Seize the day!
Four Stoic strategies to get the most out of the day
We are always planning to live when life is passing us by. The only way to live well is to seize the day and live effectively today.
Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
- Kalidasa
No one starts the day saying, “Well, I am going to waste my time today.” We waste our time without meaning to, helplessly. We pretend we have an unlimited time supply, but we don’t.
No matter how carefully we guard [time, there] is never quite enough even for necessary things. — Seneca, Epistulae Morales 49
Yet we have all the time in the world if we use it correctly.
The good in life does not depend on life’s length but upon the use we make of it. - Seneca, Epistulae Morales 49
Do you want to live well today but don’t quite know how? No problem, the Stoics are standing by to help us. They offered four major suggestions: Eliminate the unnecessary, focus only on what needs doing today, avoid busywork, and be flexible. Here is how:
1. Eliminate the unnecessary
Why do we waste so much time? It’s because our life is full of junk. The clutter obscures our vision. We wander into blind alleys, not going anywhere in particular. We are pulled and pushed by random events. Realize this truth. Eliminate all that is unnecessary and ask yourself what you want to do today. Think about it and write it down. Do the things you want to do before doing random things. “Front-end load” important things. Keep the less important things for later.
See clearly for yourself what is necessary and what is superfluous. — Seneca, Epistulae Morales, 110
Having a consistent vision is key. We will know what to do with our time when we have a consistent vision. And we will have enough time to do what we need.
2. Avoid busywork
We feel that we are too busy and don’t have time to do everything. In reality, our time is taken up by activities that serve no purpose. It shows that our minds are restless and not at ease. Filling our time with activities that serve no purpose is useless.
A love of ceaseless activity is not diligence. It is just the restlessness of a driven mind. — Seneca, Epistulae Morales, 3
An agitated mind is not the same as an active mind. We should differentiate useless activities from focused actions. Focused actions are consistent with our vision as opposed to ‘activities’, which are done for the sake of keeping ourselves busy.
3. Focus on today
One of the reasons why people are not productive is that they are worried about the future. But if we concentrate on what must be done today, we don’t have to worry about what tomorrow might bring.
Devote yourself to what should be done today, and you will not have to depend so much on tomorrow. — Seneca, Epistulae Morales I.
If we take care of today, tomorrow will take care of itself. So, the only day we must be concerned about is today and what needs to be done today.
4. Be flexible
Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean you should be rigid. You should stand by your plan only if it is a sound one. Otherwise, you should be flexible enough to change it if circumstances change or if you are wrong to begin with.
“We must stick with a decision.”
“That applies only to a sound decision, not to any decision.”
— Epictetus, Discourses 2.15
At the same, we should not change our minds because we are fickle.
We should not be afraid to change either our purpose or our position — as long as we don’t let that flexibility become fickleness. — Seneca, Moral Essays II.267
There you have it. Follow these four guidelines and the day is yours!
Practicing Stoicism
The ancient Stoics offered simple and effective solutions to everyday problems. And yet, just knowing the basics will not get you far. Neither will random reading of Stoic literature. To achieve happiness and freedom, you must consistently commit yourself to practicing Stoicism. Every day. Practice is key. Musicians do it. Athletes do it. No excellence can be achieved without practice. We are here to help you all the way. So, fellow Prokoptons, we are glad you joined us by committing to practicing Stoicism daily! Watch your mailbox for more instructions in the coming days!
Wonderful Strategies! I often struggle with my fear of the future that I forget about what matters "today". It's a nice reminder that my worries of tomorrow will diminish if I complete my work of today :)
Great post