This is the twenty-eighth in our series of emails called “How I Monk.” In this series, we will be highlighting + celebrating members of the Monk Manual community as they’ve meaningfully applied our tools and resources to find peaceful being and purposeful doing in their everyday lives. If you’d like to be featured in a future “How I Monk,” share your information with us here… #HowIMonk
Name: Nate Bullard
Occupation: Retail Executive
Location: Minneapolis, MN USA
A bit about who you are and how you spend your days:
What originally drew you to the Monk Manual?
My wife gave me a Monk Manual for Father’s Day 4 years ago. I didn't use it for a year, but when I had a month off between jobs, I started to use it and haven’t stopped since. I’m on my 12th journal.
Practical Monk Manual Tip:
My wife and I do a weekly “coffee and calendars” session on Sunday mornings. We cover the tactical questions of who needs to be where and when in the week ahead, and we also make sure that we are planning time together as a couple, as a family, and as a friend. We also share our hopes for the week ahead. I take notes in my Monk Manual so that I remember where I need to be and follow through on my commitments. Weekly “coffee and calendars” is indispensable for us in making sure that we have time for our priorities and also for staying on the same page. And if we miss doing our Sunday morning “coffee and calendars”, it becomes “cocktails and calendars.”
When you were first getting started, what part of the Monk Manual did you struggle with most?
I struggled to complete the weekly section because I would try to do it on Monday. And who can be thoughtful on a Monday? Once I started to carve out time to reflect on the past week and to plan for the week ahead on Sunday, it became a lot easier.
Do you have a favorite prompt or section?
My favorite section, whether monthly, weekly, or daily, is the prepare-priority section. I love the saying “today is the first day of the rest of your life”, and the prepare section always gives me a sense of hope and excitement for the ways in which I will get to serve and grow. I also really like the daily “I am grateful” section as it reminds me that everything in my life is a gift.
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How has your life changed since using the Monk Manual?
I’ve always had strong routines and a commitment to my to-do list. But using the Monk Manual has helped me in two regards. First, it has really helped me to consider what my priorities should be in a specific month or week. Maybe I need to grow closer to one of my children this month. Maybe this is a very busy week and I will need to prioritize reflection or connection with my wife. Second, the Monk Manual has helped me to elevate the mundane tasks in my life to be part of something much larger. Strong routines are good, but sometimes you can lose track of why you are doing something. Daily reflection has helped me to ensure that my routines are serving the larger purpose of becoming the person that I want to be.
What suggestions would you give to new Monk Manual users?
Get started without worrying about using every section. When I started, I used the Monk Manual mainly for the to-do list and the calendar, and then I gradually added in most of the other sections. I still don’t use the daily reflection section. The Monk Manual is a system that works best when you use it fully, but it brings benefits even if you just use part of it. Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good!
If you’d like to be featured in a future “How I Monk,” share your information with us here.
