What is Self-Hack?

Self-Hack is a time and a place to consider your life, future and studies.

Self-Hack is a five-hour workshop which helps you in planning and setting goals to achieve a balanced and meaningful life. TAMK organizes Self-Hack in cooperation with Creativity Squads the non-profit organisation behind the concept.

The method is based on Stanford University’s “Designing Your Life” concept.

In practice, Self-Hack consists of diverse assignments which make you reflect on and consider your life´s choices objectively. The assignments encourage you to think about your strengths, dreams and life history. Based on them, you set meaningful goals for a suitable time frame.

During Self-Hack, design thinking methods are used throughout the exercises. The design thinking phases are empathizing, definition, creative process, testing and prototyping. Self-Hack has also added a new phase: accept. The assignments enable you to go through these different phases while reflecting on your life:

  • Empathize: Find connections with your group and listen to others’ thoughts and ideas. Discover new viewpoints.
  • Define: Create an overall view on the different fields of your life. What is important to you? How do you use your time and how do you want to take your thoughts to the next level and act to realize your goals?
  • Ideate: Observe your life from outside the box, from different viewpoints and build on different scenarios.
  • Accept: Take time to consider the past and present. Give room to your thoughts.
  • Prototype: Plan your future: imagine and set goals.
  • Test: Test and share your plan with others and take the first concrete steps towards your goal.

A facilitator is in charge of safe implementation of each Self-Hack. Each facilitator has been trained and is familiar with theories on which Self-Hack has been built, its process and purposes.

Also, a team of support staff is available all day long to answer to your questions, help you cope in case some sensitive feelings raise upon during the experience. Just as during your studies, remember you are not alone during Self-Hack!

Read more about the concept from Self-Hack’s homepage >>