The Old Wisdom of Daily Examen

Ignatius of Loyola developed the Daily Examen in the 1500s — a structured 15-minute end-of-day reflection that became one of the most durable contemplative practices in Western tradition. The structure is simple, the effects are well-documented in the lived experience of millions of practitioners across five centuries.

The classical five steps: 1) Gratitude — what was good about today. 2) Awareness — review the day, moment by moment. 3) Emotions — notice where you felt alive and where you felt drained, without judgment. 4) Repentance — what did you do today that you wish you hadn't. 5) Resolve — what would you do differently tomorrow.

The Examen is journaling before journaling was a wellness app.

Stripped of the religious framing (and it works whether or not you keep the framing), the structure maps onto exactly what cognitive science would recommend: gratitude practice (well-documented mood effects), structured self-review (improves metacognition and self-regulation), emotional labeling (reduces amygdala reactivity), constructive self-criticism (improves behavior change), and tomorrow-oriented intention setting (improves follow-through).

It also sidesteps the trap most modern journaling falls into. The Examen is structured enough that you don't face a blank page, and short enough that it doesn't become an hour-long ramble. Fifteen minutes is about right.

For practitioners with a religious frame, the Examen functions as prayer — a quiet review of the day in conversation with God. For non-religious practitioners, it functions as a high-quality self-reflection ritual that compresses what therapy and journaling do over much longer time horizons.

Most people who try it for two weeks keep doing it. The cost is 15 minutes. The compounding effect on emotional regulation and self-awareness is among the highest-leverage 15 minutes you can spend.