A day in the life of a monk consists of prayer, work and rest. The hours of the Eucharist, offices and meals are fixed. They organize the rest of the time themselves.
| Weekday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| vigils (the night watch) | 4u00 | 4u00 |
| lectio divina/ reading meditation/ personal prayer/ breakfast for the monks | 5u00 | 5u10 |
| lauds (morning prayer) | 7u00 | 7u00 |
| breakfast for guests | 7u35 | 7u35 |
| manual labour for the monks | 7u35 | - |
| quiet time | - | 7u35 |
| terce (morning prayer) + Eucharist | 10u45 | 10u00 |
| quiet time | 11u30 | 11u15 |
| sext (noon prayer) | - | 12u15 |
| midday meal (monks) | 12u00 | 12u30 |
| midday meal (guests) | 12u30 | 12u30 |
| midday rest/ quiet time | 12u30 | 13u00 |
| nones (afternoon prayer) | 14u00 | - |
| labour | 14u15 | - |
| vespers (evening prayer) | 17u15 | 16u00 |
| quiet time | - | 16u50 |
| evening meal | 18u00 | (from ) 17u40 |
| quiet time | 18u30 | 18u30 |
| compline (night prayer) | 19u30 | 19u30 |
| bed | 20u00 | 20u00 |
The hours of the Eucharist, prayer services and meals are fixed. In the intervening hours the monks must arrange their own schedule. For example, if you are unable to devote time to reading or personal prayer due to work commitments in the morning, you will fit this in at another moment of the day.
These quiet times must be spent on reading and personal prayer in silence. Unless they are required for the necessary labour, quiet periods on a Sunday – on the advice of St Benedict – must be wholly spent on reading, individual reflection, meditation or personal silent prayer.