Step Ten Work Guide: Building a Daily Inventory Practice

Building a Daily Practice

Step Ten is a daily practice, not a one-time event. The goal is to build a sustainable habit of self-examination that keeps your emotional and spiritual house in order. Start simple: a five-minute review at the end of each day is enough to begin.

The Daily Inventory Questions

Each evening, review your day by asking yourself:

• Was I resentful today? Toward whom, and what was my part?
• Was I selfish or self-seeking today?
• Was I dishonest today — in what I said, what I withheld, or how I presented myself?
• Was I afraid today? How did that fear affect my behavior?
• Do I owe anyone an amends today? Did I make it?
• What did I do well today?
• What am I grateful for today?

The Spot-Check Inventory

In addition to the daily review, practice the spot-check inventory throughout the day. When you notice a disturbing emotion — resentment, fear, anxiety, irritability — pause and ask: What is happening here? What is my part? What do I need to do?

Promptly Admitting When You Are Wrong

When your daily inventory reveals that you have been wrong — that you have acted from a character defect, that you owe someone an amends — act promptly. Call the person. Make the amends. Do not let the day end with unresolved wrongs if you can help it.

Weekly Review

Once a week, do a more thorough review. Look for patterns: Are the same character defects showing up repeatedly? Are there areas of your life where you are consistently falling short? What do these patterns tell you about what needs attention?

Journal Prompts for Step Ten

• What patterns am I noticing in my daily inventory?
• Which character defects are showing up most consistently?
• What am I doing well that I want to continue?
• What amends have I made this week?
• How is my daily inventory practice changing my relationships?

The Relationship Between Step Ten and Relapse Prevention

Step Ten is one of the most powerful relapse prevention tools in the program. Research on relapse consistently shows that relapse is rarely a sudden event — it is the culmination of a process that begins weeks or months before the actual use. This process typically involves a gradual buildup of resentment, fear, dishonesty, or isolation that goes unaddressed until it reaches a crisis point.

The daily inventory interrupts this process. By examining one's emotional and spiritual state each day, the person in recovery can identify the early warning signs of relapse — the building resentment, the creeping dishonesty, the withdrawal from the fellowship — and address them before they reach a crisis point. The daily inventory is, in this sense, a form of preventive maintenance for the recovery process.

Exercise 4: The Relapse Warning Signs Inventory

Write about the specific warning signs that, in your experience, precede a relapse or a period of emotional difficulty. These might include: increasing irritability, withdrawal from meetings or fellowship, dishonesty with your sponsor, fantasizing about using, neglecting your spiritual practice, or any other patterns you have noticed. Keep this list somewhere accessible and review it regularly as part of your Step Ten practice.

Exercise 5: The Gratitude Practice

Gratitude is one of the most powerful antidotes to the resentment and self-pity that can accumulate without a regular inventory practice. Add a gratitude component to your daily inventory: each day, write down at least three things you are grateful for. Over time, this practice will shift your default orientation from complaint to appreciation — a shift that has significant effects on mood, resilience, and recovery.

Exercise 6: The Relationship Inventory

Once a month, do a specific inventory of your most important relationships. For each relationship, ask: Am I being honest in this relationship? Am I being fair? Am I making amends promptly when I cause harm? Am I showing up with genuine care and attention? What do I need to do to improve this relationship? This monthly relationship inventory is a powerful tool for maintaining the quality of the connections that sustain recovery.

Signs That You Have Established a Genuine Step Ten Practice

You have established a genuine Step Ten practice when:

• You have a consistent daily inventory practice — however brief — that you maintain regardless of how the day went
• You practice the spot-check inventory throughout the day when you notice disturbing emotions
• You make amends promptly when your inventory reveals that you have been wrong
• You include gratitude as a regular component of your inventory
• You do a periodic review of patterns over time
• You notice that your relationships are improving as a result of the practice