2019: Let’s switch into Monk Mode
We’re stuck in a reactionary work loop. Our always-on, always connected lifestyles mean our weeks, months and years are being consumed by meetings, emails and catching up on tasks. It’s impacting our health, and it’s reducing the quality of our work.
If we don’t get out of this vicious circle, our time and attention will keep being wasted, and our low-added-value jobs will continue to steal the spotlight away from more meaningful work — from projects we care about.
But there is hope — with your help, we’re going to change this.
It’s time for us to take back control of our attention. We need to focus on developing a deeper state of work. We need space to concentrate on triggering insights and solutions to complex problems. That’s when we’ll be at our most creative. And that’s when we’ll generate the most value for our businesses.
How do we make this change?
We need to regularly switch into Monk Mode and give ourselves the time and space we need to come up with unexpected solutions. People commonly report that they have their best ideas not while actively trying to, but, for example, while reading, walking, taking a shower — you name it. These revelations are called ‘aha’ moments because they seem to resolve issues that have been mulled over for weeks. Then suddenly, an epiphany allows everything to fall into place.
Triggering an ‘aha’ moment is often the only way to solve complex problems that are too big for our conscious minds to process.
The good thing is that flashes of insight are not as random as they seem. You can foster great ideas.
How? With the right behaviour and conditions.
Seek out silence and solitude and adopt physical and mental rituals that will distract you from your time-wasting devices — that’s what will bring you into a deeper state of mind. Monks of various religions have been living this way for centuries. And it does the trick.
That’s why we’re dreaming of developing a new type of monastery designed for creative work — places to help you switch into Monk Mode.
These dwellings will be in remote, nature-immersed locations no more than 45 minutes away from cities. They’ll be spaces where you can zone out for a couple of days, and where architecture and daily rituals will be on hand (for you to use at your discretion) to encourage learning, deep work and personal development.
And this project is already underway. Watch us build these dwellings from the ground up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. We’ll update you on the first building blocks of our monasteries. And because this project is to help us all do great work, you can contribute, too.
Share your thoughts on our plan and our progress and together we’ll regain our time, focus and attention in 2019.
