Benjamin Franklin was a successful inventor, printer, author, scientist, postmaster, humorist, civic activist, statesman, diplomat, and politician, as well as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
How did he manage to be so productive in achieving so much that mattered him?
His autobiography shows it wasn’t rocket science. And he worked just eight hours a day.
Benjamin Franklin started each day by centring, grounding, and connecting deeply with what was most important to him. This might have included reviewing his purpose, his values, and what it would take for him to have lived a worthwhile life… and he summarised all this into one question:
What good shall I do this day?
Then he focused on what he wanted to achieve that particular day and worked on it for four hours.
He took two full hours for lunch, then reflected and refocused, then worked for another four hours.
And at the end of each day made time for creativity and conversation. Before bed he made sure he reviewed what had gone well that day. This developed the “attitude of serendipity” that would help him achieve more the next day.
All these things are recommended as part of Inner Leadership. The only thing we might suggest adding is a daily routine of meditation and exercise.
Franklin’s daily schedule would then become:
- Seven to 30 minutes of mediation and/or exercise
- A healthy breakfast
- Review your purpose, values, and what it is going to take for you to have lived a worthwhile life
- Pick three wins for the day and block your calendar — start times and end times
- Break properly for lunch, then repeat the process: remind yourself of your overall goals before engaging with the afternoon
- Each evening, do something creative
- Finish each day with five minutes’ reflection on what went well today
Do you achieve as much as you want to each day? Is there anything you can learn from Benjamin Franklin?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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Benjamin Franklin image source: Wikipedia