5 Reasons Why We Should Make Writing a Part of Our Daily Life

Writing is one of the many important aspect of a Stoic life. Stoics regularly reflect on their thoughts and examine their feelings. They do so by writing their thoughts and feelings on their journal. After all, we organise our thoughts through writing.

I am already an avid diarist even before I have been exposed to this ancient philosophy of Stoicism. My love for writing is perhaps one of the many reasons why Stoicism resonated to me so much. Like the proponents of Stoicism in antiquity, I have also acquired a passion in writing: I just cannot not write.

I imagine Marcus Aurelius waking up early in the morning and writing his meditations as he prepares himself for the day ahead. Or Seneca sitting at his desk and writing about his evaluation of the day that has passed. Both Marcus Aurelius and Seneca are proponents of Stoicism. The former was an emperor while the latter was a politician.

The Belcher Method: Writing 10 Minutes a day

While still in graduate school and writing my research project, I encountered a workbook entitled Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success, authored by Wendy Laura Belcher. Belcher is a professor of African literature at Princeton University. Her book has changed my relationship and thus my experience with writing.

The Belcher method – as I’d like to call it – aims to make writing an integral part of one’s daily life by writing 10 minutes a day. As Belcher succinctly puts it: ‘If one does not write on a regular basis, one will get better at not writing’ (2009:5).

By writing 10 minutes a day, we do not only put our work at the front and centre of our minds, but it will also save us from fatigue, stress, and dread when writing for long hours a day. No matter how busy we are, we always have 10 minutes a day that we can allocate for writing.

Youtube Video: 7 Ways Marcus Aurelius Will Help You Journal Like A Pro | Ryan Holiday | Stoicism

In this video, Ryan Holiday discusses one of the Stoic practices, namely, journaling. Marcus Aurelius – a Roman Emperor and a Stoic philosopher – had a habit: he kept a journal in which he wrote his meditation.

His writing was not intended for publication. He was writing to himself and for himself. His writing has been passed down to us which is now called The Meditation, but it was originally called to himself.

For someone who enjoys writing so much (including, but not exclusively journaling), this video and the philosophy of Stoicism in general is motivating as it is reassuring. In a way, this blog, is an extension, albeit a filtered version, of my journal.