hell week- this is a period in the training of special forces fighters, when the loads reach the borderline level for a person. This is necessary both for the selection of soldiers and for their training. Former Norwegian military and psychologist Eric Larsen, having comprehended his experience of this kind, proposed a civilian version of this test, which allows you to test yourself for strength and move to a new step.

What is the meaning of the test?

Have you ever thought about what your ideal life could be, what actions and attitude it would be filled with? How productive can you be?

There is a simple method to find out - to put it above yourself. Try to live this ideal and rich life, set the bar a little higher and achieve it. In the army, a similar technique turns green recruits into hardened warriors, and in your case, in just 7 days, you will find out how strong you can be.

During the week you will act at the limit, working on the most important aspects of life. Every day you concentrate on one area, squeezing the maximum out of yourself. As a result, you will be able to get to know your strengths and weaknesses better, acquire new habits, and set the momentum for future achievements.

Training

In preparation for hell week, identify your main goal and outline a plan for each day, in accordance with the recommendations below.

General rules of hell week:

• every day, starting from Monday, you get up at 5 o'clock, go to bed at 22:00;
• be as concentrated as possible every moment of time, no matter what you do and do not be distracted by irritants;
• stick to your plan;
• it is forbidden to use social networks, call during work;
• don't watch TV at all;
• you need to exercise at least once a day;
• eat exclusively healthy food;
• do not forget about adequate rest.

Monday

On this day, you will focus on your habits - the most subtle and very efficient way to change yourself.

Make a list of your habits, both good and bad.

The next step is to cross out the ones you want to get rid of, and then add a few new ones, for example, daily reading, contrast shower or meditation.

Work out a strategy with which you will change your routine actions. Think about the reward you will receive for completing scheduled tasks.

Tuesday

A red thread on this day will be training. The juggler manages to handle multiple objects only by concentrating on a single ball at any one time. The same goes for any other business. Being completely focused and involved greatly improves the quality of any activity, while saving a lot of energy.

Whatever you do, you should be completely immersed in the process, whether it's working, communicating with family, or checking email. If you are not used to such a regimen, it will be difficult for you, but with the effort, you will be amazed at how much you can do.

Wednesday

This is the day. You may have read a lot about this and even tried some, but now you have to really take up this skill. Take another look at your hell week plan and evaluate your progress. Is everything possible to implement? How do you cope with force majeure?

Your main rule is one thing at a time. Do not try to resort to multitasking - our brain is poorly adapted to this.

What to do when everything goes wrong, new tasks suddenly appear? In any incomprehensible situation, the military has a rule: "Stop and think." Assess the priority of the cases that have arisen, and add those that can be postponed to the to-do list or calendar. This way you will be sure that you will not forget them and will not lose control.

Thursday

A climactic day dedicated to going out in every sense of the word. First, you will have to spend the night without sleep, at work. The waking period will begin at 5 am on Thursday and end at 10 pm on Friday.

In addition, on this day you will try to overcome some of your fears. It can be anything from public speaking before skydiving.

On this day, you will expand your boundaries as much as possible and realize that you are capable of much more than you expected.

Friday

Every feat must be followed by a well-deserved rest. This day is dedicated to recovery - an important part of life, allowing you to recharge your batteries and reboot your brain.

Do what you have long dreamed of - spend time with friends, go to the movies or to a concert. Reward yourself fully for the past days.

Saturday

Erik Larsen calls it "happy day". You must fill these 17 hours with extremely positive thoughts, no matter what happens. The ability to control your mood is perhaps the most important component of success in any business. You will be surprised how much the right way of thinking means. According to Eric, the ability to feel the inner uplift in the most difficult times saved him more than once in the service in special forces. From the very morning, monitor your every thought and do not let negative ideas take over you.

Sunday

Your test is coming to an end, which means that it's time to rethink the experience and take stock. Write down what you achieved during these 7 days, what discoveries you made, what helped you not to give up and endure all the hardships, and finally, think about what will change for you in the future. Reward yourself in some way, and then go with friends or your significant other for dinner and share your impressions of a hell of a week.

Summary

Hell Week is a great way to shake things up and try to live for real. This is a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and your capabilities and make a qualitative leap in development. You will have to make a choice and complete this test, after which you will definitely become a slightly different person.

So, why is this “hell week” needed at all?

Eric calls it the prototype of the "perfect week". This is the embodiment of a fantasy on the topic: “What would happen if I used every day of my life to the maximum?” In one week you will see how your life could change if you lived consciously.

The general rules for the week are:

1. Get up at five in the morning, go to bed at ten at night. The week starts on Monday at 5:00 am and ends on Sunday at 10:00 pm.
2. Be concentrated throughout the week on every task.
3. Stick to the plan strictly.
4. Be active and energetic.
5. Do not use social networks working time. TV is prohibited.
6. No empty conversations and calls to friends during working hours.
7. Physical exercise- everyday.
8. Proper nutrition - every day.

Monday: Habits

The main task of Monday is to work on your habits. You need to do this in three steps:

1. Make a list of the habits you already have. Remember good and bad habits.
2. Decide which habits you want to cut out and which ones you want to add to your life. As Ovid said, "Habits become character."
3. Plan what you will do to change things for the better. Make a list of what you would like to change. And here are two habits you can start with right on Monday morning. First, move the alarm to a different location. This will help to partially break the automatic chain of your morning actions. Secondly, every morning ask yourself the question: “What event of today am I looking forward to?” This will help you understand what is truly important to you.

Tuesday: Mindfulness

Tuesday is dedicated to the development of concentration. Remember how a golfer hits a ball. At first, he aims several times, concentrates, and only then raises the club to make a hit. If a golfer ran out onto the field and immediately hit the ball, then he would hardly have been able to hit the hole.

It's all about mental preparation. It is closely related to the result that you get in the end. If before each business meeting we prepared for it and clearly chose the position that we want to take on it, then the outcome would be completely different.

If it seems to you that it is time to change something in life, then it doesn’t seem to you. Have you ever thought about what you could achieve and what your productivity would be if you lived 100% consciously? Just imagine: no procrastination, looking at memes on the Internet, other meaningless activities and meetings that steal time. Is it hard to give up such favorite and harmful activities? Of course, but the price of success is high, and it's worth it! Besides, it will be interesting even just to try and understand what it is like. And it will help to understand.

hell week

hell week is a way to change your life, organize yourself, look at your abilities in a new way and open up new horizons. This is originally a test program for members of the Norwegian Army, which was modified by a former commando (and now a psychologist, Eric Bertrand Russell) for use in Everyday life. It starts at 5 am on Monday and ends at 10 pm on Sunday.

We warn you: it will be difficult, but interesting. Ready? Then let's go!

First thing - general rules for each day:

1. Rise at 5 am. Lights out (or departure when I sleep) at 22 pm. If you decide to arrange a hellish week, and in its midst friends call and invite you to walk all night, you will have to refuse. Otherwise, nothing will come of it.
2. Focus on every task. There are very few people who actually multitask. So when you do something, don't get carried away.
3. The manifestation of activity and energy. Even if you don't feel like it, you have to force yourself. Otherwise, what a hell of a week!
4. Complete rejection of the TV. During working (school) hours, no social networks.
5. Empty chatter - in the furnace! Call friends only on business.
6. Daily proper nutrition and exercise.
7. Strict adherence to this plan.

Now consider your duties by day. Here's what Eric Bertrand suggests...

Analyze your habits. First, make a list of your good and bad habits think about what you would like to change. It's time to abandon some and start new, more good habits. For example, you have been planning to quit smoking for a long time and start jogging in the morning - it's time to do it now. There won't be a perfect moment anyway, so act.

Tuesday

Let's start working on awareness. At school or work, think exclusively about your current activities and try to do them as well as possible. For example, write a summary at a lecture and do not get distracted by extraneous thoughts. It doesn’t matter if the lecture is interesting or if it makes you want to fall into a deep sleep. Try to do what you do as well as possible.

Working with time. Think over the tasks for the future, distribute them in order of priority and engage in their implementation, being “here and now”.

Thursday

Getting out of the comfort zone. You have to do something that you were afraid of. You can jump with a parachute or meet a stranger on the street. Everyone has different fears, but they have to be overcome. In addition, the whole Thursday is proposed to be spent without sleep, doing business at night.

After a hellish Thursday, you deserve a rest. On Friday, do what really brings you joy. Remember to only focus on the process and all the results of the previous days of the week.

Saturday

Learn to control your thought process. As soon as a negative and destructive thought appears in your head, block it with a new one - constructive and positive. Adjust your thinking in an optimistic way.

Sunday

Let's sum up. Look back at a hell of a week and think about what you learned, what conclusions you drew, how you changed your attitude to things. We are sure you will be pleased with the result.

If you want to learn more about how to have a hell of a week with an individual program, we recommend reading the book. Erica Bertrand Russell « On the limit».

Of course, hell week is not an easy test. AT student life it is quite possible to replace it with a session. Even if your session seems like a real hell, our authors will help you get out of the most difficult educational situation, pass a test or essay, defend a term paper or a thesis for any of them. You can find out by filling out an application on the site. Contact us!

One day followed another, and I did not know that this is life.

Days go by. Weeks pass. Years fly by. If we are lucky, we live an incredible number of weeks. Which of the past weeks do you remember? What have you been able to achieve? Be honest, do you remember them?

This past week has been hell week for me. I'll tell you what it's like to test yourself (spoiler: super-duper-mega-cool!). Exactly 7 days I lived according to the civilian version of the special forces training program. What for? Now you will learn everything about life "On the Limit".

How to make life better

In the hustle and bustle, we forget what we are really capable of. In his first book, No Self-Pity, Larssen talks about goosebumps. Its meaning is that we do not even think about what opportunities we actually have. We often think that on a 10-point system, our capabilities are at the level of a four - no higher. But the reality is that we can reach ten - we are just afraid to even imagine it.

Each of us is capable of winning. You are capable of becoming better. Stronger. More productive. More optimistic. Kinder.

"Hell Week" - a special course that is used in the Norwegian army in the preparation of special forces. Eric Bertrand Larssen, who has undergone such training, offers a "civilian version" - a 7-day thoughtful intensive that anyone can do. Why is this crazy? To feel the taste of life, the meaning of simple things and find out what you are really capable of, and most importantly - to get the impetus for change for the better.

Hell Week helps you find if not a ten, then your own 8 and even 9 on the scale of possibilities.

One hundred and twenty recruits stand at attention in front of the barracks. I can still hear my heart beating. The officers stand opposite and look at us. Study. They look serious. They frown. We are tense. We try to appear collected. I'm just not sure if I have necessary qualities to withstand the challenges ahead.

Hell Week - the name speaks for itself. The week at the limit has just begun. I guess that in the coming days I will need willpower, courage, perseverance and endurance. These days will show whether I am able to lead people in combat conditions and whether I can take care of myself in a difficult situation. Based on these results, a decision will be made whether my candidacy is suitable for training as an officer.

Next stop is hell

I foresee dirt, endless drills, loud commands from officers, future stress, pain, discouragement. I can imagine how hard it will be. One of the officers steps forward and stands in front of us. He barks a few brief directions and we load into the cars.

Next stop is hell.

The following days stuck in my memory as the true embodiment of hell on Earth. It seems we walked for three days and three nights, but I'm not sure, because my sense of time has changed. All I remember is pain in my hips and shoulders. This pain was completely new to me - stronger, more intense than ever before. I began to understand what a week at the limit is.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the thought glimmered that a person is able to withstand much more than he thinks. This thought helped me stay afloat. In pain like hell, I wondered how long I could bear it. I thought, “This is hell, but I'm not dying. As long as I can move my legs, I need to move forward.”

What will happen at five in the morning on Monday

Larssen called all these tests the mental training of the military. After all, this is not only a test of physical endurance, but also a useful lesson, deeply meaningful from beginning to end. Much later, becoming a coach in personal growth, he developed a civilian version of Hell Week.

To eat healthy food. Do sports every day. Rest effectively. Work concentrated. Get up early. Go to bed early. Finish what you started. Cut out the unnecessary. Put Be optimistic and cheerful. It's simple and incredibly difficult at the same time.

Life will become better and easier, even if you are slowly moving towards your goal. You still go to her! - Source.

For one week you will become best version myself. Is it a lot or a little? Either way, this experience will stay with you for the rest of your life.

My hell week

To say that I was impressed by the book is an understatement. Copywriters at MIF read all the books that come out of the publishing house. But this one is special. Never before have my colleagues and I seen this. I immediately got the idea to try this test of willpower and character for myself.

The important thing is that you develop the Hell Week plan yourself. This is not “to do as it is written in the book”, but to work out what you want to change in yourself. How intense the test will be, you also choose for yourself.

Before I begin to tell everything in detail, two conclusions at once:

1. It's much more difficult than I thought. Ten times. No, a thousand.
2. I will do it again.

By Sunday evening, everything was ready: I ​​set goals in life (imagine everything is so serious!), described my strengths and weaknesses, thought about what I want to change and how I will do it. But everything was still hazy. I postponed clear plans for the morning, as Larssen advises.

That's pretty much how I felt. In full combat readiness! 😉

Inspiration, anticipation, fear and joyful excitement - I was overwhelmed by emotions. I hoped this week would change my life

“It will be something incredible!” - I thought and fell asleep sweetly. Haha. Did you believe? Not true. Although I was impatient to wait for the morning and I knew very well that there was less and less sleep left, I tossed and turned in bed, as if in a frying pan. I woke up 5 times a night: I jumped up in horror, thinking that I overslept. In the same way, I am waiting for the morning when it is time to go south, and the sea, the gentle sun and new impressions are waiting ahead. Here, a cold January morning was waiting for me, when it was dark outside and there was not even a hint of dawn, the chill at home (there were frosts, and at such a time it was cold to get out of bed) and the prospect of working and doing things in turbo mode. And it turned out to be no less exciting than a vacation 😉

Chronicle of my hell week

Larssen says that these seven days have a wow effect: they teach you to appreciate the little things in life that we don’t notice in everyday life (for example, delicious food and sleep in a fresh bed), give you time to redo a lot of accumulated tasks, gain motivation and courage, to change your life, and even start making your dreams come true. Well, I can say from my own experience: he is right, 100% right. During this week, I really began to change - to fight my long-standing habits and be glad that I'm getting serious. It's an amazing feeling to know that you can do more than you thought.

Tasks are prepared for each day of Hell Week: for example, do what you are afraid of, stay up all night or live in the present moment - “here and now”. Get up at 5 am every day and exercise. Do not be distracted by sms and social networks during work. Rest wisely. In general, it will not be boring.

Monday

With the first alarm ringing, I opened my eyes and ran to plan my day - Hell Week had begun. Wow! Exciting! At first, I was very cheerful. Only at 10 in the morning I was already dreaming about how I would lie down on a pillow in the evening. Not surprising. By that time I had been awake for 5 hours and had done a lot of work, not counting walking the dogs in 20-degree frost and, of course, morning coffee. I had no problems with healthy food: I have been trying to stick to proper nutrition for a long time, so oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast do not scare me.

The idea of ​​having a Hell Week is exciting. My husband, who usually wakes up 10 minutes before going to work, got up at 6:30 in the morning and announced that he would also get up early. And he was satisfied. Getting up early seems to be a simple thing, but due to some strange circumstances you feel vivacity, energy and, most importantly, you know that there is a long day ahead, so there is enough time for everything.

My first morning of Hell Week.

Tuesday

It's complicated. Mega difficult. When you really want to sleep, the reality becomes different. You don't see things that way. What is happening seems strange. But you do it 100 times more. Seriously! There is enough time for long walks with dogs, and for conscientious training, and for work, and for a thoughtful lunch, during which you train to focus attention and concentrate on the moment.

Although I must say that it is psychologically difficult. This is truly a test of willpower and character. I want to quit everything, I get angry: for example, on Tuesday, when one of the tasks was to monitor my emotions, I did not ask at all. It started with taking too long showers by Hell Week standards (until 5:30 am - what a nightmare!), which was not in my schedule, so I felt under code name“Ahh, I can’t do anything!” It took a lot of effort (and more than once during the day) to cope with it.

About morning rises. On Tuesday, I got up not at 5 am exactly, but at 5:07. Out of habit, she slammed “Snooze” on the alarm clock and rolled over to her other side to fill up. But it didn't. In my head, someone sarcastically asked: “Well, has the fuse run out? Blown away? Enough for a day?

But no! Don't wait.

Wednesday

By the middle of the week, I was in a normal working hellish rhythm, everything was fine. Surprisingly, at exactly 22:00 I went to bed only on Tuesday - on other days it turned out much later. But it seemed to me that I would be exhausted and exhausted. Indeed, the possibilities of our body are enormous. During the day, a second wind opened three times: at 10-11 in the morning, after 16 hours and after 20:30 in the evening, when it was already necessary to get ready for bed. But then dormant until that time resources woke up. To be honest, I'm amazed.

Thursday

It was a turning point, a critical moment, a force majeure - you can call it whatever you like. I had an almost full-fledged bout of gouging in everything except work: I woke up (oh, horror!) at 6:15 - I simply could not get up at five in the morning, did not go in for sports - there was no home workout, no hike to a fitness club, at the same time she ate two whole sweet curds, although sweets are prohibited. But sweets are a separate topic altogether: it was only on Wednesday that I realized that I was drinking coffee with a sweetener, and it was also ... sweet. I used to think that sakhzam means "no sugar". Anyway. Next time will be better. The body screamed: "I'm tired, I can't take it anymore, I need a break." I simply could not spend the night without sleep, but at 22:00, of course, I did not go to bed.

Friday

On Friday, everything worked out: the body and mind, apparently, realized that there would be no descent, and dutifully continued to work hard. I celebrated a small victory over myself. What happened on Friday? In general, everything went according to plan: productivity, efficiency, regimen, training with pleasure, food ... I decided that I would get up at 5 in the morning two or three times a week - it turned out that there was nothing particularly difficult about it. So why not take advantage of the opening? All my life I dreamed of waking up at sunrise, doing some business, and devoting the afternoon to hobbies, family, friends. But I never, never did it! And now I shrug: there is nothing supernatural in the early rises.

Saturday

I liked this day more than others. Perhaps because of the main task of the day (I won’t reveal the secret - let there be intrigue). The smile never left my face all day. Live well, friends!

Sunday

The last day was not as eventful as all the others. Sunday is reserved for reflecting on everything that has happened this week. And there really is something to think about, sort out impressions and figure out how to live on. Because you want change. Highly. A thirst for change for the better awakens. Hell week seems to light a fire inside, which no longer allows you to simply live on the machine. This is the whole point.

A pleasant end to the week was a report from Rescuetime - a program that monitors what you do on your computer. My productivity jumped to 92% (that is, this is not the limit!), every day I was busy with necessary and useful things for 9-10 hours a day, and all sorts of distracting things took no more than 16 minutes daily. Wow!

1. Don't neglect preparation

In order to start Hell Week, you need to work on yourself and reflect. The more thoughtful and responsible you approach the matter, the more benefit you will get.

2. Set realistic goals

You will need to decide on goals for the next seven days. Don't do what I did - don't be greedy 🙂 My wish list was that it would take Hell month, not Hell week. Be realistic.

3. Live a light version of Hell Week

I didn't manage to realize everything-everything-everything I had planned. One of the reasons is that I didn't know what to expect. I imagined that I would be some kind of "energy productivity machine" on batteries that never run out. But in reality this was not always the case. Therefore, for the first time, I propose to conduct a Hell week of the lite version, for beginners. How to do it? Plan everything as it should, and as the play progresses, you will see what you lack the strength for and understand your mistakes. So then you will be fully armed. I did so. Another hellish, relentless and glorious week awaits me soon.

Despite all the difficulties, I believe that the experiment was a success. Now, when I am writing this text, it is early Monday morning outside the window. Not Hell Week anymore. And yet I woke up earlier than usual, ready for a new day. It seems to me that this is the simplest proof that the past seven days have been good for me.

By the way, if you decide to arrange crazy days for yourself, post photos and share your impressions with the #Hellweek hashtag. Let's stick together.

Morning. Decide right now, because time waits for no one. And when the hour comes and a thousand different voices try to convince you that you are not ready, better listen to that one quiet voice that says: "You are ready, you have provided everything, now everything depends on you."

Wake up!

Post cover: everydaysciencestuff.com

P.P.S. Do you want to try it for yourself? We are recruiting a new stream for Hell Week.

personal development

hell week

I stumbled upon "Hell Week", and, in fact, the author of this case on the website of the MIF publishing house. By the way, I advise everyone to look there periodically. They write very useful things, well, and the books are excellent)

Actually, I start it from tomorrow, as expected, from Monday :)))

"The week starts at five in the morning on Monday and ends at ten in the evening on Sunday. To be effective, you need to follow a few rules. At first it may seem like there are a lot of them and they are all very difficult, but in fact they are simple and easy to follow .

Get up at five every morning
Go to bed at ten every night
Analyze your mood and concentration
Plan your day
Stay upbeat, positive and determined
Be energetic and active
Raise the requirements for your clothes and appearance in general
During working hours - no social networks
SMS, calls, emails to friends during business hours are prohibited.
Talking about the weather with colleagues is kept to a minimum.
Physical activity - at least once a day, preferably in the morning
Throughout the week - only healthy food
TV banned
Be attentive to loved ones
Work hard
Have fun!
Do not give up.

And further. As you prepare for Hell Week, you should come up with a special reward that will be waiting for you on Sunday. If you pass the test with dignity, you should definitely treat yourself. The thought of the reward will keep you going throughout the week, during those times when it will be especially difficult. You can choose from an ice-cold beer, your favorite red wine, or a slice of chocolate pie. You know better. The reward can be related to other people, or it can be your little secret."

Goal Accomplishment Criteria

Successful completion, report in a week.

personal resources

Willpower, patience, enthusiasm, character, courage, interest, curiosity, adventurism, desire for personal change.

Goal ecological compatibility

I hope this will be a powerful catalyst for positive change in me. All the reviews that I read convince me of this. Perhaps I will not fulfill it strictly point by point, but even minor changes will bring undeniable benefits.