# Virtue Practice > Guide systematic personal improvement using Benjamin Franklin's proven method of tracking virtues, focusing on one at a time, and cycling through them consistently over time. - Skill: `sethmblack/virtue-practice` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add sethmblack/virtue-practice` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sethmblack/virtue-practice/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: sethmblack (https://skillmd.com/u/sethmblack) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sethmblack/virtue-practice --- # Virtue Practice Guide systematic personal improvement using Benjamin Franklin's proven method of tracking virtues, focusing on one at a time, and cycling through them consistently over time. --- ## When to Use - User asks "How do I develop better habits?" - User wants to work on character or self-improvement - User asks "How do I stop doing X?" or "How do I start doing Y?" - Request for a "virtue tracking system" or "Franklin's method" - User feels overwhelmed trying to improve multiple behaviors at once - User has tried and failed at habit change before --- ## Inputs | Input | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | goals | Yes | Behaviors, habits, or character traits to develop or eliminate | | challenges | No | Current struggles or faults to address | | time_commitment | No | How long to run the practice (default: 13-week cycle) | | existing_strengths | No | Virtues or habits already well-established | --- ## Franklin's Method: The Five-Step System ### Step 1: Define Your Virtues Create a personal list of virtues based on your specific goals. Franklin used 13, but your list should match your needs. **Franklin's original 13:** 1. Temperance - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. 2. Silence - Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. 3. Order - Let all things have their places; each business its time. 4. Resolution - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality - Make no expense but to do good; waste nothing. 6. Industry - Lose no time; be always employed in something useful. 7. Sincerity - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly. 8. Justice - Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting due benefits. 9. Moderation - Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries. 10. Cleanliness - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation. 11. Tranquility - Be not disturbed at trifles or common accidents. 12. Chastity - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring. 13. Humility - Imitate Jesus and Socrates. **Key principle:** Each virtue should have: - A clear, memorable name - A specific precept defining what it means in practice - Observable behaviors that indicate success or failure ### Step 2: Order Your Virtues Arrange them so earlier ones support later ones: - **Start with foundational virtues** - Those that enable others (Franklin started with Temperance because "it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head which is so necessary") - **Build progressively** - Each virtue becomes easier after mastering those before it - **End with the hardest** - Franklin put Humility last because "there is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride" ### Step 3: Create Your Tracking System Build a simple tracking mechanism: ``` Week of: [Date] Focus Virtue: [This Week's Virtue] S M T W T F S Virtue 1 . . Virtue 2 . . Virtue 3 . ... ``` **Method:** - Mark each failure with a dot or X - Review at end of each day - Give "strict attention" to the focus virtue - Track all virtues, but concentrate energy on one **Modern adaptations:** - Spreadsheet or app with daily check-ins - Journal with end-of-day reflection - Simple paper grid carried in pocket ### Step 4: Execute the Cycle **Weekly rotation:** - Focus on one virtue per week - Complete all virtues in sequence - Then begin again (4 complete cycles per year) **Daily practice:** - Morning: Review the focus virtue's precept - Throughout day: Guard against failures - Evening: Examine the day, mark any faults - Ask: "What good have I done this day?" **Franklin's morning question:** "What good shall I do this day?" **Franklin's evening question:** "What good have I done today?" ### Step 5: Embrace the Speckled Axe Accept imperfection while continuing to improve: **Franklin's parable:** A man wanted a perfectly bright axe. As he ground it, he found the work exhausting and decided "I like a speckled axe best." Many abandon virtue practice because perfection is impossible. **The proper mindset:** - Perfection is not the goal; improvement is - "Tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been" - A speckled axe, used, is better than a perfect one never forged --- ## Workflow ### Step 1: Gather and Review Inputs Collect all relevant information: - Review the provided data and context - Identify key parameters and constraints - Clarify any ambiguities or missing information - Establish success criteria ### Step 2: Analyze the Situation Perform systematic analysis: - Identify patterns and relationships - Evaluate against established frameworks - Consider multiple perspectives - Document key findings ### Step 3: Generate Recommendations Create actionable outputs: - Synthesize insights from analysis - Prioritize recommendations by impact - Ensure recommendations are specific and measurable - Consider implementation feasibility ## Output Format ```markdown ## Your Virtue Practice System ### Your Virtues (Ordered) | # | Virtue | Precept | Why This Order | |---|--------|---------|----------------| | 1 | [Name] | [Specific, actionable definition] | [How it enables others] | | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ### Your Tracking Template [Customized tracking grid or method based on user preferences] ### Weekly Schedule | Week | Dates | Focus Virtue | Key Challenge | |------|-------|--------------|---------------| | 1 | [Dates] | [Virtue] | [What to watch for] | | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ### Daily Practice **Morning ritual:** [Customized morning reflection based on user's schedule] **Evening examination:** [Questions specific to user's virtues] ### The Speckled Axe Perspective [Personalized encouragement acknowledging difficulty while motivating persistence] ``` --- ## Constraints - Do not create more than 13 virtues initially (overwhelming) - Do not create vague virtues without observable precepts - Do not promise perfection—promise improvement - Each precept must be specific enough to track failures - Order must have explicit rationale, not arbitrary sequence --- ## Error Handling | Situation | Response | |-----------|----------| | User provides vague goals | Ask for specific behaviors to develop or eliminate | | Too many virtues requested | Suggest consolidating or prioritizing top 7-13 | | User has tried and failed before | Emphasize the speckled axe; suggest starting with just 3-5 virtues | | User wants immediate results | Explain the 13-week cycle; improvement is gradual and compounding | | User struggles with one virtue persistently | Franklin struggled with Order his whole life—some remain speckled | --- ## Outputs **Primary Output:** A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data. **Format:** ```markdown ## Analysis: [Topic] ### Key Findings - [Finding 1] - [Finding 2] - [Finding 3] ### Recommendations 1. [Action 1] 2. [Action 2] 3. [Action 3] ``` **Example output:** See the Example section below for a complete demonstration. ## Example **Input:** "I want to be more productive and less anxious. I waste too much time on social media and I procrastinate on hard tasks." **Output:** **Why this works:** This example demonstrates the key principles of the skill in action. The approach is effective because: - It follows the systematic workflow outlined above - It shows concrete application of the framework - It produces actionable, specific outputs rather than vague generalizations - The analysis is grounded in observable details - The recommendations are prioritized and implementable **Alternative applications:** This same approach can be applied to: - Different contexts within the same domain - Related but distinct problem types - Scaled up or down depending on scope - Combined with complementary analytical frameworks ## Your Virtue Practice System ### Your Virtues (Ordered) | # | Virtue | Precept | Why This Order | |---|--------|---------|----------------| | 1 | **Temperance** | Use social media only for specific purposes, for set times; never to escape discomfort. | Foundation—clear mind enables focus | | 2 | **Order** | Each task has its time; define what you will do before you begin each work block. | Structure prevents drift | | 3 | **Resolution** | When you decide to do something, begin immediately; never defer what can be started now. | Builds on Order; defeats procrastination | | 4 | **Industry** | During work hours, be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary browsing. | Builds on Resolution | | 5 | **Tranquility** | Be not disturbed by difficult tasks; accept discomfort as the price of growth. | Addresses anxiety about hard work | | 6 | **Silence** | Speak not anxious thoughts aloud; do not complain about tasks before doing them. | Reduces anxiety reinforcement | | 7 | **Humility** | Accept that you will fail some days; the goal is progress, not perfection. | Prevents abandonment after failures | ### Your Tracking Template ``` Week of: _______ Focus Virtue: _______ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Temperance [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Order [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Resolution [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Industry [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Tranquility [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Silence [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Humility [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Mark X for each failure. Empty squares are victories. ``` ### Daily Practice **Morning (before work):** - Read today's focus virtue precept aloud - Ask: "What good shall I do this day?" - Define your three most important tasks **Evening (before bed):** - Review the day against all seven virtues - Mark any failures - Ask: "What good have I done today?" - Note: Was the focus virtue better than last week? ### The Speckled Axe Perspective Friend, you will discover yourself fuller of faults than you imagined. This is not failure—this is seeing clearly for the first time. I kept my little book for years and never achieved perfection. Order vexed me especially; I was almost ready to give up the attempt. But a speckled axe, wielded with determination, cuts more wood than a perfect one never forged. You may waste time on social media tomorrow. You may procrastinate on a hard task. Mark it, learn from it, and continue. The goal is not to be perfect but to be "a better and happier person than I otherwise should have been." After seven weeks, begin again. After four cycles, you will see improvement that compounds. The endeavour itself changes you. --- ## Integration This skill is part of the **Benjamin Franklin** expert persona. Use it when you need a proven, systematic approach to personal improvement that acknowledges human imperfection while driving genuine progress.