A Seasonal Approach To Goal Setting

The start of a new calendar year is often a time for reevaluating our routines and setting goals, particularly as it comes on the heels of the (well-deserved) indulgences of the holiday season. It’s all well and good to make plans for a fresh start and a reset if you feel motivated to do so, but implementing too many changes at once, in the depth of winter, might not be a recipe for long-term success.

So if the idea of a wide-sweeping overhaul to your life has you feeling like crawling back under your warm and cozy duvet rather than feeling inspired, we have a suggestion for you. Instead of overwhelming yourself with a ton of immediate changes, contemplate adopting a gradual approach by aligning your new goals with the rhythm of the changing seasons.

Yes, we turn the page on a new calendar year on January 1st, but let’s keep in mind that it’s still winter. Taking cues from nature is important since we are natural creatures, connected to the cycles and seasons. This is the time when nature rests, the majority of plants and trees are dormant, and heck, some animals are fully tuned-out at this time, hibernating in dark caves until the first signs of spring.

In winter, focusing on staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest are important, both of which will support your immune system (which should be everyone’s focus this time of year!). One of the easiest ways to start is to simply drink more water. Get a fun new water bottle, add a squeeze of lemon or fill with cold herbal tea! For sleep, take advantage of the longer, darker days and colder weather, which encourage you to give your body more time to rest. Start a new wind-down routine, away from screens, at least 30 minutes before bed, and see what works best for you. There are also natural herbs and supplements that can support deep sleep.

As we move into spring, now it makes a lot more sense to tackle household goals like purging clutter and giving the house a deep cleaning from top to bottom. The sunshine will reveal exactly where the dust is, and you can open up the doors and windows more often for fresh, clean air. This is also a  great time to start a new outdoor activity. If one of your ambitions was to start riding your bike to work, or getting up early for a daily morning jog, it’s a lot easier to start and maintain this in the springtime rather than the dark and wet days of January. The sunshine and blooming flowers of spring will help to make these outdoor pursuits more pleasant and easier to stick with.

Once summer arrives, if  you’ve wanted to try cold plunging in the ocean or ending your daily shower with a blast of cold water to stimulate your vagus nerve, you have no excuses. 😊 If not now, when? Once you get into it, you may be first in line for next year’s polar bear swim! It’s also such an easy time to add even more fruits and veggies into your diet with the extra bounty of local produce to enjoy.

This leads us to fall. As the daylight hours start to shorten, the leaves turn crisp, and you find yourself getting excited for pumpkin spice lattes and sweater weather, you can use this invigorating energy as another time to reset and add in more shifts to your routine. Fall is a great time to get organized, plan your schedule, and add in something new, like learning a skill or craft (Pottery? Painting? Martial Arts?) Check your community centre for a list of Fall/Winter activities and find something that you’ve been wanting to try.

And finally the cycle returns to winter—a time for slower rhythms and self-reflection. Embrace self-care, celebrate accomplishments, and recalibrate as necessary. This season calls for comfort and rest—with more time spent at home, preparing and savouring nourishing meals, and enjoying hot baths, good books, and mugs of tea.

This seasonal approach makes a lot of sense for many reasons: it follows the natural rhythm of the earth, encouraging us to align times of rest and times of exertion with the cycles of the seasons; and it simply allows enough spaciousness and time to fully be present in every moment. If “New Year’s Resolutions” aren’t your jam, see if planning ahead to make adjustments with each season feels more harmonious for you.