How to Reflect on Your Day Like a Stoic
The timeless value of the Stoic practice of daily reflection.
The Stoics believed in continually striving to become better human beings. They were highly reflective and critical of their actions in an attempt to recognize aspects of their lives or their character that could be improved.
A big part of this was the practice of evening reflection. Many Stoics would put their days up for review in a very honest manner, always looking for somewhere they could have been better.
Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, speaks about a similar practice, each evening asking himself, “Where could I have been more?”
This is an incredibly powerful practice to include in our daily routines. It’s impossible to stagnate when we are repeatedly asking ourselves how we could have been more, what we could have done better, how we could have been a better human.
Stoicism can provide a blueprint to help us lead good and happy lives. In this article, I will outline this Stoic practice of reflection, how we can apply the same principles, and why it is so important.
“I will keep constant watch over myself and — most usefully — will put each day up for review. For this is what makes us evil — that none of us looks back upon our own lives. We reflect upon only that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future descend from the past.” — Seneca
Review your actions
If we want to progress forward in life, we must always look back upon our lives. At a micro-level, this involves looking back on each day with a critical mind. This is how we improve.
This regular reflection will help us to see that we have control of but one thing in our lives — our mind. From our mind come thoughts, judgments, and actions. The first step in reflecting on our day is to bring to mind all the major events that happened and our subsequent actions, thoughts, and judgments. Consider your character. Your temperament. Your words toward others. The work you did and the work you avoided. Go over everything.
Seneca explains,
“When the light has been removed and my wife has fallen silent, aware of this habit that’s now mine, I examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing by.”
This can take many forms. I use a hybrid journalling method — a cross between the Bullet Journal’s rapid logging and time blocking. I account for each half hour of my day and record what I did. This allows me to clearly see where my time went — whether it was spent in a useful way or not — and to remind myself of the major events and therefore subsequent actions or thoughts I had.
You may prefer to simply play back the day in your mind. Or you many want to discuss your day with someone. There are so many ways to do this, but what’s important is finding a way that works for you, that allows you to carefully review the events of the day.
Ask questions
Using your review, you can begin to ask questions about the day that has passed.
“Allow not sleep to close your wearied eyes,
Until you have reckoned up each daytime deed:
“Where did I go wrong? What did I do? And what duty’s left undone?”
From first to last review your acts and then
Reprove yourself for wretched [or cowardly] acts, but rejoice in those done well.”
- Epictetus
Every night the Stoics would ask themselves three questions:
- What did I do badly?
- What did I do well?
- How can I be better tomorrow and what tasks were left undone?
Ask yourself these questions honestly. Where could you have been more? More loving, more productive, more cheerful, more understanding. There is always room for improvement, and the first step is to recognize these areas where you could have been more.
Putting your day up for review each evening in itself acts as a motivator to live the day well. Knowing that your current actions will be criticized tonight will probably make it more likely that you live each minute well, exercising virtue and strength of character.
Again, this practice can take on many forms. Sometimes I will do it as a free-form journal entry. Sometimes I will make a chart and bullet point under each of the three headings. Sometimes I simply think about it.
But this task is vital for living a better day tomorrow. We must continually move forward by learning from what’s behind us — let the past propel your momentum forward.
“Each person’s task in life is to become an increasingly better person.” — Leo Tolstoy
This is how we will achieve success in our lives — by constantly striving to be better through continual reflection on our actions. This is a daily endeavor, and one we must not skip or rush through. If you want to see improvements in your life, you need to be honest with yourself. You must always demand more — never stop asking for more from yourself. Never stop being critical. Never stop growing.
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” — Epictetus
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