5 Life Changing Journaling Habits from the Stoics

Begin With Minimal Commitment

Start Immediately Without Overthinking

• Don't stress about tools, timing, or format when beginning your journaling practice.
• Build the habit first, then expand your practice over time.
• Use simple formats like one-line-a-day journals to establish consistency.
• Consider specialized journals for workouts, reading, or food to make starting easier.
• Treat journaling like meditation—start with just one minute or five minutes rather than committing to lengthy sessions.

Choose Physical Over Digital

• Write on paper rather than using digital devices to ensure long-term accessibility.
• Physical journals remain readable for centuries, while digital files become inaccessible within years.
• Leonardo da Vinci's journals remain legible after 600 years, while files from old computers are often lost forever.

Use Journaling as a Daily Practice

Engage With Ideas Repeatedly

• Review and rewrite important concepts regularly rather than absorbing them once.
• Keep philosophical principles "at hand" by writing, reading, and discussing them consistently.
• Use prompted journals like the Daily Stoic Journal to guide daily reflection.
• Understand that repetition strengthens understanding rather than indicating weakness.

Process Emotions Privately

• Remember that "paper is more patient than people"—use your journal to vent frustrations without harming relationships.
• Create distance between yourself and your thoughts by externalizing them on the page.
• Recognize that seeing thoughts written down often reveals their irrationality or unimportance.
• Use journaling as a safe space for contradictions, complaints, and unfiltered thinking.

Apply Journaling for High-Stakes Situations

Clear Your Mind Before Important Decisions

• Use journaling as "spiritual windshield wipers" to prepare for challenging situations.
• Practice low-stakes creative thinking through doodling, sketching, or writing.
• Work through complex problems on paper before addressing them in reality.
• Dump anger, frustration, and fears onto the page to perform better when it matters most.