Benjamin Franklin's Daily Routine

His written schedule opens at five o'clock: get up, wash, and say the short prayer he wrote himself, which begins "Powerful Goodness" and asks for the wisdom to see his true interest and the resolve to act on it. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection: daily prayer and 'scheme of employment' table, 5 a.m.

"O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest."

By 1768, living in London, Franklin wrote that he got up early almost every morning and sat in his room unclothed for half an hour to an hour, depending on the season, reading or writing. He found cold-water baths too harsh and preferred cold air, and sometimes went back to bed for an hour or two afterwards. ³ Benjamin Franklin to Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg, 28 July 1768 · Letter body (London, July 1768)

"I rise early almost every morning, and sit in my chamber, without any clothes whatever, half an hour or an hour"

The morning section of his table carries a question to answer before starting. Next to it he wrote that this hour is for laying out the day's business and choosing the one resolution he means to keep that day. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, The Morning

"What good shall I do this day?"

Before work begins at eight, the table gives time to push forward whatever he was currently studying, and to eat breakfast. Elsewhere in Part Two he says he set aside an hour or two every day for study, and that reading was the only amusement he allowed himself. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, 7 a.m.; Ch. VIII (Part Two), on the subscription library

"for which I set apart an hour or two each day"

The table blocks out four straight hours for work. At the time his work was his printing house in Philadelphia. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, 8-11

At noon his plan was to read, or look over his accounts, and have his main meal (he says "dine"). Two hours are set aside for this. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, Noon

As a teenage apprentice in Boston, after reading a book by Thomas Tryon, he ate a simple meatless meal, often just a biscuit or bread, raisins and a glass of water, so he could stay alone in the printing house and study while the others were out. He later went back to eating meat. ¹ Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part One (written at Twyford, 1771) · Ch. II, Beginning Life as a Printer

A second four-hour work block, giving eight working hours in his plan. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, 2-5

In a 1772 letter to his son he said exercise should be judged by how warm it makes you, not by time or distance. He recommended brisk walking and climbing stairs indoors when short of time, and said that with a dumb-bell he had raised his pulse from 60 to 100 in forty swings. ⁴ Benjamin Franklin to William Franklin, 19 August 1772: extract · Letter body (London, 19 August 1772)

"by the use of it I have in forty swings quickened my pulse from 60 to 100 beats in a minute"

The evening opens with tidying up, which belongs to the virtue he called Order. This is the one he admits he failed at: he says keeping places for papers and things was extremely hard for him, he relapsed often, and in old age he still felt the lack of it. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, 6 p.m.; paragraphs after the table on Order

"In truth, I found myself incorrigible with respect to Order"

After tidying, the plan gives the evening to supper and to music, some other diversion, or conversation with others. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, 6-8 p.m.

The day closes with an examination. He answered the evening question and went through his virtue book, putting a small black dot against each virtue he had slipped on that day. He says he was surprised how many faults he found, but pleased to watch them decrease. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, Evening and 9 p.m.; description of the little book

"What good have I done to-day?"

The schedule marks every hour from ten at night to four in the morning as sleep, about seven hours before the five o'clock start. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, scheme of employment table, Night

He listed 13 virtues, each with a one-line rule, and gave one week of strict attention to each in turn, starting with Temperance, while still logging the rest. That made a full cycle every 13 weeks, four a year. Over time he did fewer cycles and finally stopped, but he says he always carried the book. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. IX, list of the 13 virtues and the week-by-week method

"I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the virtues successively."

As a young man he did his reading and writing practice at night, early in the morning, and on Sundays alone in the printing house. Looking back he called Sunday his studying day and said he skipped church services to keep it. ² Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part Two (written at Passy, 1784) · Ch. VIII (Part Two), on his religious principles; see also Ch. II (Part One) on study times

He formed a club of friends called the Junto that met on Friday evenings. Each member brought questions on morals, politics or science for the group to discuss, and every three months read an essay of his own. Arguing to win and flat contradiction were banned, with small fines. ¹ Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part One (written at Twyford, 1771) · Ch. VII, Beginning Business in Philadelphia