I HAD the good fortune to travel up north recently with my family. The few days in a picturesque town, getting plenty of rest, laughter and good food along with limiting smartphone consumption impacted us all positively. Over breakfast I wondered whether we really need to be connected 24/7 if we knew it was not doing us any good?

The very morning of our departure, I read an article on BBC about people going into ‘monk mode’ — limiting social media and other screen time, in a bid to be more productive. Had we inadvertently done the same which is why we felt so much sukoon (calm)?

Monk mode gained popularity last year when it was reported as a productivity hack popular among CEO and entrepreneurs who use it to focus on one activity at a time. While the term has been around for at least two decades, it found its way to TikTok, and well, you know the rest — 68.8 million views at the time of writing.

TikTokers post their progress of doing the monk mode challenge — wherein they eliminate distractions like social media, Netflix, apps, video games, dating and focus on one task at a time. They practise an iteration of the following schedule: wake up around 530, no checking of devices, cold shower, exercise, reading for half an hour, stretches for 15 minutes, focused work for X hours, a walk or more exercise, some phone time before putting it on silent and away from your bed before bedtime at 10pm. Some people also include healthy habits into the challenge like no junk food, sugar, alcohol and drugs. TikTokers also followed three beliefs that helped them during their monk mode challenge — isolation, introspection and improvement. All of this, they said in their videos, improved their productivity, ie, they could manage one task at a time, having been inspired by an XYZ influencer (read rich person).

Funny things happen when capitalism gets its grubby hands on sacred philosophies.

TikTokers post their progress as they take on the challenge.

The name monk is a nod to monks who have renounced worldly goods to pursue spiritual goals. The popular self-help guru/ influencer and author Jay Shetty, who has a massive social media following, renounced business school to join an ashram, wrote about his experience of adopting monk habits in his bestselling Think Like a Monk. “I want to help people find stillness, purpose, peace and clarity in their daily life, by adopting the mindset monks have developed over thousands of years,” Shetty told the Guardian in 2020. While noble, I want to add that Shetty is worth between $25m and $30m and reportedly earns $7m a year from his books, podcasts and speaking tours. Monks in Asia, meanwhile, do not earn, certainly not for themselves.

Forbes wrote in 2022 that “the global personal development market was valued at $41.81 billion in 2021, with projected growth at a compound annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent from 2022 to 2030.”

I’m not against self-development. I believe all of us can benefit from introspection without relying on apps for long periods.

I will get into trouble for saying this but Imran Khan would have done well had he ventured into the realm of self-development, instead of governance. He is clearly inspirational and has the makings of motivational gurus who appeal to folks struggling to find purpose or direction. Such influencers tap into someone’s weakness and offer them goals — packaged through books, programmes, courses, videos, complete with hashtags — to help them attain confidence, security, riches, even love.

Khan helped disenchanted, disconnected, apolitical people find some purpose; even if I don’t understand it, I can’t deny his appeal. He also did it without a heavy reliance on religion, compared to anyone with cleric ahead of their names who are our version of motivational speakers. But unlike those shilling a product guised in a philosophy, Khan’s ‘goals’ were unrealistic, in fact, all smoke and mirrors. Maybe, he’d fare better if he ‘sold’ concepts suited to our ancient culture and wisdom for collective personal betterment minus empty sloganeering.

On the surface, monk mode is an incredible idea. It frees us from the terrible trappings of social media which, studies show, make users feel bad about themselves. But just like being a monk isn’t for everyone, neither is going into a mode. Given the advancements in technological innovations vying for your attention, there’s got to be a better way to manage living in these times. I don’t have answers but I know healthy lifestyles based on personal connections shouldn’t be a mode.

Our elders may have the answers as they also lived in times of disruptions in communication, albeit not at today’s dizzying speed. They adapted without losing sight of personal relationships and didn’t compromise on simple sources of joy. We may want to turn to them for their sage advice.

The writer researches newsroom culture in Pakistan.
X (formerly Twitter): @LedeingLady

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2023