Abe Jarjoura DDS, MS
Introduction
When Steve Moreland asked me a simple question on LinkedIn — “If there was one thing that would make Monday optional, what would it be?” — I paused.
It’s a deceptively deep question.
Monday optional.
Just saying those words feels freeing. For many professionals, especially dentists and business owners, Monday represents duty, pressure, and the restart of responsibility. So when someone asks what would make Monday optional, they’re really asking: What would make me free?
I thought about it and wrote back to Steve — who works with Dr. Howard Polansky, a colleague on a mission to help professionals remove that one activity that makes Sunday night feel heavy. And here’s what I told him.
Before I continue, I should note that I have no personal or professional relationship with either individual beyond receiving the question above and seeing their work on LinkedIn.
Freedom Starts on the Personal Side
The thing that makes Monday optional isn’t your schedule, your systems, or even your production.
It’s your personal finances.
Everything in life is intertwined — personal and professional — but if you’re buried under personal financial obligations, you’ll never truly be free.
High balances on credit cards, car loans, tuition, personal loans, and multiple mortgages are like invisible shackles. You may meet your obligations, but your back will always be bent from the weight of them.
I probably sound like Dave Ramsey, but he’s right about this: debt is slavery. It dictates your choices.
And believe me, the doctors you see with “nice things” and “nice lifestyles” usually fall into one of two categories:
- Those who are in deep debt, and
- Those who have mastered their finances and built a solid foundation that buys them freedom.
We all wish we belonged to the second group.
The Professional Side Still Matters — But It Comes Second
Of course, the business side matters.
Having a steady stream of patients, doing excellent dentistry, being known in the community through great marketing and PR, building a motivated team, hiring one or two associates, maintaining a strong hygiene department, and keeping expenses under control — all of those are essential to running a successful practice.
But here’s the truth: even the best business systems won’t buy you freedom if your personal life is financially overextended.
You can’t create an optional Monday when you’re still paying for yesterday’s purchases.
Commitment First, Systems Second
To make Monday optional, you first need to commit — truly commit — to changing your financial trajectory.
That’s the hard part.
Then, once that commitment is made, you can reverse engineer your systems — both in your personal life and in your practice — to support the freedom you want.
Freedom doesn’t come from working harder or producing more. It comes from alignment — between your financial habits, your professional systems, and your purpose.
I’ve been there. I’ve carried that weight, and I’ve felt the difference when it lifted.
That’s why today, Monday — and every other day — is optional for me.
The Takeaway
An “Optional Monday” isn’t about not working. It’s about having the choice.
It’s the moment when your life and business are no longer pulling you — they’re supporting you.
When you’ve mastered your money, organized your systems, and aligned your actions with your values, every day becomes optional —
not because you have to stop working, but because you finally can.
Abe Jarjoura DDS, MS
Control "Freaks" 
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