How to Prepare Well for a New Season

Life feels richer and more memorable when each season feels distinctive.

But that's not always how we experience a year, is it? Without an intentional pause and a bit of preparation at the start, each season can seem to blur into the next, months whizzing by without any of the special events or activities that help us mark time.

It doesn't have to be that way! Instead, we can live into each season fully, wringing out all its joy and making progress on the things that matter. And when we do, our perception of time will slow. We'll feel like we're really living. Isn't that what we all want? 

So let's do it! Through sharing a few simple exercises you can complete at the opening of each season, this blog post will help you shape your year. Some are serious, some are just for fun, but all will help you create a year you'll be so grateful to have lived by the end of it. Of course, there's no one-size-fits-all recipe for a cultivated life, so you get to decide what stays and what goes. Make it your own!

Let's do this.

1. See the big picture. 

Grab your Brain Dump Journal or a piece of scrap paper. Find an open page and draw three boxes—one each for the next three months. Then, write in:

• milestones you want to mark
• occasions you want to celebrate
• traditions you want to honor
• and action steps you want to take. 

It might also be helpful to note:

• vacations
• busy periods at work
• disrupting home projects
• major deadlines
• or anything else that will require your time and attention.

This is your opportunity to zoom out and consider the season ahead as a whole. 

2. Choose three goals for the season ahead. 

We purposefully kept this list tight (we see you, goal getter!) Of course, you can always tackle more if time allows, but three is just right for most of us. These can be projects to complete, milestones to hit, action steps to take, or habits to cultivate.

3. List memories you want to make.

Part of the reason we constrain our list of goals is so that we have time to make memories doing what we love and/or with people we love! Life feels richer and more memorable when each season feels distinctive, so choose a few experiences to indulge in over the next three months.

4. Remember what makes this season special.

Is it the smell of fresh cut grass? Eating beef stew on the first day of snow? Listening to a certain playlist when the leaves start to turn? Eating breakfast on the porch or dinner in the backyard?

Though they're often smaller than the bucket list experiences you named above, these sensory cues can help a season feel vivid and rich. So, make a short list of the colors, sights, sounds, and house tweaks that make summer feel like SUMMER (or the other seasons feel like fall, winter, or spring!) and then put a few things in place to ensure they happen soon.

5. Reflect and prioritize.

To live a life that reflects what matters most in each season, noticing with intention—and making small changes based on what you notice—is a must. Little by little, what adjustments could make your life happier, healthier, more productive, or more filled with purpose over the next three months? 

To help find out, make two lists: what I want more of in the season ahead and what I want less of in the season ahead. Your lists might be filled with habits, roles, relationships, or behaviors. They might include things that are big-picture and abstract (less perfection, more presence) or achingly specific (less complaining about meal planning, more snacks at the splash pad).

Whatever it is for you in this season, write it down! Say yes to more of what matters and
no to more of the things that will hold you back. Be bold!

You might also love this blog post: How to Live Out Your Yeses and Nos!

6. Set a weekly rhythm.

Finally, make a blueprint for bringing it all together: your weekly rhythm. Over a seven-day cycle, what can you thoughtfully place where? Once you've made decisions about your must-do's and have want-to's, you can start from that foundation each week instead of reinventing the wheel each time.

We have much more about creating an ideal week here!

Research shows that 90 days is an ideal time frame to make progress—a shorter window allows you to focus, stay engaged, and avoid complacency. Think of each season as an opportunity to choose what matters and let go of the rest—day by day, decision by decision, week by week—with no perfection required. We hope these simple exercises help you to do just that!

P.S. For more on shaping your days, try these blog posts:
How to Start a New Month Well
How to Prepare Well for a New Week
25+ Ideas for Theme Days