Monk Mode (early access edition)
Monk Mode (early access edition)
Could I have your attention for a moment? Probably not, because seven billion other people are also clamouring for your attention, and that makes the world a noisy place. Minute by minute, your life is being carved up and sold, and you can’t buy it back. That’s why we all feel so stressed, tired, and burned out all the time, and adopting so-called “monk mode” just so we can run faster on the treadmill isn’t helping.
What if the answer isn’t more, more, more of everything, but less of things that don’t matter, leaving more room for those that do? Plus, ideally, a broad margin to our lives where interesting things can happen.
This book outlines what I have in mind. My version of “monk mode” is one in which I build a happy, meaningful, and healthy life, not on top of some mountain, but right here. It's a life of balance: between work and relaxation, between socialising and solitude, between discipline and enjoyment.
The kind of “productivity” I want to achieve with my monk mode isn't about running faster on the treadmill of consumer capitalism, or ruthlessly strip-mining people's minds to fuel the attention economy. It's more about weaning myself off an addiction to things that don't matter, which it turns out is almost everything, and building a new, gentler way of life that I won't need to go on a retreat from. If that sounds good to you too, then come join me.
Includes free updates for life.
Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “At last, a really practical and useful book on life skills for engineers. No waffle, just actionable tips on how to focus, organise yourself, and generally get a grip on things. I love it.”
—Richard W. Shepard
About the book
The Buddhists say that everybody has 83 problems, which is a curiously specific number, but nonetheless it sounds about right to me. Some problems are big, some are small, some can be solved, and some can't. Usually, if you solve one problem, another simply pops up to take its place. The point is that everybody thinks “If only I could just solve my 83 problems, I'd be happy”. That's the 84th problem.
Monk Mode is, on the other hand, a book about living happily with your 83 problems, not running away from them. It’s a storehouse of practical tips and ideas for achieving balance: doing the stuff you want to do, while building in plenty of time for sitting by the lake, watching the birds, or just counting clouds. When’s the last time you gave yourself permission to do nothing at all? Maybe today’s a good day to start.
Early access
This isn’t the finished book, and the price reflects that. This early access edition contains the first six of a planned twelve chapters, with more to come; keep checking back here for updates.
What’s included
The completed book will wander contemplatively over such topics as:
Why self-discipline is so hard (and what to do about it)
Why your brain is inconsistent, incoherent, and uncooperative (and what to do about it)
How to build good habits (and get rid of bad ones)
How to go with the flow, without being a pushover
How to meditate without using apps, drugs, binaural white noise, or a secluded mountain cave
Why you accumulate stuff, and how to get rid of it, and to get less, better stuff instead
How to avoid the asceticism trap: “It’s hurting, so it must be working”
How to love the sky
How to become extremely offline
What are your goals in life, and are they really your goals, or someone else’s?
What is craft mastery, and do you have what it takes? (yes, you do)
Harnessing creativity (“Why don’t you just write a bad opera? That should be easy!”)
How to study martial arts if you don’t like violence
The power of relaxed focus: splitting firewood with taiji
Understanding your relationship with nature (“One day’s exposure to mountains is worth a cartload of books”)
How to enjoy the silence
What you get
Your digital download contains the book in PDF and ePub formats. These should be suitable for any ebook reader, computer, phone, or tablet.
Updating to the latest edition
All my books come with free updates for life, so if you’ve bought a previous version of this book, here’s what you need to do to get the latest edition. Click the link in your original download email (make sure you save this, as it’s your key to future updates). You’ll see what looks like an error page saying your download link for the old edition has expired, but that’s okay: click the link in the text, and you’ll be sent a new download email for the current edition.
About the early access edition
I’m trying a little pricing experiment this time: the early access edition is on sale for a lower price, reflecting the fact that it’s not complete yet. As I release each new draft, I’ll let you know so you can update your copy for free. But the price will gradually increase over time, so the earlier you buy the book, the less you’ll pay for it. I like this idea, but we’ll see how well it works out (and let me know what you think).