Should You Become a Monk?

Strange question for a productivity blog, perhaps  but stay with me.

Increasing evidence suggests that multitasking is distracting. As is the interjection into the work-place and workstream of email, telephone vocals snd other distractions.  People have realised this for some time and s number of them have come to the same  conclusion – that they need to hunker down and concentrate for some time on a single task

Inspired by the single-mindedness of monks throughout the ages, this has become known as entering ‘monk mode’. –  intense periods of uninterrupted focus to optimise productivity. It involves hyperfocusing on a single task and removing all distractions. As well as making the person more productive on that one, singular task, monk mode has the added advantage of reducing burnout caused by the constant shuffling of resources to work on different projects snd tasks.

You must ensure that your colleagues are aware of this shift of process and you, yourself, must ensure that all potential distractions are removed or reduced.Some people use monk mode at quiet periods of the day – even before official start and after official end times.  Make sure your workspace is tidy – untidiness is a source of distraction.  If it starts tidy, it should end tidy.

Monk mode won’t work for all jobs, all tasks, or all people.  But for many, it does seem to – and its worth a try to see if it works for you.