How to Plan Your Day Like a Stoic
5 steps to help you cultivate a meaningful life.
An important practice for the Stoics was planning their day. Marcus Aurelius is arguably the most famous Stoic for engaging in morning planning, which can be seen in his Meditations. But it appears that other Stoics engaged in a similar practice. The Stoics had one sole purpose for this endeavor— to continually become better human beings.
Today, so many of us go through our days mindlessly. We think about the future in terms of wishing for things — more money, a better relationship, a freer life — but we never actually make it happen. We don’t take the required steps to change our lives and to become better versions of ourselves.
But we can take this practice from the Stoics and apply it to our modern lives. By taking the time to plan each day, we can construct the lives we want. We can improve our relationships, we can find a better job, we can become fit and healthy.
Planning is the key to moving ourselves forward and continually becoming better human beings. And I think that this is our core purpose in life — to always be better than the day before.
In this article, I will outline how the Stoics planned their day, how we can apply the same principles, and why it is important.
“Each person’s task in life is to become an increasingly better person.” — Leo Tolstoy
Prepare for adversity
Marcus Aurelius is famous for his morning planning, and there is a lot to be learned from his practice. When Marcus awoke in the morning, he would consider the day ahead — the ways in which he would go about his day, how he would behave in accordance with the four virtues of Stoicism (wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance), the challenges he may face, and how he would work to overcome these. He explained,
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil.”
I think this aspect of morning planning is particularly powerful. Preparing for any obstacles or challenges you may face throughout the day means that if they do materialize, you will be well equipped to manage them and to continue through your day unscathed. And considering how you will utilize the four virtues in this endeavor will ensure you are well equipped to deal with any adversity.
Seneca further outlines this practice, explaining,
“Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: Not to give in to adversity, never to trust prosperity, and always to take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as less of a shock.”
Think about what challenges or obstacles may come up during the course of your day, and how you might deal with them. The simple act of considering that they may occur will have huge benefits for how you cope if they do, and will mentally prepare you for this adversity. Envisage the tools and strengths you will cultivate to effectively cope with these challenges.
Plan for a day lived well
Another aspect of the morning planning of the Stoics was to ensure that the day was lived well. The Stoics were passionate about leading meaningful and purposeful lives. Seneca reminds us,
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
Planning our days will help us to ensure that we are putting our time and effort into meaningful pursuits.
Ryan Holiday speaks of the importance of choosing alive time rather than dead time, a concept he learned from Robert Greene.
“Life is constantly asking us, Is this going to be alive time or dead time? A long commute. Are we going to zone out or listen to an audiobook? A delayed flight. Are we going to get in a couple of miles by walking around the terminal or shove a Cinnabon into our face? A tour of duty or a contract we have to earn out. Is this tying us down or freeing us up? That’s our call…. We have to choose to make every moment a moment of alive time. We have to decide to be present. To make the most of whatever is in front of us.”
As you plan your day, identify ways where you can maximize alive time, and minimize dead time. Recognize the situations in which you can bring more value and meaning to your day to ensure that your days are lived to their maximum potential. See what events and tasks are on the agenda, and consider whether they are a meaningful use of your time.
Refocus on your purpose
Marcus Aurelius frequently alluded to his purpose — what he was brought here to do. This kept him focused on the task at hand and gave him the motivation to wake up in the morning.
“Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants, the spiders, and the bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being?”
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
Morning planning allows us to reconnect with our purpose — our reason for being here. And focusing on this purpose will help with the point above. Living each day in alignment with your core purpose in life will ensure that your day is lived well and that your time is spent in meaningful pursuits.
Before entering into the new day, bring to mind your purpose and remind yourself of why you are here, and why you are rising from bed in the first place. It may be helpful to articulate an intention for the day ahead to keep you focused on this purpose. Throughout the day, come back to your purpose or your intention to help keep yourself focused on the task at hand.
Remember what is in your control
This is one of the core ideas of the Stoics — the dichotomy of control. We either have control over something, or we don’t. Recognizing the difference between the two is imperative for a steady mind and a happy life. In our morning planning, we can remind ourselves of what we control, and in this way, not become upset by things we have no control over as we go about our days.
Marcus Aurelius says,
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
There is no point in wasting time or energy on things outside of your control. Focus your energy on the things you can control — your actions, your thoughts, your judgments. Consider the happenings of the day ahead and realize that you do not have control over most things. This preparation and recognition will make it easier for you to let go of resistance to the things you don’t have control over — the traffic, your colleagues’ actions, the neighbor’s loud music. Essentially, we have control over our minds and nothing else. Realize this, and you will be free.
Remember your mortality — Memento Mori
Life is not a given and living to see another day is not promised. We must always remember this. And although it may sound morbid, reflecting on this in our morning planning will ensure that we live each day well. If tomorrow is not guaranteed, what must we do today to be content with what we have achieved in life thus far?
Marcus Aurelius frequently reminded himself of his mortality:
“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
Remembering your own mortality will help you to live life with excellence. If you approach each task as if it were your last, because it very well could be, you are likely to do it well and with your whole heart. This is related to the important Stoic concept of arete — essentially, excellence.
Seneca had a similar outlook:
“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day.… The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.”
Embrace each day as if it were your last. Do all things with excellence. Make the most of your limited time here on earth.
Note
This all seems like a lot of work to do each morning. How did the Stoics have time to complete this comprehensive plan during their busy lives?
This planning doesn’t have to be time-consuming. I like to do a journaling session each morning, and, depending on my mood and my time constraints, this can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. I read today’s passage from The Daily Stoic and journal on this, before writing one thing I am grateful for, an intention for the day, and the most important thing I need to do today to work towards my purpose. It’s brief. It’s simple. I’ve taken the practice of the Stoics and made it my own.
Play around with this practice and find a way to make it work for you. In regard to Momento Mori, I don’t have a formal practice. Rather, I think about how I am lucky to be alive when I awake, and throughout the day come back to the idea that tomorrow is not guaranteed and that I must both live today to the best of my ability and at the same time be grateful for every minute of life that I have.
Conclusion
The Stoics firmly believed in planning their days and used this practice as a tool to cultivate meaningful lives. This practice is still relevant today and we can use it to construct meaningful and purposeful lives in which we are pursuing our goals and becoming ever better human beings.
Take the time each morning to prepare for adversity, plan for a day lived well, refocus on your purpose, remember what is in your control, and to remember your own mortality.
Embracing this practice will help you to live the most fulfilling and meaningful life possible to you, through gradual improvement each day.
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” — Epictetus
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