Ryan Holiday Breaks Down Marcus Aurelius's Daily Routine in New Video

Ryan Holiday, a prominent popularizer of Stoicism, has released a video on his YouTube channel Daily Stoic that breaks down the daily routine of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. The video draws on Aurelius's own writings in 'Meditations,' which contain enough autobiographical detail for Holiday to reconstruct his schedule. Aurelius rose at dawn, not out of natural inclination, and engaged in reflective practices, adjusting his expectations for the day before the onslaught of duties. He allocated time for what Cal Newport, a colleague in the digital-age self-help sphere, would call 'deep work.' Holiday emphasizes that Aurelius was not solely focused on business; he was physically active, enjoying boxing, wrestling, hunting, and horseback riding, and he took walks. Aurelius also attended events at the Colosseum, though he showed little interest in gladiatorial combat, preferring to read and think from his prime seat. Holiday suggests Aurelius may have shared the sentiment of the poet Martial: 'These are my times, and I must know them.' The video is part of Holiday's broader efforts to make Stoic philosophy accessible to modern audiences, and it is accompanied by related content on Open Culture, including articles on Marcus Aurelius's nine rules for living a Stoic life and the daily routines of famous creative people. The piece was written by Colin Marshall, a Seoul-based writer and broadcaster, and published on Open Culture.