Why You Should Go Monk Mode
Dive into the power of disciplined focus to achieve unprecedented personal growth and financial independence.
If I were to give you the exact blueprint on how to reach personal success an financial freedom, would you be willing to follow every step of it?
Everyone will answer with a big YES to this question. Yet only a very small percentage will accomplish that big goal. The majority will get lost and dragged back by chasing shortcuts or less effort-demanding ways.
Why, despite the widespread availability of the same resources, do so many people, due to their own choices, end up living a mediocre life, envying instead of admiring those who have built their success? The reason stems from the fact that successful people often build their fortunes by following unconventional and difficult paths. Such paths require strong commitment, hard work, and willingness to sacrifice something from the current situation — all features that not everyone is ready or able to deal with.
The Rise of Monk Mode
In regards to these unconventional paths to success, there is a sort of culture preached by online gurus nowadays, which takes the fancy name of “monk mode.” Magazines such as Forbes devote room in their pages to an analysis of this societal phenomenon:
“The term ‘monk mode’ has been gaining popularity on social media platforms, especially TikTok, with users sharing tips on the best ways to reach peak productivity. Monk mode — inspired by the disciplined lifestyle of monks — refers to intense periods of uninterrupted focus to optimize productivity. It involves hyper focusing on a single task and removing all distractions” — Kelly, Forbes.
At the end of the day, however, this concept presented as innovative and daring is simply what has been done in the past by the likes of Musk or Bezos, who quietly rolled up their sleeves in their little room and built an empire because they had this attitude as something innate.
Criticism vs. Encouragement
This career approach, this effort, can certainly be considered excessive and alienating. It is so extreme that if someone truly has the dedication to implement it, well, that someone should be admired, or at least encouraged. It wouldn’t make sense to criticize and put down someone who goes all-in to pursue their goal just because we don’t agree with the process. That said, criticisms tend to outweigh encouragement in our society.
The Long-Term Vision
Bill Gates famously stated,
“Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.”
This highlights a common issue: the big picture tends to get crowded out by day-to-day interruptions, leading to unaccomplished long-term goals.
These “interruptions” or “interferences” are, in reality, the daily moments of joy that people decide to take time for, rather than working towards the goal. Society often prioritizes short-term gratification, leaving us with an uncertain future rather than accepting a short-term tradeoff that could potentially secure long-term financial freedom.
Financial Stability and Relationship Satisfaction
The importance of financial stability in personal life cannot be overlooked. Research by Jackson et al. from the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech supports this, stating that financial conflict strongly influences the relationship between economic strain and marital satisfaction and stability.
Conclusion: The Value of Monk Mode
It’s admirable that those few people manage to see the big picture, put themselves into “monk mode,” and work hard to secure a better future for themselves, deviating from the common trap of instant gratification. Paul Roberts, in his essay “Instant Gratification,” published in The American Scholar, claims that the relentless pursuit of immediate rewards detracts from long-term goals and achievements, underscoring the urgency of adopting measures to counteract distractions and embrace focused effort for a better future.
Therefore, my main point is: we are inherently predisposed to seek comfort rather than challenge ourselves. It’s essential to recognize this tendency and take a look around. Are the people surrounding you at a point in their lives that you consider the peak of your own potential? If the answer is no, then why not try going into monk mode for a brief period, even just as an experiment with small, achievable goals? If the concept itself doesn’t intrigue you, consider applying it with the aim of differentiating yourself from the masses. Firstly, you’ll feel to be the cool guy doing something others wouldn’t even dream of (at least that’s how I feel every time I dive into a project head-on), and secondly,
If those around you aren’t at the same level of aspiration as you, try monk mode just to see if changing the variables alters the outcome. If I were you, I’d give it a shot :).
Works Cited
- Jackson, Jeffrey B., et al. “The Indirect Effects of Financial Conflict on Economic Strain and Marital Outcomes among Remarried Couples.” International Journal of Stress Management, vol. 30, no. 1, Feb. 2023, pp. 69–83. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000277.
- Kelly, Jack. “How to Be Highly Productive by Going into ‘Monk Mode.’” Forbes, Oct. 19, 2023.https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2023/10/19/how-to-be-highly-productive-by-going-into-monk-mode/
- Roberts, Paul. “Instant Gratification.” The American Scholar, Autumn 2014.
