I just completed 45 days of Monk mode, and I feel amazing. I’m kidding. I didn’t, but I started researching the hell out of it. So, today, we will discuss whether it’s beneficial or other bullsh!t.
What is monk mode?
Monk mode is a movement where many people are recording benefits, but the results could be more practical because you can’t prove them. Many people report benefits, but once again, those purported results could be just a placebo effect, people lying to themselves, or people talking about the benefits to others.
If I had to define monk mode, it boils down to extreme focus without distraction. One common aspect of monk mode is eliminating distractions such as social media, TV, the internet, friends, alcohol, going out, doing drugs, and more. It’s basically removing any fun and distracting activity from your life while adding targeted specifics to help you become a better person.
This monk movement started because people were having challenges focusing and needed a detox from society, social media, and other distractions. They wanted to focus and dial in. Monk mode focuses on these few core principles:
- Mental health. Monk mode is about self-awareness, and one of the key components is meditation and journaling to understand yourself better and be present.
- Minimalism. This principle aims to minimize or eliminate social interaction and anything that robs you of focus.
- Physical health. Take care of yourself.
- Mental discipline. Monk mode is a form of discipline to help you focus and accomplish more things. It will also give you habits to take with you long term to make you healthier, more in touch, and more in tune as a person.
- Productivity. This one is the biggest takeaway from monk mode. Everything is designed to help you to be more productive and get more done.
The good and the bad
The good news is that if you remove all the distractions from your life, you’ll have time to think about yourself — but you’ll also have few friends. You’ll have a lot of time to work on your goals, which goal setting is a core principle of the monk movement. Clearly defined goals will guide you during the periods of monkish lifestyle.
Monk mode is not lifelong. It is intended to be done for at least 21 days, but people do it a lot longer, up to one year. The downside is that it is lonely because you’re focused on working, cutting yourself off from almost everybody and everything other than yourself. This is not healthy.
During the pandemic, I was miserable because I didn’t have social interaction. We are not designed to be isolated. We’re designed to be around other people, and when you take this away, it does bad things to your brain. Another thing that does bad things to your brain is never taking time off or decompressing, which is another negative to the monk mode. Time off to decompress and recalibrate your brain is necessary.
In theory, the monk mode of solid. But when taken to an extreme, it’s insane. You can take solid pieces from it and add them to your routine and lifestyle. But remember that anything extreme is bad, whether a diet, religion, or work ethic. You need to balance and blend the good with the bad, and take time off and decompress.
What you can do
Set definable goals if you’re struggling with focusing or getting things done. Try monk mode for 21 days by eliminating social media, porn, and other distractions. This is all connected to the dopamine detox that our brains need, which I recommend removing distracting apps from your home screen on your phone. Bury them a bit deeper.
Finding out why you’re struggling to focus is beneficial. And then determine whether or not you need to eliminate distractions. Is it fitness? Is it direction? The monk mode will not help you with any of these except structure in your life so that you can execute and make things happen. Meditation is helpful, but it won’t solve your focusing problem. However, fitness, mental health, and eliminating some distractions will definitely help you get focused and can change your life in the right direction.
So, bottom line, monk mode has some beneficial components and is not complete bullsh!t. If you implement some core principles, your life can be moved in the right direction. But if you think that all these dudes are actually doing monk mode, how they’re saying they’re doing it, is bullsh!t.
