Going Monk Mode

I was raised by parents and grandparents that, though not wealthy, were always financially responsible. Money was not a prime motivator in their lives, but having enough was always on their mind, and very achievable with a stable job for those generations.

Post Covid Australia has changed so much of that life that I once knew. It feels like a distant dream.

In my previous article I spoke of meeting my partner later in life, and at 35, we were both basically starting again. And with my health battles now in the past, I was basically just beginning.

I’ve always had an interest in business and a desire to start my own thing one day. And I did have a crack at one or two things. However, borrowing money for below average business ideas, in hindsight, was not a good strategy. I’ve never been one for unnecessary debt. One little venture required me to borrow $40k – I got that dread as soon as I received the loan.

One skill I have learnt and am good at, is budgeting. I knew how to identify where I could save, and I was willing to sacrifice to do so. I am much better at reducing my spending than finding ways to earn more income, so this was the strategy I needed to adopt. I was also at an age where living for the weekend no longer excited me, I wanted to work towards more. Time to go Monk Mode.

I’ve heard of Warren Buffett speak of Monk Mode, I’ve also read The Minimalists, and listened a lot to Dave Ramsey. All give differing perspectives of the same philosophy. When I think of the type of monk referenced by Warren Buffett, I think of the monk that removes themself for months or years at a time, stripping life back to the minimum, and removing all distractions in the pursuit of enlightenment and nirvana. We live with the culture that is the best on earth at deriving nirvana from the land and what the world naturally provides. Captain James Cook said it himself: “ ...in reality they are far more happier than we Europeans; being wholly unacquainted not only with the superfluous but the necessary Conveniences so much sought after in Europe, they are happy in not knowing the use of them. They live in a tranquillity which is not disturb’d by the inequality of condition: The earth and the sea of their own accord furnishes them with all things necessary for life.” This quote was from over 200 years ago so it must not be taken out of context. Much has changed since then. However, It was still clear to me there was much perspective I wanted to learn from the oldest continual culture on earth.

In community it's much harder to be tempted by impulse or unnecessary spending, even if we wanted to. Where we are now, we are over 5 hours from a town, over 2 hours from a beer, and shipping expenses on orders kills any excitement of online shopping. We shop in bulk and stock up on the necessities and staples before heading to the outback, to not be tempted by impulse spending at the community store. One small packet of Red Rock Deli Chips for ten dollars is enough to make anyone run in the opposite direction. In dollar terms, we've stripped life back to the lowest common denominator possible.

Paradoxically, despite stripping right back, we now experience a sense of freedom seldom felt by the city’s working class. You don’t feel confined by the laws and rules of the big cities. No traffic jams, no speed cameras, no red-light cameras, nothing trying to catch you out and fine you for any little mistake.

Stripping life back gives me time to be really introspective. I get to work towards becoming the person I truly want to be. I have always enjoyed helping people, hence why I became a teacher and moved out here in the first place. During the peak heat spells of summer in the outback, when the sun is blistering and the flies and mosquitos unrelenting, there’s not much to do on the weekends. I literally look forward to reading a book or writing these blog posts – seemingly very simple things, that may end up making a big difference. I can honestly say, this would have been very unlikely to have happened in the city. Whether this takes me somewhere or not (I really hope it does) is not the important part, it just feels good to be continually progressing.

Moving to Indigenous Australia has shown us what is actually most important in life, the rest is often just noise. And those times when you get to do more are those nice necessary bonuses that makes life worth living. You have no idea how grateful you are for a pint or a pub cooked schnitzel when you live two hours away and go months at a time without it.

Going Monk Mode for this moment in time, might just be the best decision we ever make.

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