What if the problem isn’t that life is too short—but that we spend too much of it in a state of distraction?
Two millennia ago, the Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca wrote one of the most powerful books ever written about time, attention, purpose, flourishing, and what it means to live a good life. It’s not that we have too little time to live, he counseled, but that we fritter our most precious resource away on nonsense while ignoring many of the things that truly matter.
In this seven-week live Zoom course, author and teacher Mark Matousek sheds light on the Stoic path of flourishing and insight, using Seneca’s famous essay, On the Shortness of Life, as a springboard for putting this pragmatic philosophy into practice. In addition to reading the book together, Mark provides an overview of Stoic philosophy and why it matters in our overly busy, attention-deficient era, messages concerned with slowing down, paying attention, choosing wisely, not wasting ti9me, and using your most precious resource wisely. Seneca’s profound insights will unfold gradually through discussion, reflection, and personal writing during the course.
“Mark is a masterful and loving guide: his wisdom teachings and brilliantly conceived questions enable you to dissolve the coverings and open to life-changing truth. You don’t need skill in writing to partake; all that’s required is the longing to awaken your heart.”
~ Tara Brach, spiritual teacher, psychologist and author of Radical Acceptance, and Radical Compassion
Each 90-minute session includes Mark’s introduction to the week’s topic, two Writing to Awaken practices, optional small-group breakout conversations, as well as time for questions and conversation. This will be a rich, immersive learning experience where ancient wisdom speaks to you directly in your modern life.
On the Shortness of Life directly addresses many of the challenges we face today:
~ Social media addiction and doomscrolling
~ The cult of busyness
~ Attention deficit
~ Work-life imbalance and burnout
~ Fear of missing out (FOMO)
~ Constant connectivity and the inability to be alone
~ The pressure to achieve and maintain status
~ A lack of meaning or purpose
Seneca reminds us that our greatest loss is not time itself, but the unconscious ways that we waste it. His philosophy offers practical advice for reclaiming attention, living deliberately, and recognizing quality over quantity.
Whether you’re seeking greater purpose, a healthier relationship with time, or a deeper encounter with one of history’s greatest wisdom texts, you’ll have the opportunity in this course to slow down, think deeply, write honestly, and discover how Seneca’s words continue to transform lives two millennia later.
LESSON OVERVIEW
Week One: Life Is Long If You Know How to Use It
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
In this first session, you’re introduced to Seneca’s Stoic teachings, and the genesis of our feelings of being time-poor. Attention is key to slowing down time, choosing value over convenience, mastering technology (rather than being its slave), and overcoming the fear of missing out.
Week Two: The Illusion of Busyness
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Next, we move to Seneca’s wise observations about time wasting versus intentional living, and the psychology of distraction. We cling to material goods while squandering our most precious resource, time, on meaningless things without reward. We hide behind our busyness as a shield against anxiety and wonder why life seems short.
Week Three: Attention Is Our Most Valuable Resource
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
In this session, we explore presence versus fragmentation, and ancient wisdom about attention economy. Seneca and the Stoics were the West’s first mindfulness teachers, emphasizing present moment awareness and attention to our own minds. This helps reduce the pull of our unconscious habits, making us more responsive than reactive.
Week Four: Mortality as a Teacher
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
The Stoic practice of Memento Mori — to remember mortality on a daily basis, is key to an awakened, meaningful, life. The avoidance of impermanence weakens us immeasurably, traps us in illusion, prevents us from living with purpose and courage, as this lesson will show you.
Week Five: Freedom Through Inner Discipline
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Seneca and the Stoics had other useful practices for savoring time and increasing personal excellence. In this lesson, we look at the Stoic virtues — Courage, Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, as prerequisites to eudaimonia, or personal thriving.
Week Six: Living According to Nature
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
In this lesson, we focus on nature as the greatest source of wisdom available, in the eyes of to Seneca and the Stoics. Observing nature, we learn to live with simplicity, gratitude, and sufficiency. Nature teaches us to redefine success as living in accordance with things as they are.
Week Seven: Making Life Long
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
This final session integrates Seneca’s teachings into how we live today. When we stop fearing time, we become its ally. This liberates us from anxiety. Recognizing that a day can be long when we make it so helps us step off the hamster wheel.
HOW THE ONLINE CLASS WORKS
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This Guided Writing Series begins on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 and ends on Tuesday, December 15, 2026. All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern/3:30 p.m. Pacific.
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Seneca’s book, On the Shortness of Life, is required reading during this course. You are welcome to read the essay before the class begins, or go through it gradually with the group.
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Each 90-minute Zoom meeting begins with Mark’s introductory talk, followed by a discussion of the weekly reading, break-out groups, and a guided Writing to Awaken practice.
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All sessions are recorded and the playback links are emailed to all registrants the following day, along with additional writing prompts and bonus materials to deepen your understanding.
GO DEEPER WITH MARK
You may also sign up to receive feedback and personalized writing prompts from Mark. Submit your written responses to each week’s lesson and Mark will provide written feedback and offer other questions to explore. Enrollment in this option has an additional cost and is limited.
Written submissions should be no more than 1,000 words and must be received by the Sunday after the live session (5 days). Mark’s feedback is focused on insight, authenticity of voice, and emotional honesty not writing technique, prose style, or grammar. His responses offer additional prompts for deeper exploration of the subject.
“Using Mark and his classes as a form of life coaching is what has been working for me on this quest called — My Life. He has shed so much light on my dark and dirty spots with his astute and introspective questions. The only thing I want from Mark and his classes is MORE.”
~ Ferebe, USA
What You’ll Learn:
This course will provide you with:
~ A clearer sense of where your time goes
~ A practical introduction to Stoic wisdom
~ Simple tools for feeling less overwhelmed
~ Discernment about what truly matters to you
~ Insight into being busy versus being fully alive
~ Skills for slowing down and thinking deeply
~ A personal writing practice for self-reflection
~ A more intentional way to use the years ahead
This interactive online format provides an excellent opportunity for self-inquiry — and honing your life-writing skills — in an atmosphere of mutual support and safety. Known for his insightful questions, Mark brings decades of experience to the topic of storytelling and self-inquiry as an award-winning memoir writer and author of Writing to Awaken: A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery.
Who will benefit from this course:
This course is for anyone:
~ Overwhelmed by busyness or constant distraction.
~ Interested in cultivating greater purpose and presence.
~ Attracted to Stoicism, philosophy, psychology, or spirituality.
~ Who enjoys reading transformative books in community.
~ Seeking practical wisdom for living well in an increasingly hectic world.
~ Drawn to the path of self-knowledge and flourishing.
~ Who benefits from interactive classes with like-minded peers .
Why Study with Mark?
Mark Matousek’s has spent decades exploring the intersection of wisdom traditions, psychology, memoir, and personal transformation. As the author of Emerson, the Stoics, and Me, and numerous books on self-inquiry and authentic living, he has helped thousands of people around the world to reach their personal, professional, and spiritual goals.
Mark approaches philosophy not as an academic subject but as a lived practice. Drawing on his deep knowledge of Stoic philosophy, history, literature, and contemplative practice, he illuminates Seneca’s world while helping participants apply these ancient teachings to their own lives.
Each session combines scholarship with warmth, insight with humor, and intellectual rigor with heartfelt conversation. Participants won’t simply study Seneca — they’ll experience how his wisdom can transform the way they think about time, attention, and what it means to live a truly examined life.
Seneca’s wisdom has survived for nearly 2,000 years for a reason: it still speaks directly to the way we live today. His writings offer a powerful guide to living with greater clarity, reason, and purpose—and to making better use of the one thing you can never get back: your time. Don’t just read Seneca. Put his wisdom to work. Join us for Life Is Long If You Know How to Use It and discover a more focus, spacious, and rich way of living.
Enrollment
Seven-Week Online Class
Live Zoom Sessions and Bonus Materials
$197.00 USD – Ealy Registration Special Through October 21, 2026
Full Tuition: $247 USD – After October 21, 2026