Monk Mode I: Focus

Summary:

- Intro

- quick time events

- purpose

- social interactions

- school lunchtimes

Yeah so my uploading schedule is going to be Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. The weekends will be used to record videos that I post throughout the week. In one sitting, I can get 3-4 videos out so I’m baller. I’ll be completely busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays as right after school I have training or tutoring then dinner then I gotta get some shit done before needing to sleep early. These blogs take like an hour to write.

So yeah, enjoy.

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I’ve created this new ‘chapter’ because I’ve finally grasped my purpose. In my previous post, I described how I had planned a series of Monk Modes. Monk Mode I (in Roman numerals because it looks cool and is therefore motivating - it’s like the Minecraft Enchantments like ‘Unbreaking V’) is about the foundation of self improvement: mental health, discipline and productivity. For the following 2-4 months this is my main priority then later I will shift onto social skills, social status, social media, looksmaxxing and maybe even fashion. 

With this new motivating concept in mind, I wake up with a blast. I’m bloody ready to start the day, to beat all those daily ‘quick-time events’. The idea of real life ‘quick-time events’ was covered in one of my videos - I explained how everyday, dozens or even hundreds of times per day you are faced with split decisions. An example being A) stay in bed or B) bounce outa bed and hit 5 pushups. It’s really clear what the better option is - it’s clear which choice grants you more discipline and fitness XP points. The best part is, you always know what you SHOULD do, but you don’t due to the comfort-seeking-lizard-brain being more dominant than your Pre-Frontal Cortex - the rational decision making area of the brain. The only method to strengthen the PFC is to train it - just like how you do bicep curls - each correct decision is a curl; each correct decision is 15XP for discipline and each bicep curl is 15XP for fitness. 

The previous mornings, I’d just wake up feeling indifferent; just another day of existing. I was living without a purpose. When a man has no purpose he is in an equivalent state of death for there really is no reason for him to be alive - nothing will change anyway. He will chase comfort - he will chase what feels easy and rewarding because his body and brain believes that will grant him fulfillment. Examples of this ‘false fulfillment’ are video games, junk food, porn and drugs. For the 2 weeks that I was in that depression, I busted 10 nuts, I gamed for 5 hours one day, I did not do any work and would just watch youtube for four or more hours a day and scroll on Instagram.

However on that morning: 15th of May - I got my ass out of bed and said “it’s time to chase discipline baby”. I was a machine that day - I knew what I had to do and I did it in the name of discipline. I also meditated for 30 minutes in the morning, split into 3 sections: 10 minutes of observing sounds, 10 minutes of observing my breath and 10 minutes of observing the feeling in my toes. I spent 3 hours studying maths in a complete flow state that it felt like half an hour - yes, I was extremely fulfilled after that. The rest of the day was spent reading and then recording videos. I also slept alright (I was in bed for 9 hours but only slept for 8 because I was up journalling). Nofap, screen time and staying detoxed were no longer issues as I had a reason; I had a purpose. I no longer needed false fulfillment.

From that morning onwards, I knew shit was starting to go uphill.

This morning, although not as explosive as yesterdays was still worthy of a smile and a feeling of accomplishment: I meditated, gratitude journaled, hit a warm shower then did the usual. I struck up a decent conversation with a mate of mine at the train station, I’ll give you a briefing and some thoughts.

I just asked if everything was going alright then we started talking about ‘what if he started lifting weights’, ‘how much sleep we need’ and the music competition our ‘school houses’ were participating in. I saw myself as quite charismatic - very warm, very inspiring, very present and not so authoritative (because it was a chill convo). On the other hand, he didn’t hold eye contact, he seemed to be drifting away and would reply with slurred ‘yeah I guess’s’. It was whatever, I had fun talking. What I didn’t feel proud of however was my hesitation then inertia to go speak to this girl that I’m on good terms with - there’s a little bit of tension but once we get into a conversation, we’re good.

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I have come to the conclusion that I would rather spend time doing my homework and studying in breaks and lunch times than just hanging out with my mates and accomplishing fuck all. Through this, I will free up time and allow myself to sleep earlier and rest easy - also gives me ample time to update this blog at the end of the day given that I have completed my work.

It’s a worthy sacrifice.

This lunch time however, was spent talking to a good friend of mine - someone I would consider ‘closer’ than the group I usually hang around - I want to stop associating with them. I’ll be on good terms and talk during class but I no longer want anything to do with them. Anyway, we had a very deep conversation with full presence about mainly gym stuff: bulking, supplements, our reasons, parents trying to stop us, other people, self improvement - I won’t dive too deep but I really valued that conversation. 

Maybe I’ll have the occasional deep talk but let’s see how my school work treats me.

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Discipline. Productivity. Mental Health.

Tonight’s tasks

- 1stman Face exercises

- Meditate 30 minutes

- Wash my face

- Stretch (splits!!)

- Dead Hang 1:40s+

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Ooh, also, once I’m recovered, I’ll start living life on hard mode. This was the concept from the post, ‘something big just happened’ - except I got extremely sick and couldn’t follow through. 

The plan is

- wake 5am

- intermittent fast (I need to cut from 67 to 60kg)

- cycling training or gym+run

- do homework after school

- update blog after dinner

- sleep 8:30 or so

I would also like to start ‘meal prepping’, preparing 5 day’s worth of meals on let’s say, a Sunday. Any longer than 5 days and it’ll get spoiled. This will take roughly 4 hours of prep - packing them into small lunchboxes then reheating them in the morning or something like that - I may need to invest into a new and more functional thermal lunch box. 

The average Sunday for me may look like: 

- wake 5am

- gym 6-8

- study 8:30-11 or hangout from 9-2

- lunch 12-1

- babysit this kid 11-12

- read, research or keep studying 

- meal prep 3-6

- dinner 6-7

- record videos 7-8

- bedtime 8:30

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Learn how to cook

- the classic chicken and rice 

- Thai Pork Basil 

- Fried rice (various)

Each will take 20 minutes so 5 days worth of portions will be 2 hours (cleaning and whatnot) then additional details included so lets say 3 and a half hours. Let’s see how things go.

I’ll be consuming 1500-2000 calories and once I reach my goal weight, I’ll go on a maintenance and do plenty of cardio, strength and explosive exercises for my Sanda competition.

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Let’s see how much my mother will be involved in my life after the stones are set.

- Tuesday and Thursday mornings for cycling training

- Dropping me off at English tutoring on Tuesdays

- Picking up and dropping off from Sanda - I could take the train but that’s inefficient - Thur, Sat

So still a large portion then.

Anyway its bedtime.

Tomorrow’s objectives:

- meditate

- gratitude journal

- GET YO WORK DONE 

- English tutoring

- Read.

Gnight guys.