This is an anti-self-help book
For anyone starting over who’s done following rules that never worked for them. A no-bullsh*t guided journal to work out what you actually want, and where to start.
£19.99210+ hand-drawn pagesPaperbackOut 28.11
Waitlist early access in
Things I actually said this year
“I’m supposed to be a designer lol. How do I design my own life?”
“Fired. Broke. Single. And turning 30.”
“Who decided I need the house, the partner and the career by 30?”
“Everyone else seems to have it figured out.”
If you’ve said any of these too, hi. You’re not alone. And you will be ok. It might take some time, but you will be ok.
The hardest part isn’t that everything broke. It’s that it all broke at once, and you can’t work out where to start. So that’s exactly where this starts.
Where do I even start?
When everything feels urgent, it’s hard to know where to begin. So you do nothing, and then feel worse for doing nothing. The Problem Pile sorts that out in two pages.
- 1Empty your headWrite down everything that’s taking up space in there. All of it, onto one page.
- 2Star and circleStar what genuinely needs attention in the next 48 hours. Circle anything that needs someone else’s help.
- 3Sort the pileNeeds attention now, important but can wait, or outside your control. Suddenly you know where to start.
What did you lose?
Mine was my job, my income and my relationship, all in one go. Tick yours.
Same. This journal is for you.
Join the waitlistI couldn’t find a journal for this, so I made one
Everything I found was gratitude lists and 5am routines. All written by people who seem to have it all figured out. None of it asked the real question: who made these rules anyway?
What I found
- Gratitude lists when you’re grieving
- Five-year plans when you can’t plan tomorrow
- Rules about where you “should” be by 30
- “Good vibes only” when nothing feels good
- Pretty pages with nothing real to say
What I made
- Room to be angry, scared and honest first
- Small next steps you can actually take this week
- Permission to question the rules society handed you
- Prompts I needed, written while I was in it
- Every page drawn by hand, like a friend’s notebook
By the last page, you’ll have
- Made sense of what happenedInstead of replaying it on loop at 2am.
- Figured out what you actually wantNot what you wanted before, or what everyone expects.
- A plan for money, work and homeIn steps small enough to start today.
- Proof of how far you’ve comeIn your own handwriting, for the days you forget.
No waitlist. No early access.
- 1Get it 7 days earlyThe waitlist gets the Amazon link on 21 November, a whole week before everyone else.
- 2Before I post it anywhereThe link goes to your inbox first. Instagram finds out on my birthday.
- 3The Problem Pile, freeA 2-page exercise for working out where to start. Waitlist only, not sold anywhere.
- 4The messy behind the scenesWatch me finish my first book before 30. Panic included.
Waitlist early access in
Everyone else waits until 28 November.
Out just before Christmas. Know someone whose life just went to sh*t? Send them this.
Take a look inside
I’ve spent 10 years designing brands for other people. This is the first thing I’ve made that’s completely mine.
What’s inside
Eight chapters and 210+ hand-drawn pages, from falling apart to starting again.
starting point
Where you actually are right now. The honest version, not the Instagram one.
surviving right now
Getting through the day first. Money, sleep, food, the basics.
f**ck the expectations
Letting go of the timeline you were “supposed” to be on.
what do YOU want
Not what you wanted before, or what everyone expects. What you want now.
make an actual plan
Small steps you can start this week. v1 is allowed to be rough.
for the bad days (and nights)
Pages for when it all feels like too much, especially at 2am.
keep going
Tracking the small wins, so you can see how far you’ve come.
lil letter to you
A note from me, for when you need reminding that you will be ok.
Hi, I’m Hales
I’ve been a designer and illustrator for 10 years, building brands for other people. This year I got fired, went viral for it, and ended up broke, single and moving back into my childhood bedroom at 29.
That wasn’t the plan. There was no plan.
Thousands of you messaged me saying you were going through the same thing. So I did what I know how to do. I treated my life like a design brief and turned it into this journal. Every prompt is one I needed. Every page is drawn by me.
It comes out on 28 November, my 30th birthday. I made it for me, but I really hope it helps you too.
Hales
Follow along @halesgonerogueQuestions
What’s The Problem Pile?
A free 2-page exercise from the journal for when life’s gone to sh*t. You get everything out of your head, star what needs attention in the next 48 hours, then sort it into what needs attention now, what can wait, and what’s outside your control. It lands in your inbox when you join.
How much is it?
£19.99 for a 210+ page hand-illustrated paperback.
When does the waitlist get it?
On 21 November, a week before the public launch on my birthday (28 November). You’ll get the Amazon link by email that day.
How do I get it first?
Join the waitlist. You’ll get the Amazon link on 21 November, a whole week before everyone else.
Who is it for?
Anyone whose life went sideways: lost job, lost income, breakup, moved countries, lost a partner, or a bit of everything. Whether it happened last week or last year.
What does “anti-self-help” mean?
No toxic positivity, no 5am routines, no pretending you’re fine. It questions the rules we’re all told to follow (the job, the house, the partner, all by 30) and helps you work out which ones you actually want.
Can I get it in my country?
It’s on Amazon, so wherever Amazon sells paperbacks.
I’m not really a journal person. Will it work for me?
I wasn’t either. The prompts do the work, some pages take two minutes, and there’s no wrong way to fill them in.
Would it make a good gift?
Yes. Waitlist gets it on 21 November and it’s out for everyone on 28 November, just in time for Christmas, and it’s perfect for a friend who’s having a rough year. Just maybe don’t lead with the title.
Is this instead of therapy?
No. It’s a journal, not a therapist. It works best alongside real support from a professional, friends or family.
Join the waitlist and get The Problem Pile free today. Then you get it 7 days before everyone else.