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9 STOIC JOURNAL PROMPTS —
A SIMPLE APPROACH TO DAILY
JOURNALING
Journaling advice for:
Morning | Afternoon | Evening
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The Rise of Journaling
Journaling has become incredibly popular in At the very least, journaling helps clear your
recent years. Well-known figures like Ryan mind by getting persistent thoughts out of
Holiday, Tim Ferriss, and Emma Watson have your head and onto paper. At best, it can
all spoken about its benefits. transform your mindset by encouraging deep
reflection on your life and your reactions to
There are countless ways to journal—whether events.
it’s in a blank notebook, a dedicated app, or
something structured like The Daily Stoic If done regularly, journaling can help you:
Journal. Plus, it’s an easy habit to maintain
since you can do it anywhere, anytime— • Calm and clear your mind
morning, night, at home, or on the go. • Make decisions more rationally
• Accept life’s events
More and more people who are seen as role • Reflect on lessons learned
models credit journaling as one of their • Let go of negative thoughts
most effective self-improvement tools. Even • Cultivate gratitude
Meditations, the famous Stoic work by Marcus • Improve your writing skills
Aurelius, was originally just his private journal. • Process emotions
• Increase self-awareness
So, what are the benefits of journaling, and • Plan for and prevent future problems
how do you get started? • Build discipline
• Solve everyday challenges creatively
• Track your Stoic progress
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TO EXPERIENCE THESE BENEFITS, HERE ARE NINE
S T OI C J OU R NA L P R OM P T S YOU CA N T R Y DA I LY. . .
Stoic Journal Prompts for
Morning, Afternoon, and
Evening
These prompts guide you through the day—helping you prepare for
challenges, respond to events, and reflect on how you handled them.
If you’re new to journaling, setting reminders can help you build the habit.
It might feel daunting at first, but even five minutes a day is enough to make
a difference.
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MOR N I N G PRO M PTS
“At the start of the day, tell yourself: I shall meet people who are officious, ungrateful,
abusive, treacherous, malicious, and selfish… None of them can harm me because none can
infect me with immorality… We were born to work together, like feet, hands, or eyelids, like
the rows of upper and lower teeth.”
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1
Morning journaling is a great way to set yourself up for a successful day or, at the very least, to
prepare yourself for what’s ahead. Here are three useful prompts to set the tone.
1. What challenges might I face today?
Think about your schedule and anticipate obstacles.
How will you respond with Stoic wisdom?
Examples: A difficult work task, dealing with rude people, having a tough conversation.
2. What’s the most important thing I need to accomplish today?
Identify one key task that, if completed, would make today a success.
Examples: Fixing something at home, calling a friend, booking an appointment.
3. What am I grateful for today?
Gratitude can be for big or small things—even challenges, as they help you grow.
Examples:
“I’m grateful to wake up today.”
“I’m grateful for my loved ones.”
“I’m grateful for difficulties that make me stronger.”
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AF TER NOO N PRO M PTS
“Every day and night, keep thoughts like these at hand—write them, read them aloud, talk to
yourself and others about them.”
— Epictetus, Discourses 3.24
Afternoon journaling helps you process what’s happened during your day so far and enables you to
reset your mindset if needed. Here are three prompts to help.
1. What’s worrying me?
Write down any thoughts that are weighing on your mind.
Getting them out on paper can be a huge relief.
Examples: Stress about something from the morning, an upcoming event, or concern
for a loved one.
2. How can I see today’s problems more rationally?
Write out your worries in the most factual, unemotional way possible.
This helps shrink them down to size.
Example: Instead of “This project is too hard, and I’m going to fail,” reframe it as “I
have a new project. I will break it into steps and do my best.”
3. What’s in my control, and what isn’t?
List what you can control and what you can’t. Then, focus on the former.
Example: “I can make a plan and ask for help. I can’t control other people’s opinions
of me.”
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EVE N I N G PRO M PTS
Evening journaling helps you review your day and plan for a better
tomorrow. This is an important practice in self-improvement as
it reveals what you can do better tomorrow. When reviewing
your day, always remember: the goal is never to beat yourself up
for the mistakes you made. It is simply to create an awareness of
those mistakes and to commit to not making them again.
Here are some prompts.
7. What did I do well today?
Acknowledge your successes, big or small.
Examples: Handling a situation calmly, acting with
kindness, making a wise decision.
“Admit not sleep into your tender eyelids
Till you have reckoned up each deed of the day —
How have I erred, what done or left undone?
So start, and so review your acts, and then
For vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad.”
—Epictetus, Discourses 3.10
8. What could I have done better?
Identify where you fell short—not to criticize
yourself, but to learn and improve.
Examples: Losing patience, overindulging, letting
fear hold you back treating someone unkindly.
9. How will I improve tomorrow?
Set one small goal for the next day based on what
you learned today.
Examples:
“I’ll pause before reacting emotionally.”
“I’ll face my fears with courage.”
“I’ll practice kindness in every interaction.”
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And that’s it—
a straightforward, but effective,
day of Stoic journaling!
“When the light has been removed... I
examine my entire day and go back over
what I’ve done and said, hiding nothing
from myself, passing nothing by.”
— Seneca, On Anger 3.36
One day of Stoic journaling is great, but for long-term benefits to be felt, consistency is key.
Stoicism is a daily practice. We aim to make progress with our way of thinking over time. The
goal is aligning our thoughts, intentions, and actions as much as possible with virtue. In doing
so, we increase our chances of living a happy and tranquil life while generally being beneficial
to humanity.
For more practical Stoic guidance—including new journal prompts every weekday—you can
trial a Micro Morning Meditations membership.
Every weekday, you’ll receive a uniquely crafted email covering a specific topic for the day
ahead and offering opportunities for constructive self-reflection.
These short Stoic morning routines are designed to naturally and manageably build your Stoic
abilities over time. You’ll also have full access to hundreds of past editions.
Get a free 14-day trial here: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/journal
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