Post: #1

There's a large movement on the Redpill subreddit which advocates entering a form of self improvement that pulls you out of society for a short while to produce huge gains within a short period of time and increase a man's SMV before re-entering into society a butterfly from his cocoon.

This is referred to as "monk mode", due to the fact that all concentration is on growing oneself, with disregard for females for a short time. The idea is that a man's value can be increased, and when going back to "hunting" for women, it will be easier to demonstrate value. Over the next month and a half (until February 1st), I will be entering this self improvement camp with the following goals:

-Deletion of all social media (already accomplished)
-Workout everyday (three day split with an active rest day of cardio/abs)
-185 lbs bodyweight
-250 lbs bench press for 3 reps
-Rack deadlift of 405 lbs
-Conventional deadlift 315 lbs
-45 lbs weighted pull-up for 8 reps
-Eat 5-7 meals a day (diet high carb breakfast and before/after workouts only)
-Read 30+ pages a day of non-fiction (currently reading Mastery by Robert Greene)
-Obtain two new contracts at work
-Building a business that me and two partners established 3 months ago
-Looking for 15k in sales in January (personal goal)
-Up at 6 am everyday (except Sunday)
-No porn
-Cold Showers Only
-Drink a gallon-gallon 1/2 water everyday

Upon reaching February 1st, I will re-evaluate and see if I need to continue monk-mode or bring back day game/going out one night a week (my goal for February will probably be open one new girl everyday to keep myself accountable).

This will be a thread to show my progress, but also for those of you who have tried this method of self-improvement, and those that would like to post their own goals of self improvement. Lets see what we can accomplish boys!

Post: #2

Right on.

Just like fasting can heal the body, monk mode can heal the mind (and also the body).

I would also cut out TV programs and video games. I would leave the Internet and smartphone at your workplace, so that your home is a technology-free zone. This will help clear your mind.

Limit films (you can use the TV to watch films from time to time) to just a couple on the weekend. I find that cutting out films entirely is not good. Films can spur creativity and further motivation to learn about the world. For example, watching a really creative and artistic film can inspire you to reflect on what is missing in your own life. But it has to be a very limited extravagance, or else you encounter diminishing returns (the gains in reflection/creativity are tyrannized by increased lethargy/lack of focus).

I spent one summer during school without much money, without Internet at home, in a far off land with no friends. It was, essentially, a three-month prison sentence, with naught to do but work, exercise, and eat healthy.

It allowed me to cut myself off from the world and feel things on a deeper level. It was an emotional ride, of course, but by letting these things flow through me I emerged a better man. The pleasures of modern life limit our ability, if taken to excess, to be human.

Post: #3

remember to enjoy life : )

Post: #4

This is excellent and something every man should do every once in a while. You might add meditation to your bucket list. Another idea might be to get rid of all the crap and live a minimalist lifestyle - you know - monk-mode... You might save a ton of cash that way as well.

Wish you the best & Hope you succeed!

Post: #5

Wow, I had no idea cold showers were so good for you. Thanks! Also good luck!

Post: #6

I've done this for the past 6 months. Except it's more focused around career and monetary goals. Grinding through my 20's to set myself up for the future.

This was after an extremely hedonistic 3 years at my old college. So it's not like I'm no fun. Just needed to fix my life a little.

It's AMAZING how much you change. The only real thing I have lost on is the cool guy girls want to hook up with me. It's replaced with - holy crap this guy is an alpha male (I'm also tall and good looking. Or so i've heard.).

Of course if you're cool guys give you massive respect and girls just watch in awe. It's hard to fake it

Here's what I have noticed:

- I'm on a different wavelength. A lot of millionaires seem to operate on this level it seems like - I naturally vibe better with successful people. My friends have improved. My friends at college now include people with jobs lined up at top companies, young hustlers, and people who have already made it.

- Treating my copywriting business like an actual business. I'm seeing significant progress. sh*t gets done now.

- Less stress. I know I'm playing for the long game. Each battle is irrelevant. Each failure is a minor setback and a lesson to learn.

- Successful people WANT to help me now. I'm having lunch with a millionaire tomorrow. Successful people WILL help you if you put in the work. Especially if they see a younger version of themselves, which is often how it seems. I'm "using" their time knowing I'm going to mentor kids in my position in ten years who have the f*cking hustle - after I've "made" it. It's a pay it forward type thing.

- Less sex. I'm not sure if this is because I'm not going out nearly as much. The city I'm currently in sucks and I gave up on the nightlife - Southern girls are harder to game. Great relationship material (it seems like), but I'm not patient enough for that right now.

- A feeling of having my shit (almost) together, for a 22 year old it feels (almost) fucking amazing.

- A real deep rooted sense of happiness starting to form in.

- A surreal amount of change in 6 months. I feel 10x smarter than from 6 months ago.

- I'm always on. Super entrepreneur mode. Brain at 100 miles an hour (However that might be the modafinil...)


However it's hard as f*cking shit. Changing one habit at a time, etc. You really are recreating yourself. Hard as shit, but definitely worth it. If you guys can handle the pain set out a year and see the results.

It's a common natural progression I see a lot. Guys get good with girls, find out girls won't make them happy, then go into super improvement mode.

If you guys want to give it a go, I highly reccomend it. Go in for 6 months to a year then come out. You'll be surprised what happens.

Post: #7

I like the concept.

In the past couple of years my biggest periods of personal growth have been where I was in a stable relationship. While I should also thank those fantastic women, I put the bulk of the blame on the fact that as I was no longer occupied on securing sex, I could focus my mental and physical energy on my personal gains.

Right now I feel Im at a point in my life where I can obtain sex easily when I want to (couple of fuck buddies/close friends with benefits in different cities, and my game up to a level where the last 3 parties I attended I had sex there or got a lead that ended up in sex). Thus, with my sexual needs covered, I think I could pull something like this where I focus only on my personal goals and projects.

Women make me happy, but I dont need them to be happy. Sex satisfies me, but I dont need it to be satisfied.

Post: #8

Like every man, I find the idea of this sort of thing very appealing, but I believe we need to be careful that it's not just avoidance. You could achieve all of these goals, but when you get back in the nightlife, to girls you are just another face in the crowd and your increase in value could well go unnoticed.

Post: #9

(12-11-2014 07:14 PM)Kieran Wrote:  Like every man, I find the idea of this sort of thing very appealing, but I believe we need to be careful that it's not just avoidance. You could achieve all of these goals, but when you get back in the nightlife, to girls you are just another face in the crowd and your increase in value could well go unnoticed.

My goal is not really to get back into nightlife, I left that game a while ago. In the daytime, we stand out far more.

Post: #10

(12-11-2014 07:14 PM)Kieran Wrote:  You could achieve all of these goals, but when you get back in the nightlife, to girls you are just another face in the crowd and your increase in value could well go unnoticed.

Another thing is that I consider that a huge percentage of my increase in game in the past years has been precisely because girls are just another face in the crowd for me.

Lets be honest, unless you are running social circle long game, you are just another face in the crowd anyways. So be the face that stands out. They dont need to "know you" to go home with you that night. They just need to feel attracted, to be impressed. And since they dont really know you, al they know is whatever you are presenting.

Post: #11

No idea there was a 'movement', but I do this all the time.

I oscillate between periods of hardcore gaming and eliminating all girls(which includes FBs and girls I occasionally bang) just to focus on a single goal.

I find I get A LOT more done when I don't have the distraction of women around.

It's tough at first especially if you're on a schedule of regular sex, but something happens after those first couple of weeks...you're able to transmute all that sexual energy into accomplishing what you want.

Napoleon Hill wrote about it in Think and Grow Rich.

I also feel like I'm more creative. When I'm constantly getting laid I tend to lose that hunger. I mean my primal needs are being met why strive for more? That's how it feels on a certain level.

Sounds like blasphemy on a game board, but I've found value in putting myself into a temporary dry spell(including no masturbation)

You have a surge of motivation, you get a lot done, and when you get back into the game you're in total beast mode.

Post: #12

I do this but take it a step further. Every now and then I just quit my job and head overseas for an extended period.

Since I am not working I have extra time (10+ hours a day) for self improvement purposes. Usually for me that includes, reading, gym, languages and working on a business. I try and get a short term local girlfriend as quickly as possible so I don't have to waste any of that time trying to get sex.

Post: #13

I was gonna make a similar thread after having had similar thoughts about how this applied in great men from the past which we discussed in this thread.

Monk Mode is a funny and accurate way to put it. I was thinking on adding a celibacy period in my life. I haven't decided what the appropriate length of this period should be.

Maybe a few months every year.

Maybe even up to a year. Who knows what one could accomplish in this period of time.

It will suck and won't be easy, that's for sure. Specially when you have come from a time where having sex was like a miracle to a time where you are on a constant stream of sex, which is always good of course, but distract us from achieving and focusing on more important things.

Post: #14

This is an interesting idea that i would be willing to consider.

I spent my early twenties pursuing very hedonistic pleasures, travel and women. It's been a really fun ride but at 25 it's left me at rock bottom and broke because i took no time to plan for my future, instead just soaking up the fun of the moment.

Needless to say reality has come knocking at my door.. but committing myself to a concept like this to set myself up for the future would be worth it. You also don't feel like your 'missing out' because you've already gauged yourself on as much as possible and seen that while women and partying is ultimately fun it's but a temporary and fleeting experience.

Post: #15

Monk mode sounds like it would be effective, but there is no way I could maintain it.

No sex is straight up evil for me. I went without it for so long when I was younger that its psychologically impossible for me to 'set it aside' for a period of time. If I have no sex on the horizon, I cannot concentrate on anything but getting that sex. I consider going more than 4 weeks without sex to be 'a crisis'.

Post: #16

^ Same for me. Also, being in the nightlife keeps me motivated towards self improvement as it keeps me in the mindset that I need to compete, and being around 18 - 20 year olds makes me want to compete.

Post: #17

Years ago, this was called "Alpha Isolation."
"Monk Mode" is better, especially because for me it evokes the idea of intensive and focused study late into the night on top of dialing up the gym time. Plus meditation.

Post: #18

(12-13-2014 12:01 AM)Kieran Wrote:  ^ Same for me. Also, being in the nightlife keeps me motivated towards self improvement as it keeps me in the mindset that I need to compete, and being around 18 - 20 year olds makes me want to compete.

This self improvement regimen puts you so far ahead eventually that there is no competition. What other man is concentrating on himself to the point of putting pussy on the back burner for a short while to make gains that others will most likely never make?

Post: #19

^ Many men actually do have it as a secondary goal. This forum membership, by the nature of the forum's subject, just happens to be skewed towards dudes who want to plow through pussy now. Game forum has 216,059 posts, Lifestyle forum has 96,103 posts.

I don't think a 'short while' of intense self-improvement can actually yield that much. Your body, if you hit it hard, could probably respond to 2 months of work to a noticeable extent. You could probably fix your style in this time too. But your business won't, social skills won't, 'knowing the game' won't especially if you're not chasing women during this time, knowledge and skills won't, your network & reputation won't. You definitely won't end up with 'no competition', and you'll have to stay sane and on-task whilst having no sex for 2 months.

All areas of self-improvement are ongoing. Its a matter of balancing your time.

Post: #20

(12-11-2014 07:20 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

(12-11-2014 07:14 PM)Kieran Wrote:  Like every man, I find the idea of this sort of thing very appealing, but I believe we need to be careful that it's not just avoidance. You could achieve all of these goals, but when you get back in the nightlife, to girls you are just another face in the crowd and your increase in value could well go unnoticed.

My goal is not really to get back into nightlife, I left that game a while ago. In the daytime, we stand out far more.

Aren't you still pretty young?

How is swearing off nightlife gonna help you progress or become more well rounded with game in the future?

Keep in mind even if you don't want to game in the evening that much, not going out at all might be a negative for your lifestyle later.

Post: #21

(12-11-2014 05:05 PM)Pinocchio Wrote:  remember to enjoy life : )

What do you mean?

The gym and business building both are enjoyable.

Even aside from the obvious pleasures in these processes already, it's not like you can't still talk with people at the gym, call up a friend if you need some conversation, and enjoy other small pleasures in life along the way. The distractions we manifest in life often are far overrated, while the small things can make it immensely pleasurable when we dare to slow down and focus.

Besides, this is a temporary thing. He's not committing himself to this regimen for life; he's a making a short-term sacrifice (if it even is that for him) for long-term gains. That's a very worthwhile trade.

I understand where you're coming from, but if you think about it, you're essentially discouraging a man who's planning to make a hard charge for what he wants in life to perhaps not charge quite so hard...

I'm not accusing you of doing that purposely - I don't think you are - but sometimes we make such comments in an effort to feel okay about our own current station in life, not realizing that we're just pulling a fellow crab back into the bucket. Or pushing him back down, if we've already clambered out.

On a side note, I think if you've got a steady woman, this type of effort is still doable. Not the same, obviously, but still very productive. I'm on a similar charge right now. Best if things aren't too emotionally-charged though, or it can be distracting. Even better if she'll handle the cleaning and cooking while you run at your dreams.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #22

It's best to strike to strike the best balance that puts you on the optimum path of self improvement. I did something similar to this earlier in the year and my social skills reverted back to the "old me" a bit. In social settings I felt a bit of that anxiety I used to feel 5 or 6 years back. Even after years and years of constant growth you can still revert. Thankfully, only a couple weeks of going out regularly again is what it took to get the previous level of confidence back.

With that being said, monk mode is definitely the best lifestyle route if you want to BLAST one or maybe even two areas of your life to the next level. It's at this point where you can let an obsession for that area of your life take over and you just put all your efforts towards this. I almost feel this is necessary in order for the mastery of a language or a martial art.

Post: #23

I've been doing this for the past couple months recently. While I've seen my success and productivity in many areas, I've become quite a homebody. I havent been on a date in god knows how long, and barely go out on weekends.

Like the others have said, this should be a cyclical process and not done for for extremely long periods of time. OP for one month you should be fine. There's no point in going 'monk mode' if we can't reap the benefits down the road.

I suppose I've hit my wall for the time being and will be a lot more social the next few months. When the time comes to buckle down again I will no problem.

Edit: Another reason I've been doing this is that because by buckling down, and I can put myself in a position down the road where I can enjoy the fruits of my labor. Also If I had to do it over again, I would've found a girlfriend, or at least FWB, to get my rocks off. I've been researching 'sexual transmuatation', that is using sexual energy to get shit done, but it's just not the same.

Post: #24

(12-13-2014 03:25 AM)LeBeau Wrote:  

(12-11-2014 07:20 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

(12-11-2014 07:14 PM)Kieran Wrote:  Like every man, I find the idea of this sort of thing very appealing, but I believe we need to be careful that it's not just avoidance. You could achieve all of these goals, but when you get back in the nightlife, to girls you are just another face in the crowd and your increase in value could well go unnoticed.

My goal is not really to get back into nightlife, I left that game a while ago. In the daytime, we stand out far more.

Aren't you still pretty young?

How is swearing off nightlife gonna help you progress or become more well rounded with game in the future?

Keep in mind even if you don't want to game in the evening that much, not going out at all might be a negative for your lifestyle later.

I'm 21, and the type of people you meet out at the club aren't the type I want in my life, it's just that simple. I've had my fun, I don't see the point in getting drunk and staying up all hours of the night, it's counter productive. I've always been more of the daygame type anyway, and I have no problem meeting girls (I'm still in university). There was a thread a while back on leveraging your lifestyle with your game, and there's quite a few guys on here that agree with me. If I don't enjoy myself, I'm not gonna throw myself into a situation where it's going to work against me, women can tell when you're not genuinely enjoying yourself.

Post: #25

(12-13-2014 02:16 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  ^ Many men actually do have it as a secondary goal. This forum membership, by the nature of the forum's subject, just happens to be skewed towards dudes who want to plow through pussy now. Game forum has 216,059 posts, Lifestyle forum has 96,103 posts.

I don't think a 'short while' of intense self-improvement can actually yield that much. Your body, if you hit it hard, could probably respond to 2 months of work to a noticeable extent. You could probably fix your style in this time too. But your business won't, social skills won't, 'knowing the game' won't especially if you're not chasing women during this time, knowledge and skills won't, your network & reputation won't. You definitely won't end up with 'no competition', and you'll have to stay sane and on-task whilst having no sex for 2 months.

All areas of self-improvement are ongoing. Its a matter of balancing your time.

I agree that it is literally ongoing until you die. However, as everyone can still improve their social skills, that's not a focus currently. I am in sales, so I use those skills everyday, it's not like I'm letting them atrophy. It's essentially a form of "blast and cruise", where I'm working on a few things that will make significant differences in a short time, going back out into the world, reaping the benefits, and then putting my nose back to the grindstone.