October 6, 2023
In a digital world dominated by constant digital noise and relentless distractions, finding moments of peace and focus can be a significant challenge. 'Monk Mode,' a term inspired by the lifestyle of monks, can be tonic for our modern-day existence.
Alongside the usual tasks, stressors and distractions of daily living, our phone is constantly grabbing our attention and we often find ourselves multitasking between phones, other screens and tasks throughout our days. Analysis from 16 studies across 2972 participants revealed that this ‘media multitasking’ is high, with prevalence averaging at 39% [1].
You’ll be familiar that what often appears to be multitasking is actually task-switching, where individuals rapidly switch their attention between different tasks. While this can create an illusion of multitasking, it typically results in a decrease in overall productivity and efficiency due to the time and mental effort required to switch between tasks.
Similarly, those who multitask between media, with multiple screens open or commonly, simply engaging in a task whilst concurrently using one’s phone, rapidly switch their attention between screens. These switches can occur as frequently as every 19 seconds, with up to 75% of all on-screen content being viewed for less than a minute [2].
If that isn’t enough to consider strategies such as ‘monk mode’, to protect yourselves from the attention grabbing world, heavy media multi-taskers have been shown to require greater cognitive effort to maintain concentration when faced with a distraction [3]. Indicating that even when we focus our attention on one task or screen, and attempt to block out distractions, it requires a higher cognitive load to concentration to resist the them. When inevitably we do become distracted from a task it can take up to 23 minutes 15 seconds to refocus on the original task [4].
Monk mode encourages a focused environment by eliminating unnecessary distractions such as social media, notifications, and excessive media multi-tasking, reducing the pull and risks of distraction, and increasing productivity to complete work and personal tasks alike.
The more we understand our digital environment, it’s impact and it’s conflict with our personal endeavours and wellbeing, the easier it becomes to design an environment suited to our needs in workspaces and at home. Monk mode, is now hitting mainstream media highlighting the increasing public awareness of the need to find balance in our digital world. It’s a straightforward strategy you should definitely implement to create protected space and time in an incessantly digital world.
When getting started on ‘monk mode’ or any strategy to protect against digital distractions, be kind to yourself. Our phone and apps have been designed to grab our attention, and a level of behavioural conditioning has occurred as a result of that. Just like any habit, it takes time for your brain to rewire and not crave the reward of digital media.