Are there any Stoics here?

[ThorsBedazzler]

Does anyone else follow Stoicism here?

I'm an atheist, and happy with that. But having read Derren Brown's book "Happy" and read around stoicism, I've found a way of living that makes sense to me.

It has helped me focus less on other people, and more on what in m life i can control. I'm struggling at the moment with a run of unconnected but inconvenient events but have found it easier to bounce back because I've accepted that things happen, it isn't a cosmic plan against me, I'm not a victim.

I'm planning on reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (have read excerpts before) and Seneca too. It just seems a sensible way to approach life to me.

Anyone else?

@ThorsBedazzler - thank you for starting this thread. I've now signed up to The Daily Stoic and I'm reading 'Happy' by Derren Brown.

I have two children with special needs and constantly worry about them and their futures. I'm already 'stoic' in the everyday sense, but I'm finding it comforting to read more about the philosophy of stoicism.

In the spirit of Stoicism, does anyone have any book recs for "bloody get on with things"?

thanks.

I don't. But I do tell myself a lot "just do the thing" as a means to get over procrastination or to just complete a job (sometimes just putting the teaspoon in the dishwasher rather than the sink).

I've bought the daily stoic book and have been reading it first and last thing. Im hoping some of it sticks.

Re procrastinating, one of the most helpful memos I had once was: If not you, who? If not now, when?
A book would be good though

I have the Stoic book, I don't use the website I think some people use.

I have about 6 - 8 hours on the Tube every week, lucky me. So I thought I'd ask if anyone had any book recs in the "bloody get on with it" vein.

sadly I stupidly gave one to the charity shop, it was a suggestion from a high achieving friend. ( She always has a motivational book on the go.
I guess maybe she'd be a high achiever without them but she loves them.)

hopefully I'm in more of a frame of mind for those things to be useful and I'd like to get use out of the Tube time.

I'm at the point where I need to make a plan for best use of time. I was a bit "start anywhere" as per Dr Shepherd and the tumour, (if anyone watches Grey's Anatomy) but I think it's time for a strategy.

I’m another one who needs help with procrastination. I’ve started using a bullet journal with a habit tracker to encourage myself to get out of bed at six, track internet time etc Still don’t feel on top of things though, and lack self discipline.
Would love a book recommendation too :)

I'm not looking at stuff related to procrastination, more the bigger picture

it's almost as if I forget what I want....I know that's crossing over into ADHD but that's even more why I want a "bloody crack on" helpful tome.

Anyone having trouble with procrastination should read the 2 articles on the Wait But Why? website about procrastinating. Both hilarious and helpful!

I use a Bullet Journal too, @WheelofLife . Have done for about 8 years. It's brilliant!

I've found The Fabulous app to be really useful for procrastination/getting things done. I've got some free passes I can share (you do need to sign up and it's about £30-40 a year but can cancel before you pay), it has helped me a lot just figuring out what I need to do each day and get into proper routines. There is a stoic "journey" too which really clicked with me.

It's not a book but I check in every day, have to do lists and wee things to read. I like it, it works for me but I know it doesn't for everyone.

Just had a peek at this blog. Looks good. Thanks for recommendation 😀

Just had a quick look at fabulous too @ThorsBedazzler Looks interesting. I'll pm you later!

This is a fascinating thread. Thank you so much for starting it OP. I had never heard of Stoicism as a way of life, just as a description of putting up with stuff. Will look into it all. It sounds fascinating. Thank you everyone for all these suggestions. i just looked up some Marcus Aurelius quotes and love them.

People asking for a book recommendation - there's quite a famous book Getting Things Done by David someone. I looked at it as I am an arch procrastinator. Personally, I found his system too complex. I have ADHD which is the root cause of procrastinating and I'd forget to work his system on top of forgetting to do everything else too. But it is highly regarded, so it might work for others.

Also worth looking at the Pomodoro system. Google it -= lots of ways to get into it.

My own preferred method isn't a book but adapted from Flylady's 5-minute room rescue technique. Set a timer for 5 minutes and start to do what you need to do. You can stop after the 5 mins is up if you like. It makes things less insurmountable, and getting started is usually the biggest stumbling block. But what is really transformative about this method is discovering how much you can achieve in 5 minutes. I can make a pigsty room look neat in 5 mins now. Pay a bill I'd forgotten to pay. Even doing 5 mins of HIIT or yoga or meditation is a massive improvement on not doing any. Pulling up garden weeds for 5 minutes makes a visible difference. Putting a wahsload on, emptying the dishwasher, even having a super quick shower to freshen up after a hot day that leaves you lethargic. You can get dinner ready in 5 minutes - soak fresh pasta in hot water, open a bag of salad and heat up a veggie sauce, if you are too tired or overworked to do anything else. The just-five-minutes method kickstarts you if you are shattered.

I like the 5 minute block idea @goldfinchonthelawn !

I like flylady too @goldfinchonthelawn and find her use of a timer really useful. I use it for all sorts of things

@EmmaH2022 re goal-setting... within Stoicism it would probably be considered focusing too much on an outcome (which is ultimately beyond all our control). So you know what you are aiming for, you do your absolute best to achieve it - but you accept that despite all your efforts, it may well not happen - and that's ok. That's the bit you detach from - the outcome, positive or negative. So no weeping and wailing because something doesn't work out, but equally no backslapping and high-fiving when it does (because it wasn't in your control anyway). There are some other thinkers moving away from goal setting and explaining why (Olivier Burkeman in The Antidote is one I like).

As far as changing behaviour and developing new habits... Atomic Habits by James Clearly? that's a good one. My sister swears by The Power of Habit by Charles Dutrigg for helping her be more productive.

I opened Seneca’s ‘Letters from a Stoic’ this morning
Your greatest difficulty is with yourself: you are your own stumbling block. You do not know what you want. You are better at approving the right course than at following it out

Describes me to a T! I’ve just downloaded “Mindful Self Discipline” by Giovanni Dienstmann. It looks interesting so far. I’m reading about the correlation between willpower, self control and self discipline. There’s a workbook you can download which I think will be useful. I think I need a highly structured approach!

Going to put my hands up to the fault of procrastination. I once did a 6000 word assessed essay for my degree in 24 hours. My excuse to myself? First Gulf war was happening, priority. It was the most horrendous day that could have been utterly avoided and the only person responsible for it was me.

I had a look at this thread this morning and shifted my bottom to do some annoying banking stuff that's been lurking for days, so a bit of a small win and thanks to all!

I did smile at the PP whose sister thought Stoicism might be a cult. As long as we don't start dressing in togas and go "Ave!" a lot it should be OK

I listen to the Daily Stoic podcast by Ryan Holiday. You get daily nuggets everyday to keep you going. It's helped me cope a little better in life. Highly recommended.

I'm enjoying the Daily Stoic book. I particularly liked yesterday's musing on silence.

Have just downloaded a couple of kindle samples of the books you are mentioning, thank you

I love the recommendations for the Daily Stoic. I think once I've finished rereading Happy then I'll get a copy of the Daily Stoic.

I get the emails now, they give me a few minutes of thought each day.

The biggest issue i have is worrying about what ifs and what might happen. I've been able to stop caring too much about what people might think of me or what I do, and that has been incredibly freeing. I still care about people, I don't act in a way that will purposefully hurt or upset them, and I still do things to help others but don't really care if they think I'm a busybody or whatever because it doesn't matter to me. But the worrying about "what if" is still there.

Reading some of these comments with puzzlement, as I didn't get a sense of Stoicism as not being compatible with goal setting or achievement.

I have got a couple of business based plans and need to spend less time on MN, lol!

To those who are struggling with procrastination - I'm sorry I can't recall the book that helped me. But I know what my issues were. Partly, procrastination sometimes solves the issue e.g. at work, someone else will do it. Or, something will happen to make it irrelevant. I now ask myself if those things are likely. I also ask myself it's worth accumulating brownie points or not, how much it costs me mentally to do it.

Also, sometimes you just don't want to do it and it might not need doing.

Fear of success was a real biggie for me i.e. is this work going to lead to more work? That taught me to look at my work differently. Someone on MN said that often promotion comes with a 10% pay rise and a 30% increase in annoyances. So true!

I am absolutely doing less for people and that's right for me. I was partly on that track already, but recognising the importance of not investing in stuff that doesn't matter has helped me along that path.

@EmmaH2022 I think with stoicism is that we need to accept that something might not happen. So you can take the actions and you might not make a success of it. And that that is basically fine. Do the actions because you want to do them, the success may or may not happen.

Well, I always accept that something might not happen, but no one is going to say "I will work on this marketing plan for shits and giggles". Maybe it's a semantics issue?

It was reading The Daily Stoic that made me realise I was neglecting important things in my life, so I hope others find the book helpful.

I've downloaded the daily stoic - if you are picking it up in August, should you start with the August readings or just start in January? 🤔