Ben Franklin is typically associated with the Declaration of

Independence, bifocals, and the spirit of invention. His

name doesn’t generally bring to mind “management guru”, but

Justin Fox, an editor of Fortune magazine posits that the

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a self-help guide for

management. In his article “What Ben Franklin Can Teach

Execs”, Fox offers insightful observations about how this

historical figure’s life story is full of lessons for

modern-day managers.

As the owner of a printing shop and publisher of a

newspaper, Franklin was a businessman who, like most of us,

struggled with time-management and order. To combat this

problem, he devised a plan to set a daily schedule with

goals and tasks assigned in hourly segments of each day. At

the end of the day, he asked himself “What good have I done

today?” As Fox astutely observes, Franklin’s approach is no

different than the best practices that should guide modern

management activities.

“This emphasis on setting goals for the day ahead and taking

stock afterward remains a staple of time-management advice.

(At least, so I’m told.) There’s clearly something to it: I

know that I’m far more likely to accomplish something when I

have a well-defined to-do list for the day. But in a work

world where conflicting, competing priorities are the norm,

it’s really hard to stick to such a list… This is perhaps

the most appealing aspect of Franklin’s time-management

advice: He was an admitted failure at it, and yet that was…

okay. Which is just about the most inspirational message

conceivable.”

http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/08/magazines/fortune/plug

gedin_fortune/index.htm

Whether or not you succeed in checking each task off of your

daily list, you will be more productive and more focused

simply by having such a list. Set goals, then determine

which assignments are necessary to achieve your goals. Each

assignment should be given a deadline that is reasonable yet

ambitious. A sense of urgency is better than the feeling

that one has plenty of time to “slack off”. At the end of

the day, you will have a great sense of satisfaction at how

much you were able to accomplish, and be better able to

assess what you need to do tomorrow.