Epictetus: If you do not want to be quick-tempered, stop…

Progress is easier to trust when it is visible. A vague promise to be calmer can disappear at the first irritation, but a simple record makes the practice concrete. Choose the behavior you want to reduce and define success narrowly. Perhaps today success is not raising your voice. Perhaps it is waiting ten minutes before responding to a frustrating message. At the end of the day, note what happened without turning the note into a trial of your character. A difficult day does not erase prior work; it gives you information about the situations that need a plan. You might discover that hunger, rushing, or certain conversations are reliable triggers. Prepare for them. Keep your measure humane and honest, then extend it gradually. The point is not to protect a perfect streak. It is to make calmness more familiar than reaction. One restrained moment today is real training.