From Big Plans to the Big Game – An Interview with Britain Covey

(Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Wide receiver and return specialist Britain Covey, after going unselected in the 2022 draft, was signed by Philadelphia’s football team as an undrafted free agent. After working hard to prove himself during practice, he was elevated to the active roster for their Week 1 game and made his professional football debut. On October 1, 2022, he was signed to their active roster and is now on his way to the Big Game in Inglewood with his team. He also uses a Franklin Planner every day. 

Britain uses the 7 Habits Planner, which is based on the international bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, written by his grandfather Stephen R. Covey. “Seeing the quotes on each page from my grandpa makes me feel great about things,” Britain says. “I love seeing those, and it’s helped me, to quote him, ‘lead my life,’ to decide what’s most important to me and the direction I want to go.”

When asked about the importance of a Franklin Planner, Britain says, “I think for someone my age, it’s really cool to discover the power of writing things down. My teammates and I all have our own little journals where we have to write down plays because we can’t just look at them on a screen or an iPad and memorize them. There’s just something about writing things down that’s very helpful, and I’ve found that with my goals and plans, too. It kind of disconnects me from the world and distractions and lets me lead my life in a way that I want to.”

“For me,” Britain continues, “especially in the NFL, things can be really crazy. The coaches and the fans especially. I remember earlier in the season not having a great game or two and just getting destroyed on social media and realizing that there are a lot of people that put your value in how good you are on a football field—or whatever that is for everyone’s profession. And that can be tough. So for me, the reason I use the planner is to set goals in areas that I know are important to me. My grandpa used to talk about setting goals and the different roles you have. So, knowing that my value isn’t just as a football player, what goals do I have as a husband, as a brother, as a teammate, as a son, or as a soon-to-be father as well? That’s why I use a planner, to center myself on what’s most important and not get too caught up in what I do for a living.”

Britain also explains why he takes time to write in his planner each day: “There have been times in the past few years when I’ve been kind of white-knuckling it, when I’ve thought, ‘Ugh, I have to plan.’ But then there have been other times when I’ve realized, ‘Man, my life is so much better when I do this.’ You can call me old-fashioned, but I think using a planner is more relevant today than ever because it’s so different from the digital world and what everybody is trying to do. It reminds me of a quote from my grandpa: ‘Have you ever been too busy driving to stop for gas?’ That doesn’t make any sense, right? Planning and having those meditations and mindfulness, that’s my fuel, and that helps keep me going.”

Learn more about how you can lead your life and set goals in areas that are important to you with our Planner Training. These principles have helped people in every profession reach their goals and discover how to prioritize what matters most.