Starting the Monk Manual (Hint! Start with the Little Notebook)

Long version 

Introduction

There are lots of different ways to think about using the Monk Manual. Here’s one. You could think of using the Monk Manual as “a practice.” You practice a sport, a musical instrument, an art, and a profession by doing it most days. At first, you’re not very good at it. Then you get better and start to enjoy it. Finally you’re really good at it, perform at a high level, get creative, learn about yourself and others, and share it. 

It’s a little like that with the Monk Manual. You practice thinking about what matters most to you--your priorities--and the habits that enable you to succeed. You practice recalling what you’re grateful for and looking forward to. You become good at reflecting on the bright spots, the shadows, and the changes you can make for the better. 

The difference is that you’re not scoring points, making music, painting, or practicing medicine or law. You’re practicing a life well lived and work well done. When people say “a life well lived,” they often think of travel, money, love and friendship, and a satisfying career. But practicing a life well lived means thinking daily about the things that matter most to you and what to do about them. It takes time, and it’s worth it.

Olympic athletes practice their sport hours per day for years, but you can “practice” Monk Manual planning for much less than a half-hour a day.  

Relax

So how do you practice a life well-lived using the Monk Manual? First, relax. The point of the Monk Manual is a peaceful approach to being and doing in every aspect of life. It’s an antidote to anxiety, busy-ness and distraction and will make you more productive and happy.  

I say “relax” because the Monk Manual can look overwhelming at first. There are monthly pages, weekly pages, and daily pages. You use them all at once (kind of). Each page has many categories. Some weekly categories reappear on daily pages and others don’t. It looks like a lot of work. 

The good news about all those categories and the different pages is that you don’t have to use everything all the time. There’s room to grow. You start with the simplest categories: priorities and to-dos. Over time, you’ll see how other things connect. What looks overwhelming now becomes intuitive and fun.

Start with the notebook

So back to a life well lived. After you look over the Monk Manual and relax about it, put it down! Then take out the little notebook that comes with the Monk Manual. Ask yourself "What is important to me right now in my life?" and write down whatever you think in your notebook. What's important to you are your priorities. 

Find different ways of asking that question, like "What do my daily activities tell me about what my real priorities are?" 

A second question is "What are my best and worst habits?" Write the answers in your notebook. If you’re the kind of person who focuses on problems, make sure you start with your best habits. If you’re the guy with rose-colored glasses, don’t forget to take them off and look for the habits you need to change. 

If you’re having difficulty using the Monk Manual every day (or at least most days), adapt famous advice from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, and “Write one sentence per day.”  

By answering these two questions--what’s important to you and what are your habits--you are gathering the key information you need to begin using the Monk Manual. You can also think of what you’re grateful for, important relationships, ways you can improve, accomplishments, and ways you can give. Try writing a few of these categories and your responses into your notebook. 

Pick a goal or two … for the whole month

After some days or weeks using the notebook, move to the Monk Manual. You could start anywhere, but how about the first monthly page? Fill in the dates of the current (or upcoming) month. Look back to the priorities you listed in the notebook. Which 1-5 priorities are most important this month? List them (in pencil?) under “Prepare -- Priority.” 

Look back at them a couple of times per week, think of how to accomplish them, and take action. You can start by just using the monthly page and accomplish a few important things in a month’s time. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll plan more, so…. 

Pick a goal or two … for next week

Turn to the first weekly page. What 1-3 things should you focus on most this week to move towards your monthly priorities? List them under “Prepare -- Priority” on the weekly page. 

Unsure about some priorities? Jot them in the notes section (that’s the space with dots) and promote them to a priority later … or not. 

Now think about your typical activities … favorite and not so favorite. Look at your to do list, if you have one. What activities support your priorities? Focus on those activities. What activities can you add to support your priorities? What activities need to shrink or go away to free you for the things that matter most? 

Now make your new to-do list for the week. 

Pause a moment to consider how you can grow this week and what you’re looking forward to. If nothing occurs to you now, don’t worry about it. It will in the future … and more often with practice.

A week is seven days

You can probably accomplish three important things in seven days. Look at the weekly plan. Notice “S M T W T F S” under each priority? This is nice. You don’t have to work on each priority every day. Spread them out … or not, but choose some days to work on each one. Circle the letter/s for those days. 

Next, turn to the first 7 daily pages, and write in the dates and your calendar appointments. Add your priorities and tasks for day one, and that’s enough. You could do the same for other days, but it’s also nice to have some flexibility as the week progresses. Pause to consider what you’re grateful for and looking forward to, and how you can give. Now you’re prepared for day one.

At the end of day one, reflect on the highs and lows and how you can improve tomorrow. Then plan day two like you planned day one. Set your top 1-3 priorities for each day and a to-do list that makes them happen.

Try to keep it up all week, but if you miss a day or two, be kind to yourself, and just make it a priority to use the Monk Manual tomorrow. (Hint: You can look back at your weekly page to keep yourself on track … or adjust.)

Look back at your week. Plan the next

At the end of the week, turn back to the weekly page and reflect on your accomplishments. Maybe add some meaningful moments, insights into your behavior, and a little wisdom about life. Look back at the daily pages to help you remember. As you remember, you may have ideas about the week ahead and start planning the next weekly page. You can flip back to the monthly page, reflect a bit on how the month is going, and remind yourself of your “big picture” priorities. 

You might find yourself flipping back and forth among weekly, monthly, and daily pages. That’s not necessarily chaos; it might just be you becoming creative about a life well lived. 

After a few weeks, you’ll start to remember what the monthly, weekly, and daily pages are like, so you’ll know where to put your best ideas. Some ideas you can knock off in a day; some need weeklong work; some influence your thinking all month long. So sit down and think about your life well lived … and let the ideas fall where they may.

Keep “practicing” the Monk Manual and you’ll discover more of what’s good about you, about others, and about how you can live and work.