A short rule for a pious life
(from the writings of Plato, Archbishop of Kostroma)

   Encourage yourself to always get up early and at a certain time. Without a special reason, do not sleep more than seven hours.As soon as you wake up from sleep, immediately raise your thoughts to God and make the sign of the cross on yourself with reverence, thinking about the crucified Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our salvation on the cross. Get out of bed immediately, get dressed, and do not let yourself luxuriate in bed for too long. When dressing, remember that you are in the presence of the Lord God and Guardian Angel, and remember the fall of Adam, who by sin deprived himself of the garment of innocence, and ask the Lord Jesus for the grace to put on Him. Then immediately begin your morning prayers, bowing on your knees, pray attentively, reverently and with the deepest humility, as it should be before the eyes of the Almighty; ask Him for faith, hope and love, blessings for the coming day, also strength for the grace-filled acceptance of everything that it will be pleasing to Him to send or allow on that day, and to endure all hardships, disasters, embarrassments, misfortunes, sorrows and illnesses of the soul and body, out of love for Jesus Christ. Accept a firm intention to do everything for the Lord God, to accept everything from His paternal hand, and a special determination to do just such and such good, or to avoid precisely such and such evil. Devote at least a quarter of an hour each morning to a brief reflection on the truths of the faith, especially on the incomprehensible mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and on His terrible second coming, on hell and paradise. Think this way: maybe this day is the last day of my life — and do everything as you would like to do, preparing to stand now at the judgement of God. Thank the Lord God for keeping you last night, and that you are still alive and did not die in sins. How many people stood before the terrible judgement seat of the Lord last night! Also give thanks to God that there is still a time for grace and mercy for you and a means for repentance and gaining heaven. Every morning think of yourself that you are only now beginning and want to be a Christian; and the past time perished in vain. After prayer and reflection, if time permits, read some spiritual book, such as St. Demetrius' "The Spiritual Alphabet", or St. Tikhon of Zadonsk "A spiritual treasure collected from the world", and read until your heart comes to tenderness. After thinking enough about one place, read on and pay close attention to what the Lord says to your heart.
   After this, take care of your affairs, and let all your activities and deeds be to the glory of God — remember that God sees you everywhere, sees all your actions, activities, feelings, thoughts and desires and will generously reward you for all good deeds. Do not start any business without praying to the Lord God, for what we do and say without prayer later turns out to be either sinful or harmful and convicts us through deeds in a way unknown to us. The Lord Himself said: without Me ye can do nothing. In the midst of your labours, always be sympathetic, entrusting the success of these to the blessing of the Lord. Fulfil everything that is difficult for you, as a penance for your sins — in the spirit of obedience and humility; in the course of your labours, say short prayers, especially the Jesus Prayer, and imagine Jesus, Who, in the sweat of His face, ate His bread, labouring with Joseph.
   If your works are successful according to the desire of your heart: then give thanks to the Lord God; if not successfully: then remember that God allows this too, and God does everything well.
   During dinner, imagine that the Heavenly Father opens His hand to feed you; never leave prayers before dinner, give from your table and to the poor. After dinner, consider yourself, as it were, one of those who, among the five thousand, were miraculously nourished by Jesus Christ; and thank Him from the heart and pray that He does not deprive you of heavenly food, His word and His most pure Body and Blood. If you want a peaceful life, then surrender the whole of yourself to God. Until then you will not find peace of soul until you rest in the one God, loving Him alone. Always and in everything remember the Lord God and His holy love for us sinners. In everything try to fulfil the will of God and please only God alone, do and endure everything for God. Take care not that the people of this age respect and love you, but that you please the Lord God and that your conscience does not convict you of sins. Watch carefully over yourself, over feelings, thoughts, movements of the heart and passions: consider nothing unimportant when it comes to your eternal salvation. When you remember God, multiply your prayers so that the Lord will remember you when you forget about Him. In everything, may the Lord Jesus Christ be your teacher, upon Whom, looking with the eye of your mind, ask yourself more often: what would Jesus Christ have thought and done in this case. Be meek, quiet, humble; be silent and endure as Jesus did. He will not place a cross on you that you cannot bear; He Himself will help you carry the cross. Do not think of acquiring any virtue without sorrow and disease of the soul. Ask the Lord God for the grace to fulfil, as best you can, His most holy commandments, even if they seem very difficult for you. Having fulfilled any commandment of God, expect temptation, for love for Christ is tested through overcoming obstacles. And for a short time do not remain in idleness, but always remain in work and occupation, for he who does not work is not worthy of the name of man. Seclude yourself, following the example of Jesus, Who, moving away from other people, prayed to the Heavenly Father. During hardship of the soul or cooling off for prayer and for all pious activities, do not leave the deeds of piety, so the Lord Jesus Christ prayed three times when His soul was sorrowful even to death. Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and thus all your work will be a work of piety.
   Flee even the smallest sins, for he who does not move away from small ones will certainly fall into greater and grave ones. If you want not to be disturbed by evil thoughts, then with humility accept the humiliation of the soul and the grief of the body, not at any one time, but at any time, in any place, and in every deed. Every thought that removes you from the Lord, especially a filthy carnal thought, drive out of your heart as soon as possible, as you throw off from your clothes even one spark that has fallen on it. When such a thought comes, then pray hard: Lord have mercy, Lord help me, Lord do not leave me, deliver me from temptations, or some otherwise. But in the midst of temptations, do not be embarrassed. Who sends you chance to battle, He will also give strength to victory. Be calm in spirit, trust in God: if God is for you, then who can be against you? Ask God to take away from you everything that feeds your self-love, even if this is very bitter for you. Desire to live and die for the Lord God alone and belong entirely to Him. When you endure any dishonour from people, then think that this is sent from God to your glory, and thus you will be in dishonour without sorrow and embarrassment, and in glory. If you have food and clothing, then be pleased with them too, following the example of Jesus, Who made Himself poor for our sake. Never argue and do not defend yourself too much and do not justify; do not say anything against superiors or neighbours without need or duty. Be sincere and simple in heart, lovingly accept instructions, exhortations and reproofs from others, even if you are very smart.
   Do not be a hater, envious, overly strict in word and deeds. What you do not want for yourself, do not do it to another, and what you want from others for yourself, first do it yourself for others. If anyone visits you, then raise your heart to the Lord God and pray to grant you a meek, humble, collected spirit, and be kind, modest, cautious, prudent, blind and deaf, depending on the circumstances. Think that Jesus is among those with whom you are and converse. Do not say anything hastily, remember firmly that time is short and that a person must give an account of every useless word; assign a specific goal to the conversation: and try to direct it towards the salvation of the soul. Listen more than speak: in many words you will not be saved from sin. Ask the Lord for grace in time to be silent and speak. Do not be curious about the news: it amuses the spirit. If you bring benefit to anyone with your words, then acknowledge the grace of God in this. When you are alone with yourself, then test yourself, have you become worse than before, have you fallen into any sins that you did not commit before? If you sin, then immediately ask for forgiveness from God with humility, contrition and hope in His goodness, and hasten to repent before your spiritual father; for every sin left without repentance is a sin unto death. Moreover, if you do not lament of the sin you have committed, you will soon fall into it again. Try to do good to everyone, what and when you can, without thinking about whether he will appreciate it or not, he will be grateful to you. And rejoice not when you do good to someone, but when you endure insults from another without rancour, especially from the one you have benefited. If someone is not obedient by one word, do not force him through debate; take advantage of the good that he has lost. For gentleness will do you great good. But when the harm from one extends to many, then do not endure it, seek the benefit not of your own, but of many. The common good is more important than the private.
   During supper, remember the last supper of Jesus Christ; praying to Him that He honoured you with a heavenly supper. Before you go to bed, test your conscience, ask for light to the knowledge of your sins, meditate on them, ask for forgiveness in them, promise correction, defining clearly and precisely in what exactly and how you think to correct yourself. Then surrender yourself to God, as if you were to appear before Him this very night; entrusting yourself to the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, the Saint, whose name you bear. Imagine the bed as if it were your coffin, and the blanket as if it were a shroud. Having made the sign of the cross and kissed the cross that you wear on yourself, fall asleep under the protection of the Shepherd of Israel, Which, while keeping, will neither doze off, nor fall asleep. If you cannot sleep, or you stay awake during the night, then remember the word: in the middle of the night there was a cry: behold the Bridegroom is coming, or remember that last night in which Jesus prayed to the Father till the bloody sweat; pray for those who are in grave illnesses and mortal anguish at night, for the suffering and the departed, and pray to the Lord that eternal darkness will not cover you. Get out of bed in the midnight and pray how much strength you will have.
   During an illness, first of all place your hope in God and often remember and meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, in order to strengthen your spirit in the midst of painful sufferings. Continually say prayers that you know and can, ask the Lord God for forgiveness in sins and patience during illness. Refrain by all means from grumbling and irritability, so common during illness. The Lord Jesus Christ endured the most grievous illnesses and sufferings for our salvation, but what have we done or suffered for our salvation?
   Go to churches for Divine services as often as possible, especially try to be during the Liturgy as often as possible. And Sundays and feast days must be dedicated to pious deeds; being in the temple, always remember that you are in the presence of God, Angels and all the Saints; devote the rest of the day after the Liturgy to pious reading and other deeds of piety and love. Dedicate your birthday and the day of your Angel especially to the deeds of piety. Every year and every month make a severe test of your conscience. Confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries as often as possible. Always approach the communion of the Holy Mysteries with true hunger and true thirst of the soul, with contrition of heart, with reverence, humility, faith, hope, love. As often as possible, meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, imploring Him to cover all your sins with the garment of His merits and accept you into His kingdom. Always keep the name of Jesus in your mouth, mind and heart. Reflect as often as possible on the great love of the Lord God for you, glorified and worshiped in the Trinity, so that you yourself may love Him with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strengths. By doing this, you will lead a peaceful life on this earth, and a blessed one in heaven forever and ever. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.