Leo Tolstoy established elaborate rules and rituals for himself—and often failed to keep them. The Russian novelist’s extensive journaling habit, which he maintained faithfully for most of his life, chronicles an intense struggle to understand his inner self and raise his actions to the level of his moral standards. At the age of 18, he wrote a list of rules for himself, such as rising at 5 a.m. each morning, living frugally, and trying not to chase women.
In his journal, Tolstoy marked out two columns. On one side he wrote his planned routine for the following day. On the other side, he wrote the results of how the day actually played out. Spoiler: generally not according to plan.
