.
  • What was it about his gout that made you bitter?
    (and thanks)
  • My oh so sophisticated 12th grade mind thought the entire piece was, well, "dumb," and analyzing it was a might bit painful. I'm pretty sure I missed a lot about literature back then.
  • Benjamin Franklin had a remarkable impact in so many ways, including his use of time management. A Benjamin Franklin article just received the ‘Top 100 Electricity Blogs’ Award http://bit.ly/z8Ckp
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