Explode your productivity 🚀 without working yourself to the bone 🦴
Monk mode is an extreme state of concentration and productivity that allows top performers like entrepreneurs and CEOs to accomplish huge growth in a short amount of time.
Monk Mode has been a core practice of mine that has helped me build my own business and grow multi million dollar brands from my SEO clients.
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Deep dive into the principles of each 9 monk mode productivity protocols
Adapt each protocol to fit your own monk mode practice over 30 days
10x your output, and be calmly present in your new free time
Monk Mode Founding Principles
Sleep Chronotype
Dialling in your sleep is more than just a routine. It’s about listening to your body 24/7 to determine your sleep chronotype and work accordingly.
Optimize Your Schedule
A “good day” is not enough. Your focus, mental clarity, and health exponentially improves as each day compounds on the last.
No Plan = No Results
I’m sure you’ve opened up your laptop with not a single clue what is the most important thing to accomplish. Stop that.
No Phones & Social Media
Apple, Google, Meta, and Tik Tok have 1 singular goal: capture your attention. Which is the exact opposite results that monks want.
No Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant. One day of no alcohol is not enough. We need sustained sobriety to have optimal brain function and focus.
No Drugs
Drugs artificially spike dopamine, and lots of other neural pathways. Treat your brain like a professional athlete treats their body.
No News, No Fap
No porn and no news. Both create stressors and after the initial dopamine spike your body resets to a lower than baseline level.
Healthy Eating
Stay hydrated, eat high quality meats, fruits, fish and vegetables. My favourite is beef liver pate and avocado toast. Plus I use an ACV lemon water to hydrate.
Sleep Chronotypes & schedule for optimal focus
Monk Mode Sleep Protocol
Sleep chronotypes are a way to categorize individuals based on their natural sleep patterns or circadian rhythms. Everyone is different and it can take a while for you to truly understand which type works best for your monk mode practice.
The chronotype of a person determines when they should ideally sleep and work to optimize brain function and productivity. You might be naturally inclined to sleep early or late, or you might feel the most energetic during the day. Taking a sleep chronotype quiz will help you determine yours.
Sleep Chronotypes:
Lions: Work best when wake up early and go to bed early.
Wolves: Work best late at night, and sleeping in.
Bears: Work best during daylight hours.
Dolphins: The rarest type, continuous drifting in and out.
My Sleep Protocol:
Pre-sleep: Sauna, and no screen time ~2hrs before sleeping.
Pre-sleep: No water ~2hrs before bed & no alcohol or drugs.
Sleep: Asleep @ 10pm, with a nose strip, and blackout curtains.
Wake: At 6am go walking & get direct sun in my eyes.
Wake: No sunglasses, no podcasts, or social media.
Cold shower / tub : No better way to wake the mind and body.
Refuel: Grass fed beef, eggs, kimchi & espresso @7:30 am.
Refuel: Take my Thesis Nootropics, B vitamins or 5-HTP.
The more consistently I keep this sleep protocol the better I feel everyday. As with most of the monk mode practices consistency will compound your results.
Buy Intake Breath Right StripsSchedule, nootropics, and why cheats don’t work
Focus & Biohacking
I want to be extremely clear. No amount of adderall, nootropics, caffeine can fix your poor sleep schedule, your lack of routine, the after effects of drugs and alcohol.
Focus is predicated on the continuous care of your body and brain. Plus the absence of distractions.
When in monk mode you’ll notice that the longer you follow your optimal protocol, the more focused you’ll become. More focused than any artificial drugs can ever do. Stop looking for hacks, start fuelling, and feeding your body the way it needs.
HOWEVER. I have dialled in my own custom Nootropics with Take Thesis that I use when in Monk Mode. I do find that it helps supplement my focus and productivity.
Try Thesis NootropicsBe ruthless with your time, and attention during Monk Mode
Eliminate Distractions
Research has found that it takes an average of 23 minutes to re-focus after getting distracted. It’s no wonder why
Financial providers will sometimes lure us in with big signup bonuses, but not have any great ongoing rewards program. So keep your eye on the fine print to understand exactly what these cards require, so you can maximize your perks.
“Live now like most wouldn’t dare, so you can live later the way most people dream. If we desire radically different results, than we’ll need to have radically different routines.”
Compound your results by dialling in your routine
Optimal Daily Schedule
#1 Dialled in sleep schedule
#2 Dialled in morning routine
#3 Morning work on pre-planned work in 90min intervals
#4 Mid day weightlifting (I finish with a cold shower again)
#5 Afternoon work on pre-planned work in 90min intervals
#6 Evening downtime / family time
#7 Pre sleep wind down: no phones or screen time & sauna
If you put in 💩 you’ll get 💩
Fuel Your Body & Brain
I am not going to step into the nutrition debate. But fuel your body and brain with healthy, nutritious food and avoid processed foods, sugars, seed oils etc. Here’s what I eat and not eat that I find makes me fire on all cylinders. Typically I have homemade jumbo meatballs,
No: canola oil, artificial sugar, processed food, junk food
Minimal carbs
Grass fed beef liver & meat
Wild caught fish (occasionally)
Fruit & protein shakes
Whole milk
Yes to health fats like; avocados, beef tallow, grass fed butter
Kimchi
Pasture raised eggs
Monk Mode FAQ’s
What is Monk Mode?
Monk mode is an intense period of focus, and eliminating distractions. Which allows top performers like entrepreneurs and CEOs to accomplish huge productivity in a short amount of time.
Do I have to quit drinking?
No, Monk Mode is a temporary practice that can last from 1 day, or up to 3 0 consecutive days. While you must not drink during your monk mode periods, it’s not required that you go complete sober off alcohol and drugs.
How can you start developing your own Monk Mode Practice?
You can start developing your own practice by joining Money With Mark’s 30 day monk mode challenge. Signup here to learn the principles & create your own protocol.
Avoid these dopamine traps at all costs.
Alcohol, Drugs, News, Social Media, Phones & Porn
Alcohol, cannabis and some other drugs, consuming the news, scrolling social media, and watching porn. All of these are what we call dopamine traps. These are specifically designed to grab your attention and spike your dopamine to insane levels.
While dopamine spikes are not necessarily bad, the results of high reward activities like these are detrimental to your mental health, focus, and hence will break your compounding effects of monk mode.
So, for multiple days leading up to your monk mode sessions, and during you should avoid or minimize all news consumption, social media, and alcohol or drugs.
However, real sexual interactions with a partner are 100% healthy and encouraged. Plus some drugs like psilocybin mushrooms in micro doses might prove to be beneficial for your focus and workplace productivity.
⚠️ Stop your bad habits today!
Start improving your productivity now.
Deep dive into the principles of each 9 monk mode productivity protocols
Adapt each protocol to fit your own monk mode practice over 30 days
10x your output, and be calmly present in your new free time
Sources:
Babauta, Leo. Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. Leo Babauta, 2011.
Ferenstein, G. (2021). Psychological Antecedents to the Effects of Psychedelics on Workplace Productivity: Interview Evidence of a Naturalistic Setting. Available at SSRN 3910688.
