10 important productivity lessons from Benjamin Franklin's daily schedule
-- thread -- [2 min read]
1/ Keep it simple
There are only six-time blocks scheduled for each day, and
one of these blocks includes sleep — an obvious necessity.
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2/ Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
One of Franklin’s most popular mantras was
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,”
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3/ Spend quiet time alone
Shortly after waking up,
Franklin would take a shower and then “address Powerful Goodness.”
In other words, he’d spend some time in prayer or meditation.
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4/ Set your intention and plan for the day
Each morning, before going to work,
Franklin would set his intention for an important question:
"What good shall I do this day?"
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5/ Dedicate time to learning
In Franklin’s daily schedule,
he’d spend time on an independent personal project separate from work.
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6/ Create time blocks for deep and shallow work
To plan his day, Franklin created time blocks to manage his time effectively
and protect his day from unexpected interruptions.
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7/ Put things back in order after work
Franklin always cleaned his desk after long hours of work
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8/ Schedule downtime
After work each day, Franklin would clean up his workspace, eat dinner, and
spend the rest of the evening relaxing:
listening to music and catching up with his friends.
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9/ Reflect on your day in the evenings
Just before going to bed, Franklin would reflect on his day and
ask himself an important question:
What good have I done today?
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10/ Don’t aim for perfection
“He was not naturally inclined to keep his papers and
other possessions organized, and
he found the effort so vexing that he almost quit in frustration.
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Even though it was created over 300 years ago,
it contains timeless principles that will help you to stay focused on your most important tasks.
Tweak and experiment with Franklin’s daily schedule to find what works best for you
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📖 TLDR; Summary
- Keep it simple
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time.
- Spend quiet time alone.
- Plan ahead.
- Dedicate time to learn.
- Create time blocks.
- Put things back in order after work.
- Schedule downtime.
- Reflect on your day.
- Don't seek perfection.
Thanks for reading. I hope it's worth your time.
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