# Think Clearly Prompt Pack **Prepared by Theo Marlowe | Scripting Horizons** *14 simple prompts for Stoic reframes, clearer decisions, a calm look at your screen time, and a few quiet questions worth sitting with.* ## How to Use This Pack - Copy a prompt, paste it into any AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or similar), and replace each [BRACKETED] part with your own details. - Take your time with the answers. Several prompts ask you questions, and a pause before you reply is part of the exercise. - If the AI quotes an ancient philosopher, check the quote against a reliable source. Famous lines are often misattributed. - If an answer doesn't fit, reply with more about your situation and ask it to try again. Leave out names and anything you'd rather keep private. > **Note:** These prompts are for reflection and everyday thinking. They are not therapy or medical advice. If you're struggling with low mood, anxiety or a difficult time in your life, please talk with your doctor or a mental health professional. ## Stoic Reframes ### 1. Sort What Is in My Control ``` Here is a situation that's bothering me: [DESCRIBE]. Using the Stoic idea of separating what's up to me from what isn't, help me list what I can control, what I can influence a little, and what I can't. Then suggest one small action for the first list. ``` *Tip: Perhaps the sorting alone changes how heavy the situation feels.* ### 2. Look at It Another Way ``` I keep thinking about [SITUATION, E.G. A COMMENT, A DELAY, A DISAPPOINTMENT]. Offer three different ways a calm, practical Stoic might look at it, in plain language and without lecturing. Keep each to a short paragraph. ``` *Tip: Notice which of the three you resist. It may be worth asking why.* ### 3. Rehearse a Hard Day ``` Tomorrow I have [DIFFICULT EVENT OR CONVERSATION]. Walk me through what could realistically go wrong, how I might respond calmly to each thing, and what I'd like to remember going in. Keep it grounded and brief. ``` *Tip: Imagining the difficulty beforehand often takes some of its sting away.* ### 4. Zoom Out ``` I'm caught up in [SITUATION]. Help me look at it from a distance by asking me four questions: how much will this matter in a week, in a year and in ten years, and what the version of me in ten years would say about it. ``` *Tip: Wider views tend to put small worries back in proportion.* ## Decision Checks ### 5. Lay Out the Decision ``` I'm deciding whether to [DECISION]. My options are [LIST OPTIONS]. What matters most to me here: [VALUES OR PRIORITIES]. Help me set out the options side by side, point out any assumptions I'm making, and note what I don't yet know. ``` *Tip: Writing the options down often shows which ones you hadn't really considered.* ### 6. Question My Reasoning ``` I'm leaning towards [CHOICE] because [REASONS]. Act as a thoughtful friend and ask me five questions that test my thinking, including whether I'm being swayed by fear, pride, habit or what other people expect. Ask one at a time and wait for my answer. ``` *Tip: Answer slowly. The question you'd rather skip may be the useful one.* ### 7. Start a Decision Journal Entry ``` Help me write a short decision journal entry. The decision: [DECISION]. Why I chose it: [REASONS]. What I expect to happen: [EXPECTATIONS]. How I feel right now: [FEELINGS]. Format it so I can reread it in [NUMBER] months and see how my thinking held up. ``` *Tip: Looking back at your reasoning later teaches you more than the outcome alone.* ## Screen Time and Attention ### 8. Map My Screen Day ``` Here is a rough picture of my screen use on a typical day: [LIST APPS OR ACTIVITIES AND APPROXIMATE TIMES]. Sort them into things I'd choose again, things I use out of habit, and things I'd like to use less. Then ask me two questions about what I'm hoping each one gives me. ``` *Tip: Your phone's built-in usage report gives you real numbers to work from.* ### 9. Notice the Reach ``` I often pick up my phone when [DESCRIBE MOMENTS, E.G. WAITING, FEELING BORED, FINISHING A TASK]. Ask me six gentle questions, one at a time, about what I'm feeling in those moments and what I'm hoping to find. ``` *Tip: Simply noticing the moment before the reach is a good first step.* ### 10. Design a Small Experiment ``` I'd like to change one thing about how I use screens. My day: [DESCRIBE]. Suggest three small experiments, each lasting one week, that I could try without making life harder, and tell me what to watch for in each. ``` *Tip: Choose the experiment that feels slightly easy. Small and steady tends to last.* ### 11. Review the Experiment ``` For the past week I tried [EXPERIMENT]. What happened: [DESCRIBE]. What I noticed about my mood, focus and time: [DESCRIBE]. Ask me three questions about what I learned, then help me decide whether to keep it, adjust it or try something different. ``` *Tip: A week with no change is still useful information.* ## Reflection ### 12. An Evening Review ``` Guide me through a short evening reflection. Ask me, one at a time, what I did well today, where I fell short of how I wanted to act, and what I'd do differently tomorrow. Keep your replies brief and kind. ``` *Tip: Five quiet minutes before bed is enough.* ### 13. A Question for the Week ``` My current situation: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WORK, LIFE AND WHAT'S ON MY MIND]. Suggest five thoughtful questions I could carry with me this week, each open-ended and worth returning to, with no right answer. ``` *Tip: Pick the one that makes you hesitate and keep it somewhere you'll see it.* ### 14. Make Sense of a Strong Reaction ``` Earlier I reacted strongly to [DESCRIBE MOMENT]. I felt [EMOTIONS]. Without telling me what to think, ask me gentle questions that help me work out what mattered to me in that moment and what I might want to do with that. ``` *Tip: A strong reaction often points towards something you care about.* --- [More from Theo Marlowe](https://scriptinghorizons.com/authors/theo-marlowe) Free from [Scripting Horizons](https://scriptinghorizons.com). Want more simple, useful tools like this? [Join the newsletter](https://scriptinghorizons.com/newsletter).