1500 - 2000 / Benjamin Franklin / Habits and Habit Tracker / Mission Statement

13 Virtues to Focus On And Habits to Develop

By Effluo | Published November 6, 2021 | 1 Comment

Imagine yourself traveling a few hundred years back in time, and sitting down with Benjamin Franklin for a cup of coffee. What information about himself would he be willing to share? What habits did he work on developing?

Luckily we do not have to wonder. In his own autobiography “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin“, we get a glimpse into the thoughts and habits he was working to develop. Benjamin outlined 13 habits that he continuously focused on. He also devised a very specific plan for measuring or tracking his habits. Throughout the book, he used the term habits and virtues interchangeably.

“contrary Habits must be broken and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any Dependance on a steady uniform Rectitude of Conduct”.

Benjamin Franklin

In other words, we need to focus on forming good habits if we want to have a character of high integrity.

1. Temperance

Eat not to Dulness

Drink not to Elevation

Benjamin Franklin

Temperance – means moderation. In this case, it’s moderation in food and drink.

Drink. is synonymous with alcohol intake. Excessive drinking is a cause of many broken relationships and dreams. It is something we may do well in practice.

What do you think of, when you think moderation in food?

Is it going on a diet?

Maybe skipping breakfast, eating a salad for lunch, and a light dinner?

Many consider that diet and moderation are synonymous. Unfortunately, diet is more synonymous with starvation rather than moderation. It is literally depriving our bodies of necessary nutrients. In the Minnesota Starvation Experiment participants were placed on a 1,570 calorie diet. This was considered a semi-starvation diet and studied the effects of starvation on the human body. Unfortunately, most diets have that as a normal amount of calories for a grown adult.

Moderation is the opposite of starvation and of overeating. It has been proven that diets put us in a state of starvation eventually causing us to overeat, no amount of willpower can change the fact that we are human and need calories to survive.

So, what is the answer, we cannot overeat and we cannot go on a diet, is there an answer? Luckily for us, there is a very common sense and yet revolutionary approach to eating, called Intuitive Eating. This is when you make peace with food and listen to your body to satisfy hunger. Yes, it does take time to break the diet cycle, but it is worth it.

For additional information on how to stop this cycle of dieting and find this moderation, please reference “Intuitive Eating A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach” written by two dieticians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

2. Silence

Speak not but what may benefit others or yourlself.
Avoid trifling Conversation.

Benjamin Franklin

The introverts of the world are probably thinking, I got this, I can be silent for as long as you need me to be. No, Benjamin Franklin did not say that we should always be quiet, nor sign up for a month of a silence retreat, not that there is anything wrong with that. Let us build on the previous virtue of temperance, and not jump into extremes.

Here, Benjamin points to the fact that we should not say anything, but to benefit others and ourselves. That means no negative self-talk, no gossiping, no judging of self or others. He further expanded this to trifling or meaningless conversations. Talking for the sake of talking without having much to say.

3. Order

Let all your Things have their Places.
Let each Part of your Business have its Time.

Benjamin Franklin

“Let all your Things have their Places.” If each thing does not have a place consider reducing the number of things that you have. There was a recent and very good trend shining a light on minimalism and decluttering. Having a place for each thing means you spend less time tidying up, putting things away, and actually can spend time on being productive. There are a number of reported benefits related to decluttering and keeping order. According to WebMD, these benefits include better focus, higher self-esteem, better relationships, and improved lifestyle.

“Let each part of your business have its time.” Having a routine and assigning specific tasks to different hours of a day was something that Benjamin specifically focused on. Please reference Daily Routine of Benjamin Franklin to learn how his day was set up.

4. Resolution

Resolve to perform what you ought.
Perform without fail what you resolve.

Benjamin Franklin

In other words, decide what you will do and then do it. Time moves ahead for everyone at the same speed. We all have 24 hours in a day to live our lives. You can go from task to task and be very busy, or you can ignore all of the tasks and just do nothing, or you can avoid the extremes and be productive. Being busy and being productive are two very different things. We can be very busy and yet achieve very little.

The key is in focusing and selecting what tasks we need to complete and then resolving to complete them. In order to have that focus, you need to set goals, and every task that does not fit the goal should be de-prioritized. Once we complete the tasks related to goal achievement, we can proceed with the other less important tasks.

5. Frugality

Make no Expence but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

Benjamin Franklin

Developing this habit is easier said than done. Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars studying our behavior and influencing our buying choices. It is difficult to step outside of that influence and take your expenditures under control. The best way is to keep track of your expenses, know where your money goes. Once you know where the money is being spent, decide if that is a good use of your money.

Remember, you exchange your services and your time for the things that you buy. If you would like more information on How To Get Your Spending Under Control please reference the article by Forbes.

6. Industry

Lose no Time.
Be always employ’d in something useful.
Cut off all unnecessary Actions.

Benjamin Franklin

This habit really builds on all previous virtues and expands it further. Be responsible for your time, and use it wisely.

Please note, this does not mean that you have to work 100% of your time. Quite the opposite, according to one study from Stanford University, economics professor Jon Pencavel found that “employees at work for a long time may experience fatigue or stress that not only reduces his or her productivity but also increases the probability of errors, accidents, and sickness”. This “long time” was defined as more than 50 hours per week. This means that if you are working more than 50 hours per week you are not being industrious and are losing time. So what is the answer?

Take a look at different areas of your life, and provide your own definition for what it means for an action to be useful.

Does the specific action serve to

• grow your career,
• improve your relationships,
• better your physical health,
• affect your emotional health,
• grow your intellectual skills,
• improve your social skills…

… the list can continue.

The key is to have an understanding of why what you are doing is important to you.

7. Sincerity

Use no hurtful Deceit.
Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Benjamin Franklin

To paraphrase this, mean what you say and say what you mean. Sincerity means being honest with others, but first and foremost it begins with being honest with yourself.

Are you living a life you want to live or are you living a life everyone expects you to live?

Are you following your goals or are you following the expectations of others?

When you are deceiving yourself you are hurting not just yourself, but people around you. No one deserves to live knowing that you were not able to reach your dreams because of them. People close to you will not want to carry that burden.

8. Justice

Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.

Benjamin Franklin

Justice is an outward look at being true to your responsibilities to other people. Do not do any wrong to people around you. Be just in your actions and in your daily life.

Question your beliefs, understand your culture, be aware of the fact that things do not automatically become truths just because you believe them to be true. Focus on avoiding generalizations and prejudices, understand your own biases, and learn to overcome them.

9. Moderation

Avoid Extreams.
Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Benjamin Franklin

This is the second time Benjamin talked about moderation, first it was moderation in food and drink and now it’s moderation in everything else. Avoid extremes regardless of what they are, because they bring injuries and harm.

Extremes in politics are dangerous, far-right beliefs breed fascism and far-left beliefs breed communism. Neither have good reputations in history, destroying millions of people on both sides.

Extremes in religions are just as dangerous, think back to Spanish Inquisitions, Islamic Jihadists, and Catholic Crusaders. They bring nothing but death and destruction, regardless of what the actual religion teaches.

Extremes in anything will cause harm, therefore the focus on moderation is doubly emphasized in this list.

10. Cleanliness

Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Cloaths or Habitation.

Benjamin Franklin

Keep a clean house, wear clean clothes and take care to stay clean. Nothing much needs to be said about this. Covid has really made us re-evaluate our definitions of cleanliness and re-emphasized the importance of keeping a clean environment.

11. Tranquility

Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.

Benjamin Franklin

Of all of the virtues, it seems that this one may be the most challenging. We are a very stressed-out society. Tranquility means taking care of problems that you can take care of and understanding what problems are beyond your control and letting them go. This is not an easy habit to develop, but one definitely one worth focusing on.

12. Chastity

Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring;
Never to Dulness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another’s Peace or Reputation.

Benjamin Franklin

This virtue is directly related to temperance or moderation. No one can define what this moderation means to you, this is where you need to be honest with yourself and define it as you see right. It’s all about being honest with yourself and being respectful to others. Whatever spectrum you choose, remember, stay away from extremes as they are hurtful to yourself and the people around you.

13. Humility

Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Benjamin Franklin

Why Jesus? Why Socrates? Socrates lived around 500 years before Jesus. They were completely different people with almost nothing in common. So why does Benjamin Franklin say to imitate humility from Jesus and Socrates? Even though they were completely different teachers teaching very different philosophies, they both did focus on humility.

Jesus lived in Israel between 4-6 BC and 30 AD. He was proclaimed to be the messiah, Son of God, prophet, and a great teacher. He taught humility and lived an example of humility. In Matthew 20:28 he said that he came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. His life was all about serving and helping others by healing and performing miracles. He preached the dangers of being prideful and the benefits of humility.

Socrates lived in Athens between 470 to 399 BC. The Oracle of Delphi said that Socrates was the wisest man in Athens. Interestingly, what made him wise was that he knew that he did not know anything. The Socratic method involves gaining knowledge through questions, he would get subject matters experts on different areas and begin a dialogue questioning these experts, often pointing out inconsistencies in their arguments. He recognized the limits of his own knowledge and used it as a starting point for discussions.

Summary

What should you do with this information?

How did Benjamin Franklin apply this information?

Benjamin decided to focus on these one at a time, and once that habit or virtue was mastered he would move on to the next one. He used a book that was dedicated to tracking his virtues. He ruled each page so it would have seven columns, one for each day of the week.

On the left-hand side, he would write down the virtues, using abbreviations of “T” for temperance, “S” for silence, “O” for order, etc.

Then he would do a reflection at the end of each day marking a black spot with every fault he found. It looks like, among many things, Benjamin Franklin may have invented the first habit tracker.

Latest posts