How Philo works
What happens when you open the app, from the first line you write to the Weekly Review.
Reflect
You get one contemplation a day, so you have to pick the thing that is actually bothering you.
Start with what is on your mind
Write a few lines about what you are turning over. Philo searches 20,000 quotes for the ones that fit.
Read what they said
Stoics, existentialists, Eastern and modern thinkers. Three quotes per contemplation, or five with Scholar.
See why it fits
Each quote comes with a short note on how it connects to what you wrote.
Question
After the quotes, you can stop, or let Philo ask you something.
Talk it over with Philo
Understand a feeling, question an assumption, or find a next step. One question at a time, working from what you just said.
Act
If something came up worth keeping, this is where it goes.
Keep what you found
Philo drafts a takeaway from your words. Nothing is saved until you keep it. File it under a topic or turn it into a next step.
Find out what happened
Try an experiment or work through a decision. Philo checks in on the day you chose. “Not now” counts as an answer.
Look back
After a few weeks you have something worth rereading.
Weekly Review
What kept coming up, what changed, and what happened when you acted. Every observation links to the exact lines you wrote.
Chronicle
Every reflection on a calendar, with a short summary of your week.
Topics
Related entries kept together, with what changed from the first to the latest.
Principles
Turn a lesson into a principle. Add a condition, revise it, and keep every version.