These Age-Old Monk Practices Can Help You Lead a More Focused, Productive and Creative Life Buddhist and Benedictine monks have some ancient habits that every hard-working entrepreneur should know.
By Aytekin Tank Edited by Jessica Thomas
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"No matter what's been going on, no matter what the mind's been stressed with right now, no matter how the body feels, just for a moment, [let] go of all that. Just [focus] on the space around you," a pleasant voice with a British accent instructed. I was listening to a guided meditation about relieving stress. Even if I don't always stick to a daily meditation routine, the occasional session can do wonders during stressful times.
Afterward, I started thinking about the voice on the other side of that app — Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk who co-founded a company valued at an estimated $3 billion (as of August 2021, after merging with Ginger Health). It made me wonder if any of the habits that Puddicombe picked up in the monastery have served him as an entrepreneur. The more I learned about monastic practices, the more inspired I was to apply them (or modified versions of them) in my role as CEO of Jotform. And I'm not alone — just check out the monk mode challenge on TikTok.
Here are some of the monastery mantras that I've found most helpful as an entrepreneur, in terms of boosting creativity and productivity.
Nip ruminating in the bud
I've written before about the negative effects of ruminating. It's bad for your physical and mental health and, ultimately, bad for business. Stuck in thought loops, it's impossible to engage in our best, creative thinking. We can't come up with the most innovative solutions.
It's no secret that meditating is a significant part of the monastic existence. Mindfulness is one of the primary goals of meditation and the best antidote to ruminating.
Venerable Hui Cheng, a monk at Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, explained mindfulness to the Los Angeles Times: "What has happened in the past is history. Nothing for us to bother ourselves over. What has yet to come is the future. Something that does not require speculation. The most important thing at this particular point is now — just to become aware of the present moment."
Every time I feel myself pulled from a task and sliding into a thought loop about something that happened at work — an issue we should have spotted or a conversation that could have gone better — I read this quote from him. I try to break out of the loop and instead, focus on constructive solutions for the future. Then, with a lighter mind, I can return to the task at hand.
Related: 8 Self-Care Tips From Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs
Do good deeds
At the Fo Guang Shan temple, the monks practice performing three acts of goodness: Do good deeds, say good words, and have good thoughts.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own career or business trajectories. Making an active effort to focus on serving others can help to alleviate professional worries and anxieties. It can also provide some clarifying perspective.
I find a lot of joy in connecting with mentees. After 17 years of growing my business, I've reflected a lot about what has gone well in my career and what I would have done differently. For instance, one thing that I often share: if I could do it all over again, I would have started automating sooner. I wasted a lot of time in the early days, something that's easy to recognize in hindsight. I find it highly rewarding to share this hard-earned insight.
What's more, in helping others, I always gain some perspective about my path. I'm reminded of my larger goals and what I shouldn't waste time dwelling on.
Related: 6 Game-Changing Mindset Shifts I Wish I'd Known About Sooner
Ora et labora
Benedictine monks practice the motto ora et labora: pray and work. At the Assumption Abbey, for example, the lion's share of the monks' days are spent praying and working. Note: They also make time for fun things, like gathering on Saturdays for drinks and conversation.
Even if you're not religious, the motto ora et labora can be helpful. As entrepreneurs, it can be tricky to juggle numerous obligations. You want to be a strong business leader, an inspiring thought leader, a well-liked colleague and a good parent/partner/etc. Thinking ora et labora can relieve some of the pressure to be everything to everyone all the time. It also pulls you away from the fruitless endeavor of comparing yourself to others.
Some days, I can take on the world. But if I have a day when I just put my head down and get to work, that's okay, too.
Related: How to Calm Your Busy Mind, According to World-Renowned Brain Coach Jim Kwik
Think big
In an interview with Bon Appétit, Puddicombe shared one of the business lessons he'd learned from the monastery: "When you're dealing with trying to alleviate suffering in the world, when you're trying to improve the health and happiness of the world, you have to think big."
That advice resonated with me. Because as a business owner, to continue innovating, you have to think big. You may start by solving one problem for users, but that's only the beginning.
My company, Jotform, began as a form builder. But forms were just the first step in the journey. I knew I had to think bigger and consider what our users did with our forms. That's why, over the years, we built more tools to help people automate tasks surrounding the forms — like Jotform Sign, so people could collect signatures with their forms or automated approvals.
Once you start helping people with a product or service, consider all of the adjacent tasks and activities and how you can meet those needs and help users in a bigger, more consequential way.
Related: 7 Proven Ways Meditating Prepares You for Success
Final thoughts
I've often daydreamed about what it would be like to drop everything and spend some time in a monastery. The monastic lifestyle is ascetic but, in many ways, inspiring. It requires a level of discipline that most entrepreneurs wish they could emulate.
Even if we can't practice "monk mode" in the true sense, we can glean important lessons for living a more focused, productive, and creative life. And we can do it with a greater sense of calm — accepting rather than fighting the inevitable stressors — ultimately making the long road of being an entrepreneur more sustainable and enjoyable.
Related: Why Practicing Mindfulness in Daily Life Is Invaluable For Entrepreneurs
