A quick look at working in monk mode
2024-11-16
In case you are anything like me, you probably have built valuable, but also quite extensive routines that can end up eating much of your time. Especially in stressful times, these can feel restricting and even contra productive, since they keep you from actually doing the work at hand. So, let's take a quick look at one possible solution for this situation - called monk mode...
Inspired by the life of ancient monks, who focussed their daily lives on only one thing (that being praying of course), the basic idea of working in monk mode is actually pretty simple. You exclusively focus on the work that needs to be done for a few days and allow yourself to take all necessary measures to do so - even extreme approaches, if necessary. For example, you could skip all of your habits for a few days - even the good and healthy ones - in order to truly focus on one thing. Another step could be to cancel all your other professional appointments and drastically reduce the time hanging out with friends. In a nutshell, you do what it takes to make room for your work - no matter the sacrifices.
I obviously know that this can sound ridiculous and to be fully honest it also is to some extent at least. But do you know what it is too? Highly effective! From personal experience, I can tell you that this strategy truly allows you to do work that would normally take weeks alongside all your other daily life in a few days or maybe even hours. This can feel downright magical and I highly recommend you give this approach a go in a situation where you don't have to make a whole lot of sacrifices in order to implement this singular focus for the needed time. Nonetheless, I also want to make it clear that this is only meant for getting through temporary, short bursts of work and not as a general lifestyle. Habits like regularly exercising, journaling, daily learning et cetera are invaluable and no human being should ever trade in time with their loved ones and friends for extensive work. All of this is mandatory for a happy and healthy life and that should be everyone's ultimate goal.
But the monk mode also has its reason to exist, at least when you follow a few guidelines for properly implementing it. First and foremost, clearly set out what needs to be done (aka your one thing to work on) and decide on the maximum time you want to spend in monk mode (no longer than a few days at maximum). This allows you to clearly figure out when your work is done and spend as little time as possible in this effective, but also cost worthy mode. Furthermore, I also highly encourage you to do all the needed preparation work beforehand, so that you can focus solely on the main task and get into a real flow state of working. Reaching such a highly productive flow state for an extended period of time, is what makes the monk mode so valuable, since it offers you the time you need for a task with far fewer interruptions than usual. This greatly reduces the time you normally need to get back into the project and the singular focus allows you to dedicate almost all your brain power to the task.
With that said, I hope to have given you a rough overview of the monk mode - a highly productive, but also challenging method for getting through work quickly. It offers immense value to those who implement it from time to time, but also requires an incredible amount of dedication to truly get right and obviously heavily impacts your life for the given period. So choose wisely, if you really want to use it, but certainly give it a go, if you don't have to invest a whole lot of your time or quality of life into trying it out. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments down below and have a lovely day...