A rule of life app for writing and keeping a rule together

Ordo is a rule of life app for iPhone. A small group writes its rule together in six parts (scripture, prayer, reflection, absence, accountability areas and review), then keeps it daily with a reflection, a scripture response and a check-in. The rule turns with the church year and is reviewed each season.

Why a rule of life needs more than a document

Writing a rule of life is a good afternoon’s work. Keeping one is the hard part. Most rules end up in a notebook or a shared document, admired for a fortnight and then forgotten. The monastic tradition the practice comes from never expected anyone to keep a rule alone: the Rule of Saint Benedict was written for a community, and kept in front of one another. Our guide to what a rule of life is covers the history and how to write one.

What to look for in a rule of life app

• A structure to write into. A blank page is hard. A short template with clear parts helps a group agree quickly.
• Daily keeping, not a list on a shelf. The rule should show up each day as a small, specific ask.
• Shared and personal parts. A group rule with room for each person’s own areas.
• Adjustable weight. A rule that suits a monastic oblate will crush a parent of toddlers. Look for a way to set the intensity honestly.
• A built-in review. Rules should be revised as life changes.
• Rest and absence. A good rule includes what you will step back from, not only what you will add.

How Ordo works as a rule of life app

1. Start a group. Invite the people you want to keep the rule with. Groups are private and invitation-only.
2. Write the six parts. Scripture (what you will read), prayer (how you will pray), reflection (what you will write), absence (what you will step away from), accountability areas (each person’s own commitments) and review (when you will look again).
3. Choose a weight. Light, moderate or deep, to suit your tradition and your season of life.
4. Keep it daily. Each day asks for a written reflection, a response to the day’s scripture and a check-in on the rule. About ten minutes.
5. Read one another. Reflections open to the group only when everyone has written.
6. Review each season. Ordo follows the church year. At the close of a season you receive a formation letter drawn from your reflections, and your archive keeps every season with a day grid and a thread of what you wrote.

Who it is for

Anyone drawn to the idea of a rule who has found it hard to keep alone. Anglican groups shaped by the Daily Office, Benedictine oblates and Catholic laypeople with a rule of prayer, Orthodox Christians who keep the Jesus Prayer, Lutheran and Reformed groups who want a disciplined pattern of scripture, and Pentecostal, Baptist and non-denominational Christians meeting the idea for the first time. A light weight is a gentle place to begin; a deep one suits groups with an established practice.

If your rule is mainly about mutual accountability, see Ordo as a Christian accountability app. If it is centred on prayer, see the Christian prayer app page. Covenant groups may find covenant discipleship helpful background.

How Ordo differs

Most habit trackers can hold a list of practices, but they count days and reward streaks, which quietly turns a rule into a scoreboard. Ordo has no streaks, badges or reminders that you have fallen behind. A missed day is simply a missed day; your companion creature will be awake and waiting when you return.

Ordo is also not mainly a solitary planner. You can keep a rule alone in its solo mode, but it is designed for a rule kept in company, and its reveal (reflections held until everyone has written) is there to keep that company honest. It is in beta on iPhone; join the waitlist.