# History
6 items
Benjamin Franklin Time Blocking Method
Historical time management practice where Benjamin Franklin meticulously detailed hour-by-hour activities including work, rest, and chores. Considered an early adoption of structured daily timeboxing.
Charles Schwab's $25,000 Check for Ivy Lee
The famous 1918 story where Bethlehem Steel president Charles Schwab paid productivity consultant Ivy Lee $25,000 (equivalent to $400,000 in 2015) after three months of using the six-task prioritization method.
Charles Schwab's $25,000 Payment to Ivy Lee
Historic 1918 payment from industrialist Charles Schwab to productivity consultant Ivy Lee for his six-task prioritization method, equivalent to approximately $400,000 today, demonstrating the immense value of effective time management advice.
Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique Origins
The creation story of the Pomodoro Technique in the 1980s when Francesco Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer as a university student, developing the 25-minute work interval system that became one of the world's most popular time management methods.
Taiichi Ohno's Toyota Kanban System
The original Kanban system created by Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno in the 1940s as a visual workflow management method using signboards to control inventory and production flow, later adapted for knowledge work and time management.
Vilfredo Pareto's 1896 80/20 Observation
Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto's 1896 discovery that 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population, establishing the foundational principle that became the Pareto Principle or 80/20 Rule applied to productivity and time management.