Jen Pollock Michel is an author, speaker, and mentor in the MFA in creative writing at Whitworth University. She is the author of six books, most recently A Rule for the Rest of Us: An Ancient Practice for Making the Daily Decisions that Shape Faithful Lives, Every Monday she sends out a Substack newsletter, A Habit Called Faith. You can subscribe at jenpollockmichel.substack.com. In this episode, Jen and Jonathan Rogers talk about the Rule of Saint Benedict, and the idea that a “rule for life” has more to do with guideposts or handrails than laws or demands or even catalog of commitments—and certainly not a means of working harder or longer, but a means of simplification and clarification in the midst of of overwhelming choices and the cult of productivity. And we talk about five steps for making your own personal rule.