Winter Planning: Why Rest Comes Before Goals (And How to Embrace It)

If you opened January with big plans to organize your life, map out your year, and hit the ground running, but instead you’re still in your pajamas at noon, scrolling through your phone with a foggy brain and zero motivation—you’re not alone.

And more importantly? You’re not doing it wrong.

Okay, well endless scrolling isn’t the healthiest hit of dopamine… but I do talk about how to change that here.

There’s this pressure every January to become a new version of yourself overnight. To have your goals written, your calendar color-coded, and your momentum already building. But what if winter planning doesn’t actually look like that?

What if the best thing you can do right now isn’t to push harder, but to rest first?

Why Winter Feels Different (And Why That’s Actually Okay)

Here’s what nobody talks about: winter planning doesn’t look like action first.

Shorter days affect our energy. Less sunlight changes our rhythm. Our bodies are wired to prioritize recovery before momentum, even if our culture tells us to ignore that and go full speed ahead anyway.

That brain fog you’re feeling? It’s not a sign that you’re failing. It’s a sign of what season we’re in.

Winter is a season to notice what matters before deciding what move comes next. It’s a time to reflect, to exhale, to let yourself process the year that just ended before you charge into the next one.

What Winter Planning Actually Looks Like

If you’ve been feeling guilty because you want direction but don’t feel urgency… if you’re saving ideas but not acting on them yet… if you feel a little behind but also deeply tired, none of that means you’re doing it wrong.

Winter planning can be quiet. It doesn’t need to be loud to be real.

It looks like:

• Notes in your phone that you come back to
• Thoughts on a walk that shift something inside you
• A sentence you keep circling back to
• Questions you’re asking yourself instead of answers you’re forcing

This is the season for asking better questions, not setting perfect goals.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself This Winter

Instead of jumping straight into goal-setting, try sitting with these three questions for a while:

1. What felt heavy last year?

Not what you accomplished or didn’t accomplish, but what drained you. What took more energy than it gave back? What left you feeling empty instead of full?

Maybe it was saying yes to too many things. Maybe it was a commitment that felt like an obligation. Maybe it was a rhythm that didn’t actually fit your life.

Notice it. Write it down. You don’t have to fix it yet, just acknowledge it.

2. What felt life-giving?

What moments made you feel like yourself? What lit you up, even in small ways? What did you want more of, even when life got busy?

Maybe it was a quiet morning with your coffee. Maybe it was a conversation with a friend. Maybe it was creating something, moving your body, or just feeling present with your kids.

Those things matter. They’re clues to what you want to build toward.

3. What do I want more room for?

Not what you think you should want room for, but what you actually crave.

More margin in your day? More creative space? More connection? More stillness? More joy?

This isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about noticing what you want to protect, prioritize, or invite back in.

You Don’t Have to Force It Yet

There will be a time for momentum. There will be weeks when you feel ready to move, to build, to create.

But winter gives us permission to choose what we build before deciding how fast.

Planning doesn’t have to mean a vision board and a five-year plan. It can be as simple as:

• Jotting down a thought that keeps coming back
• Noticing what you want to feel more of this year
• Letting yourself rest without guilt
• Giving yourself time to get clear before you get busy

The Reminder You Might Need Today

If you’re feeling behind, overwhelmed, or like everyone else has it together while you’re still figuring it out, take a breath.

You’re allowed to be in the in-between. You’re allowed to rest before you run. You’re allowed to take your time.

Winter planning isn’t about having all the answers right now. It’s about giving yourself space to notice what matters, so when you’re ready to move, you’re moving toward something that actually feels right.

So if your brain feels foggy, your body feels tired, and your motivation comes and goes? That’s not failure. That’s winter.

And winter has its own kind of wisdom, if we’re willing to listen.

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What about you? What are you noticing this winter? What felt heavy last year, and what do you want more room for this year? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear what’s on your heart.