In recent years, self-help books have had their own subgenre that could be summarized with the title ‘Monk Mode’. These two words sum up a simple way to approach productivity. If we get rid of distractions, the ability to work or carry out an activity that we want will multiply. The image that represents it is that of a monk in his cell focused on a task, with nothing to waste his time. In its simplest phase, monk mode consists of getting rid of distractions such as the cell phone. In its most radical aspect, the apostles of this thought defend eliminating sugar and sex.
‘Monk mode’ was a tool that had been popularized by computer programmers who had realized that multitasking – performing several tasks at the same time – reduced productivity. From there he moved on to self-help books for entrepreneurs. And then it became popular on ‘Tik Tok’ and other social networks. This fact is paradoxical, since the greatest focus of distraction today is created precisely by these platforms, designed to capture attention using elaborate neuroscience techniques. It is no coincidence that the term ‘digital fentanyl’ has been coined to refer to the ability of these platforms to become addictive. And their power in this field is very broad, especially if, according to statistics, each Spaniard spends an average of two hours and 53 minutes a day in front of a screen, a figure that rises to five hours in the case of adolescents.
Clear reward
One of the key parallels to the ‘monk mode’ is ‘flow’, a term coined in 1970 for the world of psychology by the Hungarian professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. This expert, a nationalized American, discovered that the mind’s ability to be productive or creative increases exponentially in tasks on which it is possible to concentrate fully. His vision is broader, since he considers that it is necessary that these moments of work or hobby have, for example, a clear reward – that is, satisfaction is something concrete and not an abstract goal. Likewise, to achieve ‘flow’ it is necessary that there is a balance between the challenge that is posed and the skills that the person who is going to carry it out has. That is to say, performing a task well below a person’s knowledge is frustrating, as is facing a mission for which one is not prepared.
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One of the reference authors is Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, who wrote the book ‘Focus’, in English ‘Deep work’. Newport’s theories defend, for example, the need to block the channel through which distractions arrive, that is, being willing to disconnect from networks or other means that distance concentration. This author, for example, believes that you have to be very careful with the use of email and the obsession with responding quickly. In his opinion, this obsession can lead to focusing on superficial work, that is, what is easier compared to deep work. It is no coincidence that one of his books is titled with a phrase that today seems like science fiction: ‘A world without email.’ How to reinvent work in a world with excessive communication’.
Loneliness and anxiety
Newport advocates boredom as a way to train the brain and allow it to rest. According to his theory, to avoid boredom the brain looks for any type of distraction and is willing to throw itself into social media or any other activity, no matter how frivolous, so as not to have the feeling of wasting time. However, Newport defends that being bored is, in this context, a way of training oneself to perform tasks free of any compulsion to seek moments of fun or relaxation.
This author, however, defends that the ‘monk mode’, taken to its extreme, can also imply an isolation that is not practical and that, in addition, ends up generating a feeling of loneliness that leads to anxiety. Therefore, his proposals are more practical. For example, he is in favor of dividing the workday between moments of ‘deep work’, that is, in which distractions have disappeared and concentration is absolute, and more superficial work, such as responding to emails. But this ‘monk mode’ guru also has much simpler recommendations. Among them, something that seems as difficult today as going for a walk without carrying your mobile phone.
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