I survived Helweek organized by Meetings in the Sun. In case you want to know what I got out of it, check out my previous blog about the insightst the Helweek[1]. The goal of this week: to reset yourself completely.
In short, I was going to get up at 5 a.m. every morning, exercise, attend a knowledge session, work on a self-selected project and still meditate or exercise quietly in the evening. Are you also considering joining Helweek? If so, here are some tips and tricks to help you get through it and make the most of it.
My daily schedule, planning and methods
- 04.50 alarm clock (3x so also 04.55 and 05.00)
- 05.10 Out of bed, brush teeth and put on sports clothes
- 05.15-06.15 exercise. Sometimes pilates, sometimes dancing, sometimes pounding really hard. I had this on my iPad and listened with my AirPods, because I didn't want to wake anyone up at this time of day
- 06.15-07.00 Shower, journaling, reading, breakfast. I had read the preparation chapters of the book beforehand and read the chapter on that day each time during the week, just before the knowledge session
- 07.00-09.00 working on my self-selected project. For me, this was my social media strategy. Still no phone or coffee 😉
- 09:00-11:00 knowledge session of the day. I had this on on my iPad and took notes on my MacBook. Mail, phone and all other distractions stayed off. Here I had a nice cup of tea and took banana muffins so the energy didn't slump
- 11:00-13:00 regular work, preferably a fun but intensive task like writing texts. If I was running well on schedule, I'd also do some drawing
- 13.00-14.00 lunch with my father
- 2-6 p.m. Depending on the weather, I would go for a walk, work and/or draw every afternoon. If the weather was bad, I would work until 4-5 and then enjoy drawing. There were also work blocks organized in the afternoons, but I didn't feel the need for this myself
- 6pm-8:30pm cooking, eating, food planning, playing games with my dad, sometimes another walk. It depended a lot on my energy and the weather
- 20.30-21.00 day end with meditation, yoga or journalling
- 21.00-21.30 getting ready for bed: tidy up stuff, brush teeth, etc.
- 21.30-22.00 calling my friend & sleeping
Schedule about half of your tasks
Yes, the idea is to reset yourself and get out of your comfort zone, but no, the idea is not to work yourself to the bone. You have a lot more time in a day because you get up earlier than usual, but don't fall into the temptation to make super long days. Then you are bound to break down somewhere halfway through the week.
Don't underestimate how emotional it can be. It is quite confronting and intense to write down what limiting beliefs you have and what fears you are struggling with. These are sessions that force you to really dig in and you have to give yourself some time to process this. You can't do that if you actually still have to do all your work tasks in the afternoon when you've already put in 7 intense hours.
I scheduled myself around 30-40% of my normal tasks and meetings and that worked well for me. I still ended up clocking about 28 normal work hours, so that's about 80% of the 35 hours I normally clock. Why is it still 80% when I only had 30-40% of work scheduled? Because I felt so energized and happy that I was eager to get going with my work. Also, I was now working on weekends to spread the workload a bit, whereas I normally work a few hours on Sundays on rare occasions. Finally, about 12 of those 28 hours were for my own website, socials, strategy, etc. - so only 16 hours was client work. That's already more close to those 14 scheduled hours (40%).
Start a week of mental preparation
It is not mandatory to read the book, but I found it very helpful. That way I knew much better what would be expected of me. So I would recommend that you read at least the first part, which is about preparation. You can read the rest of the chapters "as you go.
We started setting goals on Sunday evening, but I had thought about this 2 weeks before. In fact, during the master class 3 weeks in advance it was told that you can prepare yourself by thinking about what exactly you want to achieve in Hell Week. I interpreted this in 2 ways:
1. What project are you going to work on? What task have you really wanted to finish for so long but don't do every time? For me, this was working out my social media strategy
2. What is your emotional purpose of Hell Week? What is bothering you or how do you want to feel? With me, it was that I wanted to know if I could also work more from my intuition and passion, do more without getting more stressed and how to live my best life without bothering others
Of course you can think of this in 5 minutes and write it down, but in my experience it is more pleasant to think about this beforehand. With such a strong focus, it is also easier to stick to it.
Really try to participate in everything
The team at Meetings in the Sun really did their best to set everything up as efficiently and effectively as possible. The concept is based on a book, but they refine their program after each Helweek based on participants' experiences. Therefore, you get the most out of it when you fully participate in everything.
And yes, you can watch the sessions back, but trust me, the chances are not that great that you will do that. I missed 1 session because a friend came over for dinner and I still have to watch it back. Also, by actively participating with everything, you really discover what you can do. At least try it. If it turns out that the evening sessions are not for you, you can always skip them, but at least you tried.
Find a buddy to join
I did it "on my own. I did have the wind at my back in a few ways: I was in quarantine anyway so couldn't and shouldn't do as much, I was without my boyfriend so didn't really bother anyone, and my father was very accommodating and supportive. Still, I think it's easier when you do it with someone. It's definitely doable otherwise too, because there are a few hundred people participating every time. But it's still a nice stick when you can continually spar about it with someone you know.
Address other habits immediately as well
On the first day you will start working on your habits. Address your bad habits right away during this week to give yourself some extra challenge. You are so high in your energy and learning mode all week that this is a really good time.
For example, I took the opportunity to go outside more. I also reduced my coffee consumption to 1 coffee at lunch and drank a lot more water. Other people chose to address their unhealthy diet, quit smoking or snooze. A few habits are addressed anyway. For example, you are not allowed to watch TV (including Netflix), use social media during working hours, the importance of rest is stressed and you must eat healthy.
Take good care of your body, because you really need it
One of the rules is to eat healthy. Easy recipes are shared for this. I didn't take advantage of this, because I had super much food to finish and had some vegan recipes lying around. Make sure you eat really healthy because this week is pretty intense. Feed that brain. Drink lots of water and herbal teas to keep yourself well hydrated. I also loved applying a generous layer of body butter after showering and doing face masks throughout the week. This self-care helps you recover from the intense sessions and all the thinking that comes along with it.
Let it wash over you
Well, I shared with you my hour-by-hour schedule and gave you all kinds of tips. Meetings in the Sun also created a whole list of frequently asked questions. I understand that you want to know all the ins and outs to, on the one hand, determine if it's for you and, on the other hand, plan your week ideally. But I would ask you to let go of that.
Know that it is a huge control freak telling you this. Try to let go of control and let it all come over you. If you start stressing over every detail, you won't give yourself the space to develop emotionally and really think about the issues that come up during Hell Week. Therefore, I want to emphasize again that you should not plan your whole day but consciously take time off to go with the flow. This is tough for some, but you will learn to deal with it during this week. Trust me.
Want to participate in a Hell Week yourself? There will be one again in July, July 4 to 11. 180 ekkies and quite a bit of energy and time, but it is so so so so worth it. Sign up too!
