The Spiritual Practice of Calendaring

It wasn’t long after beginning Fall Creek Abbey, and attending to A LOT of spinning plates, that Beth and I discovered the spiritual practice of calendaring. We’ve shared this idea countless times over the years, and often when we do, people tell us it seems really helpful to them.

We want to introduce you to a tool that has helped turn calendaring into a spiritual practice: The Monk Manual. For the past several years, we’ve used this unique, personal planning tool and experienced its invitation to pursue each day with intention and focus. At our age, we simply can’t afford to drift along.

In a nutshell, the Monk Manual has helped us focus on what matters most to us and keep that before us each day, each week, and throughout the month. We’ve found that many times what really matters is not another item on the to-do list—it’s a person, it’s taking care of ourselves, or exploring a dream.

As one who has never been goal-oriented, the Monk Manual has reframed the frustration of setting (and failing to reach) goals into a clarification and pursuit of personal priorities.

To give you a glimpse at how the Monk Manual turns calendaring into a spiritual practice, each day it invites you to preview or review your day through several prompts. Like old friends, these questions guide us into clarifying and pursuing what really matters to us and to God.

• I am grateful for

• I’m looking forward to

• Ways I can give

• Highlights

• I was at my best when

• I felt unrest when

• One way I can improve tomorrow

We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Steve Lawson, the founder of the Monk Manual, and will be offering this resource through the Fall Creek Abbey web site. If you are intrigued, check out this short video where Steve introduces himself and the Monk Manual. You can find other helpful resources on the Monk Manual web site, as well.

The Monk Manual 90 Day Planner

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