A Prayer Rule for Pathetically Inconsistent You

What’s something you could do—that you actually would do—to make your life better? I think that’s the quote. It’s from Jordan Peterson.

Essentially, it captures Chesterton’s idea: “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly,” which in turn captures the older, “Don’t let the great be the enemy of the good”—which, according to ChatGPT, comes from Voltaire… maybe?

Photo by Matea Gregg on Unsplash

Whoever said it, I love it. But I like Peterson’s version best. Why? Because he’s not asking the impossibly broad and unhelpful question, “What’s something you can do to make your life better?”

Man alive—there’s a list as long as your arm. Instead, he’s saying, “Okay, out of that list, what would you actually do?” Pathetic specimen of a man that you are.

Okay, hold onto that.

Now let’s talk about a daily prayer rule.

A daily prayer rule is a structured and consistent pattern of prayer that a person commits to each day, typically including set prayers, Scripture reading, and personal petitions. Rooted in Christian tradition, it helps cultivate discipline, spiritual growth, and a deeper relationship with God.

The key is consistency—choosing a rule that is challenging yet sustainable—so that prayer becomes a natural and habitual part of one’s life rather than something sporadic or based on feelings.

Alright, now—remember, don’t ask, “What’s a prayer rule I could keep?” Instead, ask, “What’s a prayer rule that even I—an inconsistent wretch, zealous one minute and neglectful the next—would actually stick to?”

Now, to quote one saint I read (though I’ve never been able to find the quote since, so I’m going off memory): There are many devotions within the Church’s treasury, choose only a few and be faithful to them. In other words, Catholics should not demand uniformity where the Church permits diversity. BUT, since you’ve come here, presumably, to piece together a prayer rule.

Here is one option for you if you’re looking to be told what to do:

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Morning:

Get out of your bed, kneel on both knees, then bend forward until your forehead touches the ground. Your arms can extend forward or rest at your sides. This full prostration expresses deep humility and surrender, as the Angel of Fatima taught the children to pray. And then say the following 3 times: “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I beg pardon for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen.”

During the Day (morning/afternoon/night)

Pray 5 decades of the Holy Rosary

Night Time:

Kneel down and say:

“Jesus Christ, my God, I adore you and I thank you for the many favors you have bestowed on me this day.

I offer you my sleep and all the moments of this night, and I pray that you preserve me from sin. Therefore, I place myself in your most sacred side, and under the mantle of our Blessed Lady, my Mother. May the holy Angels assist me and keep me in peace, and may your blessing be upon me. Amen.”

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So there you have it. Nothing grand, nothing heroic—just a simple framework, a spine, if you like, to keep your prayer life from collapsing into a heap of good intentions. But don’t feel bound to this exact rule. Tweak it, add to it, swap bits out—just don’t leave it all so open-ended that you end up doing nothing at all. The point is to have something—a daily rhythm that even you (yes, you, in all your spiritual inconsistency) might actually stick to.

Now, a question for you to answer (if you want) below: what’s a prayer rule you could follow—that you actually would? Go on, be honest.