You've read about Stoicism. You're intrigued. But where do you actually begin? Here's a practical seven-day guide to starting your Stoic practice - no philosophy degree required.
Before You Begin
Stoicism isn't learned by reading. It's learned by doing.
The ancient Stoics called their philosophy an askesis - a practice, a training regimen. You can read about push-ups forever, but you won't get stronger until you do them. Philosophy is the same.
This week gives you one simple exercise per day. Each builds on the last. By day seven, you'll have the foundation of a genuine Stoic practice.
What you'll need:
- A few minutes each morning and evening
- Something to write with (phone notes, journal, whatever works)
- Willingness to actually try the exercises, not just read about them
Let's begin.
Day 1: The Morning Preparation
The Practice:
Before your feet hit the floor, pause. Take three breaths. Then say to yourself (silently or aloud):
"Today will have difficulties. Something will not go as planned. Someone will frustrate me. I may frustrate myself. This is normal. I can handle whatever comes."
That's it. Thirty seconds. Then start your day.
Why This Works:
Marcus Aurelius did this every morning. He wrote:
"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness."
This isn't pessimism. It's preparation. By acknowledging difficulty in advance, you're not ambushed when it arrives. The annoying coworker doesn't throw you off - you expected annoyance. The traffic doesn't ruin your morning - you knew disruption was possible.
Tonight, Write:
One sentence about how the morning preparation affected your day. Did anything feel different?
Day 2: Notice What You Control
The Practice:
Continue your morning preparation from Day 1.
Then, throughout the day, notice when you feel frustrated, anxious, or upset. Each time, pause and ask:
"Is the thing bothering me in my control or not?"
Don't try to fix anything yet. Just notice and categorize.
Why This Works:
This is the dichotomy of control - the foundation of Stoic philosophy. Epictetus taught:
"Some things are within our power, while others are not."
Most suffering comes from demanding control over things we can't control: other people's opinions, traffic, the economy, whether the email gets a response. By noticing where your frustration actually lives, you start seeing patterns.
Tonight, Write:
Three things that bothered you today. For each, note: Was it in your control or not? Be honest.
Day 3: The Evening Review
The Practice:
Continue morning preparation.
Tonight, before sleep, spend five minutes reviewing your day. Ask three questions (from Seneca):
- What bad habit did I curb today? (Maybe you didn't complain, didn't check your phone compulsively, didn't snap at someone)
- What virtue did I practice? (Patience? Honesty? Courage? Even small instances count)
- How am I better than yesterday? (What did I learn? What would I do differently?)
Why This Works:
Seneca reviewed his day every night for years. He wrote:
"When the light has been removed and my wife has fallen silent... I examine my entire day and go back over what I've done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing by."
This isn't harsh self-judgment. It's honest assessment. The goal is learning, not punishment. You're studying yourself like a scientist, gathering data for improvement.
Tonight, Write:
Answer the three questions. Keep it brief - a sentence or two each.
Day 4: Catch Yourself Complaining
The Practice:
Continue morning preparation and evening review.
Today, add one rule: Every time you catch yourself complaining (out loud or internally), pause. Notice what you're complaining about. Ask: "Is this in my control?"
If yes: Stop complaining, take action.
If no: Stop complaining, redirect your attention to what you can control.
Why This Works:
Complaining is a habit of demanding that reality be different than it is. The Stoics saw this as irrational - and exhausting.
Marcus Aurelius wrote:
"Don't waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people... It will keep you from doing anything useful."
Catching complaints reveals how much mental energy goes toward things you cannot change. That energy could be redirected.
Tonight, Write:
How many complaints did you catch today? What were the most common themes? How much was within your control?
Day 5: Practice Negative Visualization
The Practice:
Continue your morning and evening practices.
Today, add a brief contemplation: Imagine losing something you value. Maybe it's your job, your health, a relationship, a possession. Don't dwell morbidly - just sit with the possibility for 60 seconds.
Then notice: How do you feel about having that thing right now?
Why This Works:
The Stoics called this premeditatio malorum - the premeditation of adversity. It sounds dark, but it creates gratitude.
When you imagine losing your health, you appreciate your health. When you imagine losing someone, you appreciate their presence. Temporary consideration of loss cuts through the hedonic treadmill - the tendency to take good things for granted.
Seneca wrote:
"Let us, then, balance life's books each day... He who daily puts the finishing touches to his life is never in want of time."
Tonight, Write:
What did you imagine losing? How did contemplating loss affect your appreciation for what you have?
Day 6: Do One Hard Thing Willingly
The Practice:
Continue all previous practices.
Today, deliberately choose one uncomfortable thing and do it willingly. Not miserably - willingly. It could be:
- A cold shower (or ending your shower cold)
- A difficult conversation you've been avoiding
- Exercise you don't feel like doing
- Saying no to something you usually say yes to
- Saying yes to something you usually avoid
The key: Choose it. Do it without complaint. Even embrace it.
Why This Works:
The Stoics practiced voluntary discomfort to build resilience. Seneca recommended:
"Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: 'Is this the condition that I feared?'"
By choosing discomfort, you prove to yourself that you can handle it. You reduce fear of hardship by practicing hardship. And you appreciate comfort more when you're not enslaved to it.
Tonight, Write:
What hard thing did you choose? How did doing it willingly feel different from doing it reluctantly?
Day 7: Review and Set Intentions
The Practice:
No new exercise today. Instead, reflect on the week:
Morning:
- What worked? Which practices felt most useful?
- What was difficult? What did you resist?
- What did you notice about yourself?
Evening:
- Which practices will you continue?
- What adjustments would make them more sustainable?
- What's one intention for next week?
Write your answers. Be specific.
Why This Works:
Stoicism is a lifelong practice, not a week-long experiment. This review helps you transition from "trying Stoicism" to "practicing Stoicism."
Not every exercise will resonate equally. Some people love the morning preparation; others prefer the evening review. Some find negative visualization powerful; others need more time with it. Your practice should fit your life.
What You've Built
In seven days, you've established:
- Morning preparation - Acknowledging difficulty before it arrives
- Awareness of control - Distinguishing what's yours from what isn't
- Evening review - Learning from each day
- Complaint awareness - Noticing where energy goes
- Negative visualization - Cultivating gratitude through contemplation
- Voluntary discomfort - Building resilience through practice
These aren't separate techniques. They're interconnected. The morning preparation uses the dichotomy of control. The evening review examines how well you applied it. Negative visualization exercises control awareness. Voluntary discomfort proves you can handle what you've prepared for.
Together, they form the beginning of a Stoic practice.
What Comes Next
Keep the core:
Most practitioners maintain morning preparation and evening review as daily anchors. These take 5-10 minutes combined and create a framework for everything else.
Go deeper:
- Read one of the ancient texts (start with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Gregory Hays translation)
- Learn more about the dichotomy of control
- Explore memento mori (death contemplation)
- Study the four Stoic virtues
Be patient:
You won't become Stoic in a week. The ancient Stoics practiced for lifetimes. What you've done is start. That's the hardest part.
Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations as reminders to himself - proof that even a philosopher-emperor needed constant practice. Don't expect perfection. Expect progress.
Common First-Week Questions
"I missed a day. Should I start over?"
No. Just resume. Missing days is normal. The practice is about general direction, not perfect streaks.
"The exercises feel awkward."
They should. You're building new mental habits. It gets more natural with repetition.
"I don't feel different yet."
You probably won't after one week. These changes compound over months and years. Keep going.
"What if I don't believe in Stoicism fully?"
You don't have to. Try the practices. See what helps. Philosophy is judged by results, not belief.
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." - Marcus Aurelius
You've stopped arguing. You've started practicing.
Now continue.
- The Dichotomy of Control: The Most Important Idea You'll Ever Learn
- The Stoic Morning Routine: Going Deeper
- Download the Daily Reflection Journal
You've stopped arguing. You've started practicing.
Now continue.