Comments on: Benjamin Franklin: the grandfather of personal productivity? http://www.academicproductivity.com/2009/benjamin-franklin-the-grandfather-of-personal-productivity/ A survival guide for the 21st century researcher Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:37:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Probate Guy http://www.academicproductivity.com/2009/benjamin-franklin-the-grandfather-of-personal-productivity/comment-page-1/#comment-143680 Probate Guy Fri, 11 Nov 2011 06:36:50 +0000 http://www.academicproductivity.com/?p=1272#comment-143680 Thanks for sharing this post. You gave me some great ideas for managing my time with work and family. I am going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing this post.

You gave me some great ideas for managing my time with work and family. I am going to give it a try.

]]> By: Samantha http://www.academicproductivity.com/2009/benjamin-franklin-the-grandfather-of-personal-productivity/comment-page-1/#comment-140741 Samantha Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:35:43 +0000 http://www.academicproductivity.com/?p=1272#comment-140741 Benjamin Franklin was an amazing man. In addition to his scientific and social achievements he was also a huge proponent of self development. Here he was doing time management hundreds of years before corporate executives made it popular. Benjamin Franklin was an amazing man. In addition to his scientific and social achievements he was also a huge proponent of self development. Here he was doing time management hundreds of years before corporate executives made it popular.

]]> By: Paul http://www.academicproductivity.com/2009/benjamin-franklin-the-grandfather-of-personal-productivity/comment-page-1/#comment-139580 Paul Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:36:45 +0000 http://www.academicproductivity.com/?p=1272#comment-139580 "I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it". This is the main point for me. Put simply, there is much satisfaction in knowing that you tried to attain a goal... it doesn't all reside in actually achieving it. Just as well for me. ;-) “I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it”.

This is the main point for me. Put simply, there is much satisfaction in knowing that you tried to attain a goal… it doesn’t all reside in actually achieving it.

Just as well for me. ;-)

]]> By: Alexander Vozny http://www.academicproductivity.com/2009/benjamin-franklin-the-grandfather-of-personal-productivity/comment-page-1/#comment-81157 Alexander Vozny Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:20:20 +0000 http://www.academicproductivity.com/?p=1272#comment-81157 This is very similar to what I (following the success stories of other people) come up to: 1. You have to decide in the morning what problem you are going to solve today (or have a list of other more global goals that you can achieve in your life only by working steadily every day and over a long period of time i.e. allocate time for your work, for your health, for your family, etc.). 2. It is important to have a day schedule i.e. have a dedicated time-frame for each of your problems (long enough to be able to achieve something) but you have to stop when you reach the allocated time limit and switch to another problem that you planned for this day. 1 and 2 are interconnected. During your work on any problem you will most likely open a new can of worms and will tend to try to solve them today extending the time allocated for the initial problem. This makes you fail on the other problems that you planned to work on initially and putting you behind the schedule. This will definitely happen if you hadn't the schedule at all. You have to make a conscious decision in advance and then adhere to it, otherwise your subconsciousness will win while you are in a burden of being busy with something else (because people are bad at multi-tasking e.g. thinking of the problem and creating the schedule for the next problem at the same time). By the way this is exactly the advice to become an early riser (you have to make a resolution in the evening of getting up early next day). This is very similar to what I (following the success stories of other people) come up to:

1. You have to decide in the morning what problem you are going to solve today
(or have a list of other more global goals that you can achieve in your life only by working steadily every day and over a long period of time i.e. allocate time for your work, for your health, for your family, etc.).

2. It is important to have a day schedule
i.e. have a dedicated time-frame for each of your problems (long enough to be able to achieve something) but you have to stop when you reach the allocated time limit and switch to another problem that you planned for this day.

1 and 2 are interconnected.
During your work on any problem you will most likely open a new can of worms and will tend to try to solve them today extending the time allocated for the initial problem. This makes you fail on the other problems that you planned to work on initially and putting you behind the schedule.
This will definitely happen if you hadn’t the schedule at all.

You have to make a conscious decision in advance and then adhere to it, otherwise your subconsciousness will win while you are in a burden of being busy with something else (because people are bad at multi-tasking e.g. thinking of the problem and creating the schedule for the next problem at the same time).

By the way this is exactly the advice to become an early riser (you have to make a resolution in the evening of getting up early next day).

]]>