The Stoics were known for following a rational philosophy with the ultimate goal of living a virtuous life. Today we’ll use some examples from the ancient philosophers to outline a typical Stoic morning and evening routine.
Read on to learn how the ancient Stoics planned their typical mornings and evenings.
Approaching mornings like a Stoic
The Stoics focused their mornings around waking up early, meditating to find stillness and planning the day ahead.
Wake up early
Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher king of ancient Rome was a proponent of waking up early to tackle the day. There’s no point in staying under the covers, it’s just wasted time.
We can read in Aurelius’s Meditations:
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?”
Aurelius continues to argue why he must get out of bed and cannot simply stay in bed.
So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and 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? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
The Stoics used their philosophy in the most practical sense. They used Stoicism to motivate themselves to become their best selves.
This practice shows us that even the most powerful people on the planet has the same desires for comfort as we do. They’ve just learned to manage it, because they understand the value of not succumbing to our easy comforts.
Sure, Marcus Aurelius argued, it would be more comfortable to stay under the covers, in luxury. However, the point is that we are not here to live lives of luxury. We are here to endure, to test our capabilities and to do what we believe is worth doing.
Meditate to Find Stillness
Unlike Buddhist meditation, which involves clearing the mind to focus on breath, Stoic meditation tackles our thoughts head-on. Take a moment to unwind in a comfortable seated position before starting. Now start processing your thoughts that cause negative emotions.
Things you’re worried about. What you’re upset about. Things you have to do.
The Stoics used a simple framework to deal with these kinds of thoughts called the Dichotomy of Control. This framework centres around focusing on what you can control and embracing whatever you cannot. Amor fati. It’s also the basis of our own Stoic To-Do List
If there’s a lot on your mind, you can even use a journal to get all your thoughts on paper and review them later. That’s why Marcus Aurelius is so well-known today.
Stoic Morning Meditation Exercises
Find a comfortable place to sit and take some time to disconnect from your everyday life and try out one of these mental activities.
It may help to consider how Stoic virtue relates to your life before trying these exercises.
- Think of the sun rising and the cosmological perspective, to help put things within a larger perspective.
- Imagine life as a festival, something to be appreciated from moment to moment, but accepted as transient and finite.
- Calmly and rationally plan your day ahead, in accord with your core values and conception of virtue.
- Plan your preferences, fate permitting, accepting the possibility of failure, even the worst-case scenario, with the Stoic “reserve clause” in mind.
- Imagine responding to events with the Stoic cardinal virtues (or your own conception of virtue).
- Meet adversity by asking yourself what resources nature has given you to rise above them and make the best of the situation.
- Consider how a wise philosopher like Socrates or Zeno, or anyone exhibiting virtue, might handle things.
Prepare Yourself for the Day
Marcus Aurelius woke up early every morning to live his best life. He started each day by writing down his thoughts and reminding himself of what was important. Marcus Aurelius used this method to clear his mind and prepare himself for the day to come.
To live our best lives, we need to learn to live with intention. We need to reflect regularly about what’s important and plan subtle changes into our everyday life. Nobody has ever suddenly woken up a better person.
Progress, or lack thereof, happens one day at a time with every action we take and decision we make. This is a core idea in Atomic Habits, where positive actions compound dramatically over time.
If we don’t rule the day, the day tends to rule us. Planning each morning helps us live each day with intention.
Spending Evenings like a Stoic
After we’ve spent the day living our best lives (or at least trying), evenings make a great opportunity for reflection and a mental recharge.
Reflect on the Day
It’s good set aside a specific time everyday to reflect on your day. It’s best to reflect everyday, because one day you may find it’s too late. Make a habit of spending a few minutes each evenings asking yourself:
How was my day? What did I do well? How could I have done better? Should I have done something differently – or even something else entirely? Am I living in line with my core values? How could I be the best version of myself?
These are all questions for meditation, especially after a long day full of decisions. What better time to consider how we can improve than in the midst of it – in our everyday lives.
Seneca stayed up later than his wife to examine his entire day
“I make use of this opportunity, daily pleading my case at my own court. When the light has been taken away and my wife has fallen silent, aware as she is of my habit, I examine my entire day, going through what I have done and said. I conceal nothing from myself, I pass nothing by. I have nothing to fear from my errors when I can say: ‘See that you do not do this anymore. For the moment, I excuse you.’”
– Seneca
Seneca exemplifies the Stoic approach to evening routines. He used his most precious hours to reflect on the day and identify room for improvement. And rather than scorn himself for any imperfections, he excused himself for the moment and only planned to do better in the future.
I think that’s a really important takeaway. After all, no one is perfect. All we can ever do is our best.
Unwind and rest the mind
At the end of the day, all we can do is reflect and rest. It’s important to disconnect regularly. Otherwise, it’s too easy to feel that what is happening to us is the only thing that matters. In these situations, we need to be able to release stress and calm anxiety.
As mentioned earlier, focusing on what we can control is such a useful tool. If I had only picked up the dichotomy of control while learning Stoicism, I’d be plenty happy.
Using this simple framework made it feel like a weight was lifted from my chest. It’s helped me sleep better and disconnect from things outside my control.
Disconnecting at the end of a long day is one of the best practices you can ever pick up.
Stoic Morning & Evening Routine in a Nutshell
The Stoics were known for following a rational philosophy, aimed at living a meaningful and productive life. Their mornings typically started by waking up early, finding stillness and planning the day ahead. Evenings, on the other hand, hinged on daily reflection and resting the mind.
Marcus Aurelius was a classic early bird, spending his mornings making decisions that would hopefully make the Roman empire a better place for everyone. Seneca, on the other hand, seemed like more of a nightlark devoting his evenings to deeper Stoic reflection.
Whether you’re more a morning person or an evening person, there’s probably room for a Stoic routine at either end of the day.
Learn and develop your own morning and evening routine today with Mind & Practice.