7 Simple Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life (Stoic-Inspired)

Hi friend,

Welcome to this week’s issue of Daily Habits, your weekly nudge to live with more clarity, consistency, and intention.

This week, I’m reflecting on 7 timeless habits shared by Ryan Holiday and how I’m turning them into daily actions.

🌟 This Week’s Reflection

This week, I was watching a powerful video from Ryan Holiday:

“7 Simple Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life (Stoic-Inspired).”

These habits aren’t just “Stoic.” They’re universal. Almost every religion, philosophy, or self-help tradition teaches some version of them.

1. Wake Up Early – Start the day with intention, not reactivity.

2. Treat the Body Rigorously – Move, train, sweat, discipline the body to strengthen the mind.

3. Journal – Reflect, slow down, and get clear on what matters.

4. Develop a Reading Practice – Feed your mind with wisdom, not noise.

5. Go for a Walk – Get outside, think deeply, and refresh your perspective.

6. Make Time for Deep Work – Block out distractions and do meaningful work.

7. Meditate on Your Mortality – Remember life is short, so live it fully and intentionally.

I’ve been integrating many of these into my own routine, and this week I’m doubling down on consistency. Here’s what that looks like for me right now:

• I carry a small notebook everywhere and journal daily.

• I walk 10,000+ steps and exercise each day.

• I’ve been waking up early but starting tomorrow, I’ll rise even earlier, just before dawn, and stay up to make that time sacred.

There’s a big difference between knowing what works and practicing it.

This week, I’m committing to closing that gap.

🧱 Habit in Focus: Wake Up Early

This is the first habit Ryan lists, and it’s foundational.

Not just to be productive, but to live intentionally.

Waking up early creates space. Space to think, move, reflect, and choose how your day unfolds.

I’m adjusting my routine to get up just before dawn and use that quiet time for walking, journaling, and planning the day.

Also, next week, I need to be at work very early every day; so I’m using it as a forcing function to lock in this early wake-up habit and make it stick for good.

✍️ Quote to Reflect On

This week, I’m using this quote as a reminder: my time is mine to shape starting with how I start the day.

🔧 Tool, Resource, or Prompt

Prompt: What are 3 habits you admire in others but haven’t yet committed to practicing yourself?

🤖 AI&Automations for Habits

You don’t need complex tools to build better habits but a little automation removes friction and makes consistency easier.

Here are 3 simple ways to use AI and automation to reinforce your daily habits:

1. Morning Focus Reminder – Schedule a recurring calendar event or use a note/reminder app to show your top 3 priorities and a motivational quote when you wake up. You can keep it simple with your phone’s built-in tools—or set up a basic Zapier automation using emails or forms.

2. Voice Journaling on the Go – Use Whisper or ChatGPT’s voice-to-text feature to capture reflections during your walks or workouts—no typing needed. You can even set a daily reminder or create a simple automation to prompt you at the same time each day.

3. Automated Habit Reset – Use a habit-tracking app like Habits by Reflectly or Habitfy to reset your daily habits each morning. These apps give you a fresh checklist every day, so you don’t rely on willpower or memory to stay consistent.

→ Start simple. Automate one tiny thing today. Momentum follows.

📬 From the Archive

👉 Why Tracking Is the Gateway to Change

👉 How to Stick to Habits When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

👉 The Stairs or the Elevator?

💬 Question for You

What’s one habit you know you should be doing, but keep postponing?

P.S. Want to start your own newsletter and build consistency around your ideas?

Check out my free course → startyournewsletter.today

Thanks for reading!

Selim

www.selimuysal.net