At a glance
| Winter arc | 75 Hard | Monk mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 92 days, Oct 1 to Dec 31 | 75 days, start any time | Your choice, often 30 to 90 days |
| Rules | You choose 3 to 7 habits | Five fixed daily tasks | Cut distractions; the rest is up to you |
| Miss a day | Logged as missed, keep going | Restart from day 1 | No rule |
| Best for | Habits you'll keep past January | Testing mental toughness | Deep focus on one thing |
What 75 Hard involves
75 Hard, created by Andy Frisella, has the same five tasks every day: two 45-minute workouts, one of them outdoors; a diet with no cheat meals and no alcohol; a gallon (about 3.8 litres) of water; 10 pages of a non-fiction book; and a progress photo. Miss any of them and you start again at day 1.
What monk mode involves
Monk mode is less a program than a stance: for a set period you drop social media, nights out and anything else that pulls you off one or two priorities, often a project, an exam or a business.
Which one to pick
- Pick a winter arc if you want habits that fit your actual life and last past the challenge.
- Pick 75 Hard if you want a strict, all-or-nothing test and have the time for two workouts a day.
- Pick monk mode if one goal matters far more than the rest for a while.
Run 75 Hard inside a winter arc
October 18 to December 31 is exactly 75 days. Start 75 Hard on October 18 and it finishes on New Year's Eve. Add its five tasks as winter arc habits and you get the season's structure with 75 Hard's intensity.