Printer, scientist, diplomat — and the author of history's most famous daily schedule. His day started with a question and ended with its mirror. Here is his imagined day.
Benjamin Franklin
Printer, inventor & statesman · Steady Duck · one habit at a time
Today's Focus 3/3
🐸 Write the almanac page before the shop opens
The creative work comes before the busy work.
Prepare the kite experiment — if the storm comes
Experiments · ready before the weather is
Morning question: what good shall I do this day?
The self · asked at 5 a.m., every day
🧠 Brain Dump 4
The 'early to bed' saying needs a better second half
Two lenses in one frame — could that work? (bifocals)
A shared library the whole street pays for — ask the club
The new stove smokes — try turning the airflow around
Pomodoro
🐸 The almanac page
25:00
Projects 3 active
The almanacfrog lives here
The print shop
The club
💡 Ideas Wall
What if a small club of tradesmen could out-think a university?
What you can learn from Benjamin Franklin
Plan the day before it starts.
His schedule began at 5 a.m. with one question: what good shall I do this day? He listed the day's work before the day began. That is the whole idea of choosing your 3 tasks each morning.
Review the day before it ends.
The last block of his schedule, 9 p.m.: put things in their places, and ask — what good have I done today? DuckDoro's Close-the-day step is this exact evening review.
Track habits quietly.
He tracked 13 personal habits, one per week, marking a small dot for every slip. No shame, no streaks — just an honest record. He used that little chart his whole life.
Do creative work first.
His famous almanac sayings were written before the print shop opened and the busy day took over. Whatever builds your future — do it first, while your energy is best.
Sources: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Part II, 1784) — the daily schedule and the 13-habits chart. Details are simplified for illustration.
An imagined workspace. This page is an editorial illustration of
Benjamin Franklin's well-documented habits, shown inside DuckDoro. It is not affiliated with, or
endorsed by, Benjamin Franklin, his estate, or any related company — and the only face on this
page belongs to a duck.