How to Start a Stoic Journal?

Question

How do you start a Stoic journal? The question is among the most practical in the modern Stoic revival, because the journal is the daily engine of the practice — the written record of the self-examination that Marcus Aurelius made famous in the Meditations.

Quick Answer

The Stoic journal is the daily practice of self-examination. To start: choose a notebook, and write daily — briefly, honestly, without the concern for the style. Write three kinds of entries. First, the morning reflection: before the day begins, note what the day will require — the people, the difficulties — and resolve the disciplines: to see clearly, to act justly, to endure, to accept. Second, the examination of the judgments: throughout the day, or at its end, note the judgments that arose — the fears, the angers, the cravings — and examine them: what was the impression, and what was the judgment? Was the judgment true? What would the wise response have been? Third, the evening review: examine the day — what was done well, what was done badly, what must be corrected? Resolve the improvement for tomorrow. The journal is the record of the practice, and the writing is the practice itself: the externalization of the self-examination that the Stoics made the daily discipline of the philosophical life.

Historical Wisdom

The Stoic journal descends from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, the private notebooks of the philosopher-emperor. The Meditations were never intended for publication: they are the daily record of a man training his own mind — the reminders, the examinations, the corrections — and they are the greatest Stoic journal ever kept. Seneca practiced the same discipline in the evening examination of conscience — "when the light has been removed... I examine my entire day" — and the tradition of the journal has run through the whole of the Stoic practice, from the ancient portico to the modern Stoic community, which has made the daily journal one of the signature exercises of the revival.

Philosophical Perspectives

The journal is the practice of the discipline of assent, externalized. The Stoic discipline of assent — the examination of the impressions before the acceptance — is the daily work of the mind, and the journal is the written form of the work: the impressions of the day are recorded, the judgments are examined, and the corrections are resolved. The journal is also the practice of the self-knowledge: the writing reveals the patterns — the recurring fears, the habitual angers, the automatic cravings — and the revelation is the beginning of the correction. The journal is the mirror of the soul, and the writing is the examination.

Lessons From Thinkers

From Marcus Aurelius: the journal is the record — the Meditations are the proof that the daily writing is the daily practice. From Seneca: the examination is the evening discipline — "I examine my entire day." From the tradition: the journal is the engine — the writing makes the practice visible, and the visible practice is the practice that is corrected.

Practical Application

The practice has a simple method. Choose the notebook — any notebook will do. Write daily — five minutes is enough. Write honestly — the journal is private, and the honesty is the point: the examination that hides the error is the examination that fails. Write in the three modes: the morning reflection (the preparation), the examination of the judgments (the core of the practice), and the evening review (the correction). Review the journal weekly — the patterns emerge in the retrospect, and the patterns are the material of the correction. The journal is the daily engine of the Stoic life, and the writing is the practice itself.

Quotes

Marcus Aurelius states the record: "Wipe out the impression; stop the pulling of the strings; confine yourself to the present." Seneca states the examination: "When the light has been removed and my wife has fallen silent... I examine my entire day." And the modern summary states the method: "The Stoic journal is the daily record of the self-examination — the writing that makes the practice visible."

Related Questions

• How to Practice Stoic Meditation — the morning and evening disciplines.
• Stoic Practices for Daily Life — the wider practice.
• What Is Prosoche? — the attention that grounds the journal.
• What Is Stoicism? — the philosophy behind the practice.