The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction Paperback – February 19, 2019

This book does more than just tell us what's wrong with our lives and our technologically-mediated experiences of reality; it suggests a way forward. Earley offers a very helpful and practical framework for navigating the digital ecosystem in ways that lead to human flourishing. If you want to read a book that has real practical advice and ideas for structuring our lives in more humane ways individually and communally when it comes to technology, this is a book for you.

This book is such a refreshing approach to examining our daily life's habits and disciplines. It is a tremendous practical guide that shows you how to get rid of bad habits and develop good weekly habits that will be productive and life changing. Earley emphasizes starting the day with who we are in God, and who we are becoming in God. Try one habit at a time. Try it with a small group as you learn together and from each other.

I’ve been paying attention to the author’s work on habits since it was just a PDF he created and sent around to his friends. What has become The Common Rule has evolved from a personal attempt to live a saner life into a set of simple but powerful ideas that have helped me, personally, to live as I was designed to and to love God and love the people in my life better. Having those habits refined and presented in such a captivating and accessible way is a blessing, and one I’ve already shared with many others.Having previously learned and tried implementing most of the practices outlined in the book, I was particularly impressed by the appendices, which offer more detail about each of the habits. The section suggesting applications of the habits for different kinds of people (skeptics, families, artists, etc.) will be helpful even for those who don’t fit neatly into any of those categories, because they illuminate the intention behind each habit and will provide the spark for even more people to apply the habits in their unique situations.Earley has done a great service to any number of readers:- Those who have never encountered spiritual disciplines will get a glimpse of a different and better way to live.- Those who are familiar with spiritual disciplines will find an updated interpretation of Willard and Foster that addresses the worst temptations of the smartphone age.- Those who have lived without intention and unwittingly allowed their days, hours, and minutes to be shaped by advertisers and tech companies will get a much-needed wake up call.- Those who are already trying to lead lives of resistance and embrace will be strengthened and encouraged.A couple of quibbles:(1) Several of the habits are meant to be practiced in community, whether in a nuclear family, with roommates, or especially with close friends. The author sometimes seems to assume that everyone has those relationships already in their lives. Those who already struggle with loneliness may be disheartened and see some of the habits as out of reach.(2) In the section on curating media and limiting consumption, Earley suggests making and keeping lists of worthwhile shows, movies, etc., and suggests that anyone who has trouble with this can easily find lists of recommended media. While this may have been true in years past, it’s been a struggle to find lists of films or shows that buttress, edify, or appropriately challenge my (orthodox Christian) beliefs. Perhaps the desire was to focus readers on the habit rather than recommending films from a particular worldview, but it would have been nice to have some suggested starting points, even if it were just what the author uses or commends as worthwhile.Overall, The Common Rule does a beautiful job synthesizing a rich body of wisdom, observation of the human condition, and spiritual direction into an engaging and helpful framework for living differently from most of the people with whom we share our lives. I’m firmly convinced that a life shaped by God working through these habits (among others) is more joyful, more thriving, and more fulfilling than what most of us are currently trying. I’m on board![ Note: I was provided a promotional review copy of the book; however, I’ve already purchased three more for my own use and to gift to others. ]

Dorla Bonner, DMin Student, Calvin UniversityReading this book caused me to start an honest evaluation of my habits. The simple things that I do without thought and consider if they are beneficial for my purpose. The structure of this book with the “Habits at a Glance” sections makes this an easy read. Although the work seems challenging, the section on Failure and Beauty ends the book with encouragement.

I love this book! Great to have on hand as more of a textbook to reference back to

Through accessible language and examples, Early connects the daily habits of life with our lived beliefs about God and self. Early invites readers into moments of his anxiety and panic in order to develop collective consciousness of nine simple personal and family oriented practices. These practices help to reduce the frantic way we often live each day as we begin a journey developing a common rule.

I love this book. It gives me realistic ways to re-organize my chaotic life. To be honest it is not easy but adding a little bit of change has made a difference. If you have anxiety or a lot of stress and need realistic ways to restructure your life so that you are not rooted in the chaos but rooted in the lord so that you can handle the chaos this book is definitely a good one.

Missionary turned lawyer nearly lost his way in the busy, distracted, consumptive patterns of American life. Frazzled and feeling his finitude, Earley turned from his tech-media dominated life toward a freedom that honors limitation – a freedom borne of life-giving practices like family meals, truth telling, and kneeling to pray. Discovering new rhythms and practices saved his sanity and restored a relational way of life oriented around family, friendships, and soaking in the presence of God.

Earley gives a brief overview of liturgical practices, challenging the assumption that adding things on to a spiritual 'to do' list is too much work; rather, the emphasis is on creating life giving rhythms that shape us in our core purpose as image bearers: to love God and love neighbour.Earley confronts the exhausting late-modern Western narrative that many of us have adopted subconsciously, namely that we need to do more, be better, achieve greater things and drive ourselves relentlessly in the name of accomplishing our potential. In response, readers are encouraged to develop four daily habits and four weekly habits to pursue a life of purpose. The book - a tighter version of Earley's previous iteration of the Common Rule available in a series online PDFs - benefits from focusing closely on daily and weekly rhythms, rather than trying to shoehorn a year’s worth of habits over several different roles into the brief. Of particular note are the chapters on friendship and the concept of framing the day in love before the demands of our various roles encroach on our morning.This is not a self-help book from an polished guru writing at arms length with undertones of criticism and condescension. The author's tone is gentle from the outset, as Earley frames his entire approach with a humility borne of facing his own demons. Some of The Common Rule is not new (read your bible in the morning before beginning the day) but it is written with compassionate and thoughtful insights, infused with a big vision for a life well lived.

Gewohnheiten formen uns stärker als wir sie. Das ist die These von Justin Whitmel Earley. Er schreibt als ehemaliger China-Missionar und heutiger Anwalt. In früheren Jahren lernte er die Grenzen seiner eigenen Belastbarkeit kennen. Das führte ihn dazu, sich Gedanken zu einem langsameren Lebenstempo zu machen. In seinem Buch The Common Rule stellt er acht Gewohnheiten vor, die dabei helfen sollen, zur Ruhe zu kommen. Vier davon sind tägliche Gewohnheiten, die anderen vier sind wöchentliche Gewohnheiten. Es geht dabei um das persönliche Gebet, die Begegnung mit anderen Menschen, den Umgang mit Medien und um bewusste Auszeiten. Man muss nicht alle Gewohnheiten auf einmal übernehmen, um davon profitieren zu können. Man sollte sich aber durchaus darauf einlassen, die ein oder andere Gewohnheit einmal auszutesten. Am Ende des Buches befinden sich dann auch konkrete Vorschläge, wie man die Gewohnheiten in unterschiedlichen Lebenssituationen integrieren kann. Das Buch ist schön gestaltet, praktisch und vor allem ehrlich geschrieben. Es geht nicht um Perfektion, es geht darum, sich auf einen guten Weg zu begeben und durch Gottes Gnade auch dann weiterzugehen, wenn man gefallen ist. The Common Rule ist kein Buch, das bloßes Wissen vermitteln will, es will gelebt werden. Viele Impulse fand ich sehr hilfreich und werde schauen, wie ich den ein oder anderen Aspekt in meinem Leben einbauen kann.

the book was sent by someone used, not new, as there was a lot of highlighted text with a marker

It kinda feels like this guy wanted to write a sermon instead of a book. If you are super duper into Jesus you might like this book. I think a more accurate title might be helpful like "Habits for a Christian life".Also, I'm not particularly interested in the narrative that "when we work, we are like god" because I'm generally uninterested in nonsense. He should try saying to a call centre worker "when you work you are like god" and see what they reply.