Self Help Hipster Does Hellweek: Day One.

DSC_0055

Hi! I’m doing Hell Week.

Right now it’s Tuesday night and not gonna lie: Doing this is manageable…but it is definitely called Hell Week for a reason.

I’d seen the book and the Hell Week principles on the Internet, was intrigued but I never got around to buying the book. Then I saw Sanny’s videos where she undergoes Hell Week. I think Sanny is one of THE most charming Dutch vloggers and I really enjoy her videos. Unsurprisingly, her Hell Week vlogs are super inspiring and motivational. That pushed me over the edge. I wanted to try a Hell Week too.

Hell Week by Erik Bertrand Larssen is a book where he sets out the non-army version of hell week, for regular folk such as ourselves, who want to challenge themselves for a week and see what happens.

There are certain rules you have to follow, you have to get out of your comfort zone and according to the author, it will change your life. I wouldn’t go that far at this point, but I think it can be a catalyst for positive change, and an interesting experience.

Regardless of the week experiment and how that will go, it IS one of the three really good self help books I have read in 2015! If you can’t wait to read it, you can get the book here! (Disclaimer: Dutch/Affiliate Link)

DSC_0057

Erik’s face, though, am I right? Nobody better to represent hell week.

Hell Week in a nutshell: Week long experiment, every day has a theme, and there’s a bunch o’ rules I have to follow.

These rules:

  • Start at 05:00 AM Monday morning, and finish at 10:00 PM Sunday night.
  • Get out of bed every morning at 05:00 AM.
  • Go to bed every night at 10:00 PM.
  • Work your butt off at whatever you need to do.
  • Stick to your planning
  • Be aware of your focus, and what mode you’re in.
  • Be aware of the different roles you have in life, and fulfil them to the best of your ability.
  • Try to be happy, positive and solution-minded as much as you can.
  • Be decisive and proactive.
  • Make sure to get high quality rest and relaxation
  • Make some extra effort to look nice.
  • Only deal with personal affairs in the evenings.
  • No social media during work hours.
  • Limit small talk with coworkers.
  • Exercise at least once a day, preferably in the evening.
  • Eat only healthy food during this week.
  • Watch no TV.

Disclaimer: One aspect of my week is not very hellish, as I have two weeks off. My work this week is work around the house and on the Internet, not so much at the office. I want to deal with all the to do’s and tasks that get neglected because of my job. This ranges from writing to organising my office to the two sad moving boxes I still haven’t willed myself to unpack.

DSC_0019

DAY ONE – HABITS 

05:00 AM. ACDC’s Thunderstruck starts to play. Doesn’t really matter, as I was actually already awake in anticipation. Which is not great for my total amount of sleep, but that can’t be helped now that my alarm is ringing.

Five o’clock?

I feel like I’m getting up in the middle of the night and I think it SUCKS BALLS. I know it’s only 30 minutes earlier than when I get up for a 06:30 AM yoga class, but somehow it feels like hours and hours earlier. It hits me harder than I expected.

But I get out of bed at 05:07 (I snoozed ONCE, okay?! GOD.), wash my face, throw on a sweater and go downstairs. Day fucking one, bitches.

DSC_0020

Because I can’t use the I-have-no-time excuse not to juice this morning, I make half a litre of mean green juice and sit down behind my laptop to write.

Damn. I feel really tired. As I type, I keep yawning and rubbing my eyes. I feel drowsy and tired, and what I am writing does not come out very naturally. I’m very halted and stuttery, both in typing as in constructing sentences.

Around 7:30 AM I can’t take it anymore. I go upstairs and lie down with a book (rereading Angelfall) and give myself Reiki. I, however, do not fall asleep.*

At 9:30 AM I get out and try to write again. Still not great. It just makes me super aware of how tired I am. I just sit there slouching and yawning. I decide I need Second Breakfast and down a bowl of yogurt with cereal and a cup of coffee.

This sedentary activity isn’t working right now. I have to do something more active, and there is an item on my to do list that I’ve been ignoring for months. Cleaning and organising my closet. From the clothes to the bags and boxes in the back of my closet: Shit needs to get arranged. So I go do that.

DSC_0026

DSC_0027

From 10:00 to 12:30 I have at it. I clean out my sock drawers, underwear drawers, my clothes and all the left over stuff. I throw out everything old, outdated, unusable. I then refold and re-organise the clothes that I do love and wear.

It’s very satisfying.

DSC_0028

DSC_0036

Afterwards I make a healthy pasta salad for lunch and sit on the roof terrace, reading and writing. I feel a little more awake now, but still not great.

Doing the habits assessment that is part of today’s theme goes okay, I get it on paper. My favorite habit of mine is using the Pomodoro technique, my least favorite habit of myself is procrastination.

I think a lot about my routines and habits and come to the conclusion that there is still a lot to gain, but that it helps that I know how to work with habits, creating new ones and changing old ones.

DSC_0032

Fuck, I almost forgot to exercise. I do half an hour of yoga poses on my yoga mat in the sun. I realise how much I hate at home yoga, and decide to go back to the studio tomorrow.

After that, my best friend Angel comes over. We have tea in the sun and we talk for hours. I have my phone and distractions inside, so we can really have good quality time session together. She works a lot, at irregular hours, so getting to see her is in high demand among our group of friends.

Around five she has to go to another friend of ours and I have to get ready for my date.

DSC_0045

I think I uphold the Look Nice rule pretty well with a nice natural look, were it not for the fact that sitting in the sun for a couple of hours has already made my new Mac foundation a shade too light for my skin.I fucking bought it last week.

Dammit. But yay for high lighter.

After getting dolled up for my date, I go see him and have a wonderful high quality evening with great company and great food, and I tuck into bed at 22:30.

Whoops, but worth it.

Stay tuned for Day Two.

*I’m terrible at napping. Can only do it when I have a whole afternoon where I know I have to do nothing AND I can only fall sleep while listening to British Comedy. It’s a weird thing. 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

5 comments

  1. I am curious about your next 6 days. I actually read the book, but didn’t do a Hell week. Because… yes, why? Too lazy I guess. Good luck the next few days!

  2. Na het zien van Sanny’s video’s hoopte ik al dat jij erover geschreven had! Je snapt dat ik nu dus erg blij werd van deze post! Zet hem op! Ik ven benieuwd naar jouw mening!

  3. En nu zit ik dus al een uur Sanny’s video’s kijken (ik kende haar nog niet) en ik ben bang dat ik dat de rest van de dag ook ga doen…! Succes met je helweek!