Franklin covey is a Utah based company that markets and manages products and organizational material to companies and individuals to help them increase their time management and organizational skills and strengths. It was co-founded by Hyrum W. Smith who created the Franklin Covey Day Planner, one of the main products of the company. The other main product is a book called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Let us discuss the details of the Franklin Covey Day Planner, and figure out how it works to help you improve your routine and habits.
It is a time management system promoted by Stephen R. Covey. Its physical components include a ring binder that has loose pages in a specific design. It is divided by monthly tabs. The diary accepts a wide range of inserts and specialized accessories. It facilitates consolidation of tasks, appointments and personal events in one place. So that you do not have lose pieces of paper marked “doctor’s appointment on wed at four”,” pick up dress from boutique at 6” and “board meeting on Saturday-prepare presentation” lying around your desk.
Its overall design gives it a tickler file and a long planner quality both. Mostly the annual page inserts have at least five year yearly calendars, month wise calendars for at least three years. These along with the current year’s detailed planner to facilitate highly detailed planning. The use of the total package helps in not just keeping a track of events but also of contracts signed and expenses made. The contracts and documents can be archived in archival binders and the expenses made in business, personal and tax modes can be recorded in the planner.
This Franklin Covey Day Planner was developed in 1984. It was followed up with a time management workshop. The planner is named after Benjamin Franklin who used to keep a small diary with himself at all times to record necessary happenings. The planner is available in five different sizes- 8.5 by 11 inches and 216 by 280 inches called the ‘Monarch’, 5.5 by 8.5 mm and 140 by 216 mm called the Classic, 4.5 by 6.75 mm and 108 by 172mm called the Compact, 3.5 mm by 6 mm and 89 by 153 mm called the Pocket and a Micro size. The standard section designed for daily use has two pages per day for recording tasks, task agenda and appointments. Other than that there is a daily events page or a personal diary entry page. There is a key section at the rear end to record important addresses. To track financial progress we have ledger pages where financial entries, vehicle mileage, petrol consumption or any other personal logs or reference can be kept recorded. The system is not based on “the Seven Habits of Highly Effective people”. It is a system that focuses on your core strengths and helps you prioritize your routine according to what matters the most to you. The technique that lies in the core of the Franklin Covey Planner is to spend the first fifteen minutes of your routine in “solitude and planning”.