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Homework: It’s Work Done at Home

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • 10 hours ago
  • 5 min read

 

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

 

The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca who stated, “Aren’t you ashamed to reserve for yourself only the remnants of your life and to dedicate to wisdom only that time can’t be directed to business?” (page 329). In all honesty, what time do you devote to self-improvement?

 

As you think, authors of The Daily Stoic add about Seneca’s point of view, “Philosophy shouldn’t have to accept what time or energy is left over from other occupations but instead we should graciously make time for those other pursuits only once our study is finished” (page 329).

 

The authors offer flexible prescriptions about how life shouldn’t or should be experienced from the healthy perspective of rational living. Now, how much time do you devote to the act or process of improving (enhancing in value or quality) yourself by your own actions?

 

Regarding my approach to REBT, in this regard, I negotiate homework with my clients. This is a common practice for cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy which posits that cognitive, emotional, and behavioral variables are functionally interrelated.

 

Per the American Psychological Association, homework is defined as “tasks assigned to a client to be performed between sessions of therapy. Assignments may require reading, research, or practicing new behaviors (e.g., attending a lecture, speaking to a specific person).”

 

As I tell my clients, homework—it’s work done at home (it’s inferred in the term). Nevertheless, some people simply refuse to do the work necessary for self-improvement. Instead, as Seneca suggested, they devote their focus elsewhere. Of this, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 329):

 

If real self-improvement is what we’re after, why do we leave our reading until those few minutes before we shut off the lights and go to bed? Why do we block off eight to ten hours in the middle of the day to be at the office or to go to meetings but block out no time for thinking about the big questions?

 

The average person somehow manages to squeeze in twenty-eight hours of television per week—but ask them if they had time to study philosophy, and they will probably tell you they’re too busy.

 

“Did you conduct the shame attacking exercise, which was part of your homework?” I’ll ask client X. “No,” this individual may reply, “I didn’t do it.”

 

“Did you complete your Stoicism journal entry, which was part of your homework?” I’ll ask client Y. “Nope,” this person may respond, “I forgot.”

 

“Did you daily practice the techniques of REBT, which was part of your homework?” I’ll ask client Z. “I’m not gonna lie,” this client may answer, “I didn’t even do it for one day this week.”

 

While I appreciate the honesty of those clients who neglect the negotiated work done at home, these individuals aren’t likely to attain success with their self-prescribed interests and goals. To be blunt about it, they waste their time, as well as mine, and thus waste life in the process.

 

Given this framing, in all honesty, what time do you devote to self-improvement? Could it be that you waste what relatively little time you have in life flexibly anticipating or inflexibly expecting that homework is somehow going to complete itself? That’s not how life works!

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW


Photo credit, Designed by Magnific, fair use

 

References:

 

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Homework. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/homework

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

Hollings, D. (2025, May 13). A stoic journaling routine. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-stoic-journaling-routine

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Hollings, D. (2026, June 2). An honest person should be like a smelly goat. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/an-honest-person-should-be-like-a-smelly-goat

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