A rule of life template, with examples
A simple template for writing down the few practices you want to keep this season, with a Christian example and a Messianic example in the same structure.
Updated October 30, 2026
This guide is for anyone who wants to write down the few practices they plan to keep this season, and for pairs who want to compare their rules and keep them side by side. It gives a short template you can copy, then two filled-in examples with the same structure, one in Christian language and one in Messianic language. A rule of life is a short, honest plan, not a program.
What a rule of life is
The phrase comes from the Latin regula, a rule or a trellis, and it goes back at least to Benedict, who wrote one for his monks in the sixth century. A trellis does not make the plant grow. It gives the plant something to climb. A rule of life works the same way: it names the few practices that give your life a shape, so you are not deciding from scratch every morning.
Keep it small. Most rules fail because they are too long. Pick a season, which gives the rule an end and permission to change (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
The template
Copy this table and fill in the right-hand column in your own words.
| Part | The question | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| Season | When does this start and end? Eight to twelve weeks is a good length. | |
| Focus | What one thing am I working on in myself? | |
| Daily practices | What two or three things will I do most days? | |
| Weekly practice | What one thing will I do once a week? | |
| Rest | When do I stop, and what do I set down? | |
| Who sees it | Who will see me keep this? | |
| Review | When do we look back and decide what is next? |
Write each answer in a line. If an answer needs a paragraph, it is probably two practices.
Example: a Christian rule
| Part | Answer |
|---|---|
| Season | Advent through Epiphany, about six weeks |
| Focus | Patience, especially with my kids in the morning |
| Daily practices | Ten minutes of morning prayer. One chapter of Mark. A short prayer at the table |
| Weekly practice | Worship on Sunday. A weekly examen on Sunday evening |
| Rest | Sunday afternoon: no work email, no errands |
| Who sees it | Sam, who meets me for coffee on Wednesdays |
| Review | The week after Epiphany, with Sam |
Example: a Messianic rule
| Part | Answer |
|---|---|
| Season | Elul through Yom Kippur |
| Focus | Savlanut, patience, especially in traffic and at work |
| Daily practices | Shacharit from the siddur. A few verses from the week's parashah. A blessing before each meal |
| Weekly practice | Shabbat dinner on Friday night. A weekly cheshbon ha-nefesh on Thursday evening |
| Rest | Shabbat, from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday |
| Who sees it | Ari, my chavruta, who calls on Thursdays |
| Review | The week after Sukkot, with Ari |
The two rules use different words and keep different days, and they have the same seven parts. That is the point of the structure. It holds whatever your tradition teaches.
Check your rule
Before you start, ask four questions. Can you say your rule aloud in one breath? Could you keep it on your worst week of the season, even in a smaller form? Is there at least one practice that is about who you are becoming and not only what you do? Will someone besides you know whether you kept it?
If any answer is no, trim the rule until all four are yes. A missed day is not a failure. It is an empty circle, and the rule is still standing.
Keep it with someone
A rule written alone tends to live in a drawer. Give your rule to one person and ask them to write theirs. Meet once a week to say how the week went. You are not grading each other. You are watching each other keep a few things and talking about what you notice.
In disciple.app you can paste in a rule you've already written and the app splits it into separate practices for you to confirm. Then you and your partner mark them each day, side by side.
Common questions
How many practices should a rule of life have?
Two or three daily practices and one weekly practice is plenty for a season. A rule you can keep on a bad week is better than an ambitious one you drop in the second week.
Is a rule of life a list of rules?
No. The word comes from a Latin word for a trellis, the frame a vine grows along. A rule of life is a shape you choose for a season so that you keep what matters, and you can change it when the season ends.
Can I use a rule I already wrote?
Yes. The template here is only a structure. If you already have a rule from a book, a pastor or a builder tool, keep it and use these parts to check that it is small enough to keep and that someone will see you keep it.