I tried the highly touted 'monk mode' productivity hack but burned out again — this time for a different reason
- Samson Baxter, a web developer, tried 'monk mode' to get more done at work.
- At first he hated it, especially staying off social media, but then his productivity shot up.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Samson Baxter, a UK-based 22-year-old web developer and owner of the art platform Fursonafy. It's been edited for length and clarity.
As a web developer, I'm often in the middle of a crazy workload, barely keeping my head above water.
I'm fortunate enough to be in a managerial position, but it means I'm working more than ever, constantly responding to emails, taking calls, and writing redrafts for projects that aren't going the direction I hoped.
I was feeling overwhelmed and like I couldn't get anything done when I learned about the 'monk mode' productivity hack. It's as Zen as it sounds — it's all about taking a monk's dedication and discipline into your work.
I was intrigued and decided to give it a shot.
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that it's super difficult to pull this off
Since monk mode is all about cutting out the noise of the world to focus solely on your work, I said goodbye to social media, dialed back on hanging out with my friends and family, and set up a workspace where interruptions were strictly off limits. The goal was simple: get rid of anything unnecessary and give 100% of my attention to work.
For anyone who's thinking about trying this, I strongly advise against checking social media as even if it's just a quick look because it's a slippery slope that will completely break your focus.
After about a week, I really started to get the hang of it
I was reaping the rewards of not giving into little distractions throughout the day. By week two, I was having a full-blown six hours of nonstop productive work.
This isn't to say that you shouldn't be taking breaks and having time off, as that's crucial to avoiding total burnout — but if you're in the zone, try to stay in it.
By week three, I was really starting to see what all the buzz was about: I was getting more work done than I ever had before.
But then I hit another wall
My productivity got a pretty good bump initially, but being cut off from everyone is intense. Too intense, actually.
I missed hanging out with people, and without it, I felt emotionally wiped out.
About five weeks into it, I felt completely burned out again — and I was getting some serious déja vu that reminded me of the reason I turned to monk mode to begin with.
I had no time in my day to do the things I wanted to do. If I stopped working at any point, I felt guilty. I began to feel isolated — but at the same time, I felt that my isolation was self-inflicted, as though my feelings were completely invalid.
Something had to change
In the end, I decided that while monk mode did ramp up my focus initially, the long-term effects weren't for me.
I learned that I need a bit of everything in my life — work, socializing, relaxation — and a balanced approach is what works best for me. After all, everyone's different, so a productivity strategy should fit you like a glove.