Stoic Journaling · Stoic philosophy
Values Clarification
A structured written audit that names your core values, defines them in your own words, and compares them against what you actually did last week. Developed from Donald Robertson's integration of Stoic prohairesis with ACT values work (Hayes & Wilson), it is useful for anyone who suspects a gap between what they say matters and how they spend their time. Thirty minutes is the real minimum; the depth comes from sitting with that gap honestly, not from filling in a template quickly.
Evidence basis
Stoic prohairesis (Epictetus, Discourses; Marcus Aurelius, Meditations); Robertson's cognitive-Stoic integration framework (Robertson, 'How to Think Like a Roman Emperor,' 2019); ACT values clarification (Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson, 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,' 1999; Wilson & Murrell values work, 2004); convergence of Stoic and ACT values frameworks discussed in Robertson, 'The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy,' 2010
Duration
30 min
Posture
Sitting
Difficulty
Intermediate
Format
Journaling
Benefits
The practice
Step by step
- 01
Sit at a table or desk with paper and pen, or an open document. Your back should be supported and your writing surface at a comfortable height.
- 02
At the top of the page write today's date and the heading 'My Values.' Set a timer for five minutes and write down every value that feels genuinely yours — single words or short phrases only. Do not filter yet.
- 03
When the timer ends, read your list and circle the five that feel most load-bearing — the ones whose absence would make your life feel hollow. If you have fewer than five, that is fine; do not pad the list.
- 04
For each of the five circled values, write one sentence that defines what it means to you in practice. Not what it means in the abstract — what it looks like in a Tuesday afternoon of your actual life.
- 05
Draw a line under that section. Write the heading 'Last Week.' Spend two minutes recalling the past seven days as concretely as you can — conversations, decisions, how you used your time, what you avoided.
- 06
Take your first value and ask: where did my actions last week reflect this value? Write down specific instances, however small. Do not generalize.
- 07
Now ask the harder question for that same value: where did my actions last week contradict or ignore it? Write those instances down with the same specificity. Resist the urge to explain or excuse — just name what happened.
- 08
Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each of your remaining four values. Take the time each one needs; some will surface more friction than others.
- 09
Read back through the gaps — the places where action and value diverged. Notice which one carries the most weight for you right now. You do not have to fix everything this week.
- 10
For the gap that matters most, write one specific corrective commitment for the coming week. Make it behavioral and concrete: not 'be more present with my family' but 'eat dinner without my phone on Tuesday and Thursday.'
- 11
Write the commitment in the form: 'This week I will [specific action] because it reflects my value of [value name].' The because clause matters — it connects the behavior to the reason.
- 12
Close by reading your five value definitions aloud once. This is not ceremony; it is encoding. Hearing your own words in your own voice reinforces the link between intention and memory.
- 13
Set the journal aside. Do not review it again today. Return to the commitment you wrote at the start of each day this week — a single glance is enough.
Modifications
Variations
Compressed 10-minute version for constrained days: skip the full week-review and focus on one value only — the one currently under the most pressure. Write the definition, name one alignment and one gap from the past 48 hours, and write the corrective commitment. Depth is reduced but the core audit is preserved.
Low-vision or motor-impairment version: use a voice recorder or dictation software instead of handwriting. Speak each section aloud as if explaining it to a trusted friend. The spoken version works as well as written for the reflective function; print or save the transcript if you want to review it later.
Note
This practice asks you to identify where your behavior has fallen short of your stated values. For people currently in a depressive episode, that audit can tip into rumination or self-attack rather than constructive reflection. If you notice the exercise generating shame spirals rather than problem-solving, stop and return when mood is more stable, or do the compressed single-value version with a therapist's support. People processing recent bereavement or major loss may find the 'last week' review surfaces grief material unexpectedly; that is not dangerous, but it is worth knowing in advance so you are not caught off guard. This is a journaling practice, not psychotherapy — if the gap between values and actions feels overwhelming rather than workable, that is information worth bringing to a clinician.