DECISIONS · WEIGHED NOT GUESSED
Weigh your options on the scales.
A five-step Franklin ledger that turns a messy decision into a clear comparison — and never tells you which way to go.
fig. 1 — the scale tips, the call stays yours
01 · The method
A Franklin ledger walks the same five deliberate steps every time, from a messy question to a clear comparison.
Name the choice in front of you, in plain words.
List what pulls for and against each option.
Mark how much each factor matters, from 1 to 5.
Rate how true each factor would really be.
Read the balance — and make your own call.
02 · The scoring
Two sums, one balance. Pros add what you stand to gain; cons subtract what you can tolerate losing.
worked — one strong pro, one mild con
+10 − 2 = +8
Penalties are tolerance-adjusted. A con does not subtract its full weight — it subtracts (w × (2 − tolerance)) ÷ 2. A downside you cannot live with costs nearly double its weight; one you shrug off costs almost nothing.
03 · The case study
Stay at the current job, or take the startup offer? Here is the ledger, exactly as the app would keep it.
| Factor | Option | Side | Weight | Rating | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stable income | A · stay | pro | 5 | +2 | +10 |
| Boring work | A · stay | con | 2 | 0 | −2 |
| Equity upside | B · startup | pro | 4 | +2 | +8 |
| High risk | B · startup | con | 3 | −1 | −4.5 |
| Totals — A (stay) +8 vs B (startup) +3.5 | |||||
Pros rate satisfaction, +2 (great) to −2 (regret). Cons rate tolerance, +2 (shrug it off) to −2 (can't live with it) — then their penalty is tolerance-adjusted before it hits the column.
The scales tip toward stay — your call.
04 · The honest part
Three refusals, printed plainly. The ledger's restraint is the whole point of it.
The report shows which way the numbers lean and stops there. The call is yours to make, and nothing in the app edges you toward it.
No verdicts, no confidence scores, no “the data says”. If the balance is fuzzy, the report says it is fuzzy — honesty over theater.
If a haircut honestly outweighs a career, the ledger writes it down without blinking. Your priorities are taken at face value, always.
05 · Asked & answered
The questions people bring to the ledger, answered straight.
Five to ten minutes, end to end — a few minutes for the list, a minute or two for weights, a minute for satisfaction. The report is instant.
Yes. Completed ledgers stay on your device. Reopen one, nudge a weight or a rating, and watch the balance move in real time.
Start rough. The app suggests concrete names for the two sides of your choice, and you can rename them whenever you like. A fuzzy decision weighed beats a crisp one avoided.
On your device, and only there. No account, no upload — your ledgers are yours alone, and deleting one deletes it for good.
The choice in front of you deserves better than a coin flip.