I decided to begin this year by examining my values through the writing prompts of The 5-minute Stoicism Journal. This journal is the second book I wrote in 2019, it was released in November, just a month after The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism. I developed the journal with the hope that Stoics both novice and well practiced would put aside just five minutes a day for sustained reflection on their values. Even this short amount of time can help the writer orient their day in a way that promotes personal growth. I built the writing prompts around the three Stoic Disciplines and their corresponding Virtues. There are brief descriptions of these themes, but the journal does assume prior knowledge of Stoicism as a life philosophy.
Journaling is a longstanding philosophical practice. Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, one of Stoicism’s most famous works, is a personal journal in which the Emperor expressed his highest ideals and challenged himself to improve his character. The 5-minute Stoicism Journal provides prompts that focus the writer on their own ideals. In just this first week of writing I’ve been challenged to examine my willpower, to write about successes and failures, and to think about my reaction to personal loss. It’s been instructive. I have already found value in adding these few minutes to my morning routine.
My standard morning practice consists in daily recalling the premeditations of either Marcus or Seneca, which I wrote about in How to Meet the Morning, and then to go outside (usually standing in my backyard before going to work) and performing the View from Above. The premeditations prepare me to interact with people as well as the inevitable ups and downs of the day, while the View helps center me by placing my life in a larger context. At their best these practices do help me find the good flow of life, but too often they become overly rote and habitual and lack that certain spark that impacts me in the moment. What I have enjoyed about five minute journaling is that each day is a fresh take on my life. Each day is a new prompt that demands I examine unexpected aspects of my life. I’ve found that the thoughts that accompany those five minutes persist throughout my day. I recall my morning musings as I carry out my tasks and I am challenged to live up to what I put on the page.
Right now my main complaint is that there should be more lines provided per prompt. This is something I noticed as I started seeing the final designs, but I’d never created a book like this so I left those decisions up to the design team. I also wonder if the first week’s prompts are off-putting in how self-critical they ask the writer to be. I wrote the journal while I was finishing up The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism and I wonder if the old Stoic teachers rubbed off on me? Maybe I was more gruff than necessary? The tone is something I’ll definitely be paying attention to as I spend the next few months in the journal.
This first week in the journal has been personally enriching and has made me happy that I took on the project when it was offered. If you are looking for a way to build up the beneficial habit of examining your values and aligning your thoughts and actions with your best self, I believe the short but potent exercises in The 5-minute Stoicism Journal would be a valuable part of your day.
