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Friday, March 20, 2009

Economy Your Free Franklin Planner

Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 3:56 PM

Apparently if you've been laid off, you can get a free Franklin Planner tomorrow. The Franklin Planner—basically a $100-plus three-ring binder that is also a calendar (be amazed!)—doesn't seem to be that popular in these parts, but down in San Francisco a few years back, they were all the rage. My friends who worked as peons at a schmancy advertising agency all got packed off to Franklinville and came back glassy-eyed converts—it seemed like a combination of The Forum and the doctrine of the Trapper Keeper. They were EXTREMELY committed to making and tracking short, medium, and long-term goals, to the point where things like "Go to the bathroom," "Sleep in on Saturday," and "Die" were probably included. A little sample of the Planner's "Foundational Beliefs":

We believe—
1. People are inherently capable [of, you know, stuff!], aspire to greatness, and have the power to choose.
2. Principles [any old principles!] are timeless and universal, and are the foundation for lasting effectiveness.
3. Leadership is a choice, built inside out [ouch!] on a foundation of character. Great leaders unleash the collective talent and passion of people toward the right goal.

Outrageously, the Planner is named for Ben Franklin because he kept a notebook. He spins in his grave. (Though apparently the stuff about Planner-parent-company FranklinCovey being Mormon and anti—Prop. 8 and so forth was false.) Save yourself the trip to Redmond Town Square or Southcenter and just use a piece of paper.

Comments (14) RSS

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Is it just me, or are you and paul constant attempting to mimic lindy's writing style? Not a bad thing, just sayin'

Posted by Super Jesse on March 20, 2009 at 4:13 PM

@1 I feel like it's more an 'inter-style' if you will, rather than a specific mimicry of Ms. West.

Posted by Josh B on March 20, 2009 at 4:26 PM

Say what you want about the forum. I do hate my mother less since doing it though.

Posted by Kip Waddle on March 20, 2009 at 4:29 PM

I keep all this shit on my BlackBerry - does that count?

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 20, 2009 at 4:33 PM

Leadership is a choice? Planner? San Francisco?!?

Gee, don't be subtle with your hidden agenda or anything. We get it. ABORTION! ABORTION! ABORTION! We loooooove abortion! Have two abortions today!

Posted by elenchos on March 20, 2009 at 4:33 PM

I know Steven Covey is a Mormon, I was raised a Mormon and we always had his books around, then he started his Franklin Planner empire. Can't speak to whether or how the company supported prop8 tho.

Posted by exmormon on March 20, 2009 at 4:44 PM

I used to have a Franklin planner. The planner layout was pretty good, and I liked that it was refillable, but the padded binder covers were ridiculously thick. The planner would not fit in my purse, and I am a lady who likes her handbags large. After a long hunt for a replacement -- I'm very picky when it commes to planners -- I found the Moleskine planner, which is pretty much perfect.

Posted by Kalakalot on March 20, 2009 at 4:50 PM

The page linked too offers platitudes, but does not really address the issue of if the company is "Mormon-owned" or not.

It says it is not, but then it does not say who does own it instead.

While their workplace policies, if as described, are laudable, they do not really address the point.

Posted by not buying it on March 20, 2009 at 5:32 PM

I've always used a piece of paper.

Posted by Simone on March 20, 2009 at 5:34 PM

You mentioned the glassy eyes of the converts. Don't forget the tell-tale sign of the lost; their daily chanting of "Let Me Check My Planner".

Posted by lostmyhusbandtothem on March 21, 2009 at 4:48 AM

The Franklin planner thing is a hyper-organized way of running your life. If you follow the system your life involves obsessively following a routine from morning to night. Get up, deeply think about your life and your day, take out your planner, bring forward your unfinished to-do items, assign priority numbers to them, update your goals, and on and on and on.

Some of us are born with mental illness, some have it thrust upon them, and apparently some pay $100 to acquire it.

Posted by kresblamania on March 21, 2009 at 7:18 AM

The 'Memento' guy used tattoos.

Posted by Superfrankenstein on March 21, 2009 at 11:03 AM

Bethany... there's a loose "blitz me bop" in the slog thinking of your 100 3 ring binders... beware....of good things.

Posted by cbgbdanskin on March 21, 2009 at 12:41 PM

Day Timers, Franklin Planners... all of that is so 80s. People sure got a lot of shit done in the 80s. Was that because of their planners or all the coke?

Posted by Suz (Class of 80) on March 21, 2009 at 9:57 PM