I like a life of rhythms. It works well for me because I am naturally not a fan of the highly disciplined life. It works great for my wife. I prefer to have practices I know will happen on certain days. Those seem more natural to me.
The only issue stemming from the practice happens when life changes and new practices/rhythms must be found. For years, I spent Saturday mornings working on homework or "work work" at the little coffeehouse I worked at. I would settled down with a bowl of cheese grits and pound out the type of stuff I always got done on Saturday. It was usually outlining papers I needed to write, organizing research, exploring new forms of communication and media to integrate into work, etc...
But life changes. I am no longer in school and I know am part of the pastoral staff at St. Paul's. Finding the new rhythm is the last part of settling in...even after 9 months here. I can now look at my whole schedule and see what events benefit from the rhythmic life.
I think rhythms are harder to fall into than disciplines. I say so because I feel rhythms are inherently different than disciplines. Disciplines are added into our life for specific purposes. These can have practical reasons, like taking out the trash on a specific day, following an exercise schedule or beginning a systematic reading of scripture. I participate in disciplines. But I have to work on them and they can't be as fluid as rhythms. At times, it takes disciplines to form rhythms. They are together..hand in hand.
Rhythms take time to build. You have to find out if they work or not. Sometimes you might really want to set one...but you find out after a few weeks it just won't work with your schedule. Monday mornings aren't the best time for quiet reflection or Saturday afternoons end up being to busy to retreat for private prayer.
But I encourage you to make a list of things you aren't satisfied with. Things that might take time to do. Explore the option of a patterned but open-ended time to practice these things. Sometimes it is practical (like my Saturday home or current Saturday sermon prep) or it can be really laid back. My laid back is usually stealing 30 minutes in mid-morning for a time of reading.
Redeem your time. Forget the grind. Still your souls and begin some rhythms.
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