Lessons from Benjamin Franklins schedule that will double productivity

Lessons from Benjamin Franklins schedule that will double productivityLessons from Benjamin Franklins schedule that will double productivityBenjamin Franklin is best remembered as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he achieved much more in his lifetime.During Franklins 84 years alive, he invented the lightning rod,made significant discoveries in physics and population studies, wrote best-selling books, composed music and played the violin, harp and guitar at a high level, foundedmany civic organizations, including the University of Pennsylvania, and much more.How did Franklin achieve so much more than his contemporaries, given he had the same 24 hours each day to get things done?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe answer to this question lies in Franklins daily schedule.Heres how it works, including 10 lessons that will double your productivity this week.Creat e a list of values to live byBefore putting pen to paper on his daily schedule, Franklin created a list of virtues to live by.He referred to behauptung as his 13 virtues a list of values designed to help guide his daily schedule.Heres the list of Benjamin Franklins 13 virtues1. TemperanceEat bedrngnis to dullness and drink not to elevation.2. SilenceSpeak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.3. OrderLet all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.4. ResolutionResolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.5. FrugalityMake no expense but to do good to others or yourself i.e. Waste nothing.6. IndustryLose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.7. SincerityUse no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly and, if you speak, speak accordingly.8. JusticeWrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.9. ModerationAvoid extr emes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.10. CleanlinessTolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.11. ChastityRarely use venery but for health or offspring Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or anothers peace or reputation.12. TranquilityBe not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.13. HumilityImitate Jesus and Socrates.Franklin arranged each virtue in order of importance, and instead of tackling all of them at once, he planned to fix it on one of them at a time and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone thro the thirteen.Each day, Franklin would track his progression on one virtue, in a little book- which had a page allotted for each of the virtues- and in the evenings, he would put a mark next the virtue if he committed a fault.At the end of each week, Franklin would review the number of faults committed against the virtue, and would only move onto building the habit of the next virtue, if no faults were committed.By creating a list of values to live by, Franklin laid a solid foundation to build a daily schedule that aligns with them, and directs his time and energy in the right direction.Benjamin Franklins daily scheduleYou may delay, but time will not.? Benjamin FranklinInBenjamin Franklins autobiography(audiobook), he breaks down his simple daily schedule for peak productivityFrom Ben Franklins AutobiographyHere are the 10 most important productivity lessons from Franklins daily schedule1. Keep it simpleThe first thing to note about Franklins daily schedule is its simplicity.There are only six time blocks scheduled for each day, and one of these blocks includes sleep- an obvious necessity.Theres no overwhelming to-do list of things to get done. Its simple, ruthlessly focused on the essential, and highly effective.Its easy to underestimate thepower of simplicity, even though its the hidden driving force behind peak pro ductivity.2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each dayOne of Franklins most popular mantras was early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,and according to this schedule, he definitely lived up to it.Each day, Franklin woke up early at 5am and went to bed early at 10 pm, for a total of 7 hours of sleep each night.Its important to note however, that what matters most isnt the time you go to bed or wake up, its the consistency of your sleep schedule.By going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, youlltrain your brain to thema asleep fasterand improve the quality of your sleep.3. Spend quiet time aloneShortly after waking up, Franklin would take a shower and then addressPowerfull Goodness. In other words, hed spend some time in prayer or meditation.This dailyhabit of solitudegave Franklin the much needed clarity and focus to plan the day, and follow through on his plans.4. Set your intention and plan for the dayEach morning, before going to wo rk, Franklin would set his intention for the day with an important question What good shall I do this day?Then hed pick a virtue to focus on, and begin to contrive days business, and take the resolution of the day i.e. to plan his day.Setting an intention and creating a plan of action each morning, ensures that you stay focused on your most important task and avoid getting easily distracted by the minutia, and other people during the day.5. Dedicate time to learningIn Franklins daily schedule, he sets aside some time to prosecute the present study, which means hed spend time on an independent personal project separate from work.Most likely, this wouldve been time spent reading either books or papers.Alternatively, you could spend this time learning a language, playing an instrument or on your hobbies.6. Create time blocks for deep and shallow workTo plan his day, Franklin createdtime blocksto manage his time effectively and protect his day from unexpected interruptions.Specifically, Franklin allocated two four-hour time blocks- from 8am till 12 pm, and from 2pm till 6 pm- for deep work and uninterrupted focus on his most important tasks.Likewise, Franklin allocated a two-hour time block- from 12 am till 2 pm- for lunch and shallow work i.e. reviewing his finances.By creating time blocks in this manner, Franklin finished his most important tasks for the day, when he had themost energy to do so.7. Put things back in order after workAfter a long tiring day at work, its easy to walk away from our work space and leave things in a disorderly manner, only to return back the next morning to clean it up before getting back to work.Even though this saves time upfront, it wastes valuable time, willpower and energy, that couldve been spent working on important tasks straight away.To avoid this problem, Franklin made sure to clean up his work space and put things back in order before leaving the office each day.This ensured that Franklin had enough willpower each morning, to tackle the tedious tasks in the long day ahead.8. Schedule downtimeAfter work each day, Franklin would clean up his work space, eat dinner, and spend the rest of the evening relaxing listening to music and catching up with his friends.Downtime isnt a waste of time. Its a powerful productivity tool for re-energizing the brain and body, in preparation for the challenges of the next day.9. Reflect on your day in the eveningsJust before going to bed, Franklin would reflect on his day and ask himself an important question What good have I done today?After noting down what went well, and what didnt go so well during the day, Franklin would look to change and improve his daily schedule.Likewise, an evening audit of your daily productivity will help you to uncover time-wasting activities that drain your energy, and improve your daily schedule for better productivity.10. Dont aim for perfectionIn the bookDaily Rituals How Artists Work(Audiobook), Currey explains that Franklin himself stru ggled to stick to his daily scheduleHe 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. Moreover, the demands of his printing business meant that he couldnt always follow the exacting daily timetable that he set for himself.What matters most isnt perfectionism, its improvement. As Franklin emphasizedI was surprisd to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish.Celebrate your small wins and avoid beating yourself up when you fall short of your plans, because at the end of the day, its the effort that really counts.Failing to plan is planning to failBenjamin Franklins daily schedule is a simple, highly effective template for improving your productivity.Even though it was created over 300 years ago, it contains timeless principles that will help you to avoid the distractions of the verrotten world, and stay focused on your m ost important tasks.Tweak and experiment with Franklins daily schedule to find what works best for you, but remember in the words of Benjamin Franklin, what matters most isnt the contents of the plan, its the decision to make a plan in the first placeIf you fail toplan, you areplanning to failMayo Oshin writes at MayoOshin.com, where he shares practical ideas at the intersection of science, art and philosophy, for better thinking and decision-making. You can join his free weekly newsletter here.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comas10 Lessons From Benjamin Franklins Daily Schedule That Will Double Your Productivity.FOOTNOTESThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Book/Audiobook)Fun fact In aletter to his friend- years after the daily schedule was formed- Franklin describes a new addition to his daily schedule, called the daily air bath. In the letter, he said, I rise early almost every morning, and sit in my chamber without any clothes whatever, half an hour o r an hour, according to the season, either reading or writing.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study findsThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Job Growth Loses Steam Missing Forecasts, Winter Weather Blamed

Job Growth Loses Steam Missing Forecasts, Winter Weather BlamedJob Growth Loses Steam Missing Forecasts, Winter Weather BlamedJob Growth Loses Steam Missing Forecasts, Winter Weather BlamedOn Friday, April 7, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly employment situation report for March, which is a widely used indicator for the health of the labor market. Job growth in March marks the smallest gain in alfruchtwein a year, a sign the labor market is not quite as strong as earlier gains. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell near a ten-year low, marking a milestone in the long road back from the Great Recession.Key InsightsU.S. adds only 98,000 new jobs in March to mark the smallest gain in almost a yearThe unemployment rate fell to a near 10-year low of 4.5%The labor force participation rate welches unchanged at 63.0%The size of the labor force expanded by 145,000 people4th-quarter GDP increased to an annual rate of 2.1%, corporate profits on upswingAverage wages rose 0.2% to $26.14 an hour last month as companies pay more to attract or maintain talentThe three-month average dropped from a revised 197,000 to 178,000 in March while the trailing twelve-month average somewhat slowed to 182,000. This report marks the 78th straight month of continuous job growth.Employment in professional and business services rose by 56,000, about in line with the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in services to buildings and dwellings (+17,000) and in architectural and engineering services (+7,000).Mining added 11,000 jobs in March, with most of the gain occurring in support activities for mining (+9,000). Mining employment has risen by 35,000 since reaching a recent low in October 2016.Employment continued to trend up in health care (+14,000), with job gains in hospitals (+9,000) and outpatient care centers (+6,000). In the first 3 months of this year, health care added an average of 20,000 jobs per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 32,000 in 2016.Employment in financial activities continued to trend up in March (+9,000) and has increased by 178,000 over the past 12 months.Construction employment changed little in March (+6,000), following a gain of 59,000 in February. Employment in construction has been trending up since late last summer, largely among specialty trade contractors and in residential building.Retail trade lost 30,000 jobs in March. Employment in general merchandise stores declined by 35,000 in March and has declined by 89,000 since a recent high in October 2016.Employment in other major industries, including manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, leisure and hospitality, and government, showed little or no change over the month.Want to know more about the top trends in the job market? Check out the US Labor Market Update from Intelligence.

Compulsively check your smartphone Knowing why can help you stop

Compulsively check your handy Knowing why can help you stopCompulsively check your smart phone Knowing why can help you stopNew research highlights the different triggers that may cause you to compulsively check your smart phone and offers suggestions that may help you kick the habit.Everywhere you look, people are checking their smartphone with great frequency - and not just teens and college students.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreFor some, smartphone behavior has become compulsive, with negative effects on their lives.Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) found a series of triggers, shared by all age groups, that initiated and ended habitual smartphone use.The researchers also investigated solutions smartphone users created to curb an undesirable level of use.The team presented its findings May 7 at theACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systemsin Gla sgow, Scotland.Our findings primarily target designers, helping them understand what makes digital experiences meaningful for people. What we learned also shows that designing apps that are easy to pick up and put down at will is better for users than combating attention-grabbing apps with lockout mechanisms,Alexis Hiniker, PhD, co-author of the study, told Healthline.Hiniker is also an assistant professor in the Information School at the University of Washington who specializes in human-computer interaction. Shes also the director of the UW User Empowerment Lab.What the study foundOur findings also describe in detail what compulsive phone use is like in the moment, the factors that trigger it, and the factors that help users break out of that cycle, Hiniker said.Hiniker explains her study began when she and her colleagues listened to people talk about their frustrations with the way they interacted with their smartphones.However, all of those interviewed told of phone experiences t hat had personal and persistent meaning.That is very motivating for me, she said. The solution is not to get rid of this technology it provides enormous value. So, the question is, how do we support that value without bringing along all the baggage?In late 2017 and early 2018, Hiniker and her team interviewed 39 Seattle-area smartphone users in three groups between the ages of 14 and 64 high school and college students and adults with college degrees. (Thirty-nine people is a large sample for the type of in-depth, qualitative work she and her team conducted, she says.)The researchers interviewed the participants, asking them questions about which of the apps on their phone were fruchtwein likely to lead to compulsive behavior.Many participants cited social media apps as experiences they turned to compulsively, Hiniker said. But a lot of others came up as well casual games, YouTube, email, and text messaging.What triggers compulsive phone use?Interviewees revealed four common trigger s for compulsive use unoccupied moments, such as waiting to meet a friend before or during tedious and repetitive tasks socially awkward situations or waiting for an anticipated message or notification.Participants also reported common triggers that ended their compulsive phone use competing demands from the real world, such as meeting up with a friend or needing to drive somewhere the realization that they had been on their phone for a half-hour and noticing content theyd already seen.The team was surprised to find that triggers were the same across age groups.We were most struck by how similar peoples behaviors were, regardless of age, Hiniker said. Although high school students were more likely to talk about using their phones as cover for awkward situations, most of the themes we saw cut across age groups.Previous research highlights triggers for compulsive phone use, tooLarry Rosen, Ph.D., also studies compulsive smartphone use and has discovered positive ways to change user be havior.Rosen is professor emeritierter hochschulprofessor and former chair of the psychology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills. A research psychologist and computer educator, hes recognized as an international expert in the psychology of technology.In 2016, Rosen began conducting studies with 375 college students and 75 high school students.Rosen also learned that some people check their phones often out of boredom.Researchers call this nomophobia - a combination of the words no, mobile, and phobia - defined as fear of being without your phone. This phenomenon is also called FOMO, or fear of missing out or not being connected. (Teens spent the bulk of their time on social media, he says.)In fact, some of Rosens study participants reported that they got up in the middle of the night to check their phones.Three-quarters of his participants said they left their phones on ring or vibrate to see if any messages would come in.Rosen says the anxiety of getting up to check your phone can affect your health, as it leads directly to getting a bad nights sleep.So, how can people kick the habit?Rosen created lists of strategies for his student participants. He offered them four categories of ways to make changes to their phones, or to use their phones in unique ways.The categories were communication, focus and attention, enhanced sleep, and enhanced well-being. The goal was to enhance their smartphone experience.To improve sleep, Rosen told his participants to set their phones on a gray screen at night, which removes all colors.We told them to tell their phones to forget their passwords and to take their phones out of the bedroom an hour before they go to sleep, he said. We also gave them alternatives. Use a meditation app to help them relax, or select Do Not Disturb for 30 minutes so they could concentrate on their studies. Lots of them used Night Shift to switch off blue light on their phones.I asked them to do this for only three weeks. Then, I asked them to turn in a paper about their minutes usage and unlocks. I asked, How did it go? Some people even sent me screenshots of their screen data. A lot of them said, Hey, Im going to keep doing this. It made positive changes in my life, he said.Of Rosens 375 participants, 200 said the suggested changes in use freed up a lot of their time each day.Hinikers team asked their participants to identify an aspect of their behavior they wanted to change and to draw an idea of how their phone could help them achieve it.Many sketched a lockout mechanism that would prevent them from using their phones for a specified period. Participants, however, admitted that although they felt bad about their behavior, they were ambivalent about using their proposed solutions.This finding indicated a subtler relationship with smartphones.If the phone werent valuable at all, then sure, the lockout mechanism would work great, Hiniker said. We could just stop having phones, and the problem would be so lved. But thats not really the case.Instead, the team discovered that participants found meaning when apps connected them with the real world and enhanced their relationships with friends and family - meaningful experiences that transcended the moment of use.Its not the phone that drives compulsive behavior, its the appsOne scientist says its not smartphones that are the problem but the apps we use.Individuals are no more addicted to smartphones than alcoholics are addicted to bottles,Mark Griffiths, PhD, told Healthline. A distinguished professor of behavioral addiction at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in England, hes also the director of theInternational Gaming Research Unit of the NTU Psychology Department.For the very small minority that have problematic smartphone use, they have addictions on the smartphone, not to it. It is the applications on smartphones that can prove troublesome rather than the phone itself, he said.Most studies that examine smartphone addiction really examine social media addiction, he says. Social networking applications, rather than gambling or gaming apps, tend to take up the most time.Most news stories about smartphone addicts are actually about habitual use, he said.Such use may have problematic elements that might have an impact on the individuals education and/or occupation in terms of decreased productivity or impact on relationships by ignoring their loved ones. But this is not addiction, Griffiths said.Hiniker says people can do many small things to bring their own behaviors in line with their intentions.The biggest change will come from new design approaches, which are already being developed.The best thing people can do is demand better experiences from developers and vote with their dollar, she said. Use apps that make it easy to engage in ways you feel good about.This article first appeared on Healthline.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people