The Power of a Written Plan (pg. 127-135)
Chapter 8 of Hyrum W. Smith’s What Matters Most, “Use the Inherent Power in Planning,” explores the difference between wanting something to happen and creating a practical course of action. Smith begins with a story from his time as a Pershing missile platoon commander in the U.S. Army. During a training exercise, one of the […]
The Franklin Five: October 2026
Hello October, Let’s Optimize! October is a great time to clean up and clear out – from a build-up of physical junk, to old habits and patterns that aren’t serving you anymore. Discover new resources and renew your current systems to optimize your life. Head into those ‘indoor months’ with clarity, vision and passion.
The “What Matters Most Tri-quation” (pg. 67-72)
Pages 67–72 of What Matters Most serve as a brief introduction to Part Two of the book, where the core process for discovering what matters most begins to take shape. Hyrum Smith draws a compelling parallel between the creation of the United States Constitution and the personal work readers are about to undertake. At the […]
Protecting Your Focus In A Busy World
In today’s world, distractions are relentless. Notifications ping constantly, emails flood inboxes, and urgent demands pull us in every direction. Yet the most fulfilled people aren’t the busiest—they’re the most focused. They protect their attention like a precious resource, directing it toward what truly matters rather than letting the day dictate their energy. The key […]
The Power of Knowing Who You Are (pg. 27-45)
Chapter 1 of What Matters Most invites readers to consider the people they most admire—their personal heroes—and to examine what qualities set these individuals apart. Through four varied examples—Winston Churchill, Michael Jordan, Mother Teresa, and an unassuming high-school teacher named Robert Niederholzer—Hyrum Smith identifies a common thread: every one of them lived with exceptional clarity […]
Finish Strong: How to Wrap Up the Year With Purpose
As the year winds down, it’s tempting to sprint through December just trying to get everything done. But finishing strong doesn’t mean doing more—it means doing what matters most. When you pause to reflect, prioritize, and plan intentionally, you not only end the year with purpose but also step into the next one with clarity […]
Thanksgiving Word Search
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Inside-Out Again: A Conclusion to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (pg. 367-384)
Real change doesn’t come from a trendy quote, a flashy goal-setting app, or a temporary surge of motivation. It doesn’t happen from the outside in. As Stephen R. Covey reminds us in the final pages of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, lasting, transformational change always begins from the inside out. “It comes from […]
The Franklin Five: August 2025
August brings the last full month of summer and a transition to back to school and other activities. Use this time to spend time with family and friends and celebrate the start of the harvest. Check out our weekly Franklin Planner Talk blog posts for uplifting ideas and great material. Our goal at Franklin Planner is to support […]
An Introduction to Empathic Listening (pg. 274-282)
Most of us know how frustrating it is to share something personal or important—only to be met with advice, correction, or a quick fix. We walk away feeling unheard, even dismissed. Stephen R. Covey challenges this common habit of communication with a transformational principle: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Covey calls this […]