What is a Winter Arc?
The Winter Arc trend encourages you to get ahead of the infamous New Year’s Resolutions by using the last few months of the year to focus on your goals. It’s about making progress on your personal growth before January 1st.
If you start now, you can be in a productive routine before the new year even begins!
I was inspired to write this post after listening to Lovely With Lana’s Winter Arc podcast episode. Like myself, Lana approaches wellness from a balanced perspective. I got a lot out of Lana’s “non-toxic” take on the Winter Arc trend.
Most importantly, Lana reminded me that it isn’t too late to start your Winter Arc, which brings me to my first point!
It’s Not Too Late to Start Your Winter Arc!
Have you ever felt like you missed the chance to start your self-improvement journey? I can relate.
I was excited to write this post, but then I started second-guessing myself, thinking I had already missed the Winter Arc trend and that it was too late.
Once I caught on to this trend, I realized that people started their Winter Arcs on October 1st. The idea is that October 1st kicked off the last quarter of the year, giving you three months to focus on yourself before 2025.
But, just because it is already late November does not mean it is too late. It is never too late to start bettering yourself.
As of today, there are still 42 days left in 2024. In other words, we still have
- 1 month, 12 days
- 6 weeks
- 1,008 hours
to focus on our personal growth. Why would you throw away this time and say it is “too late,” just because you didn’t start on October 1st? Today is the best day to begin bettering yourself. It doesn’t matter if it is the first day of the month, the first day of the quarter, the first day of the year, or some random day in the middle of the month!
Now that you know that there is still time to start, here are some tips to help you plan your Winter Arc, so you can be your best self before you know it!
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
How to Plan Your Winter Arc
Start your Winter Arc with a solid plan. Here are some tips to help you create a clear roadmap to self-improvement.
Reflect
Spend some time reflecting on where you are now and where you want to be. This is a good time to pull out your journal. Reflecting can provide clarity and motivation as you navigate your Winter Arc.
Winter Arc Reflection Questions
❄️What habits do I want to keep up with in this new season of life?
❄️Is there anything that isn’t serving me that I want to let go of (thought patterns, habits, people, possessions, etc.)?
❄️What areas of life are going well?
❄️What areas of life can I still work to improve?
Reflecting can also help you identify the purpose behind your Winter Arc.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Know Your Why
Without a clear purpose, it is easy to revert back to old habits. Knowing why you want to make these changes can motivate you in challenging or discouraging moments. This is one of the most important steps to making any lifestyle change.
Steps to Help You Identify the Purpose of Your Winter Arc
❄️Spend some time thinking about what you want your life to look like.
❄️Identify why you want that life.
❄️Be clear and specific when coming up with goals. Clearly defining your goals gives you a better sense of direction than setting vague goals. You can set clearly defined goals using the SMART goals framework.
Photo by Katie Azi on Unsplash
Set SMART Goals
Once you identify the reasoning behind your self-improvement journey, you can set goals to help you get to your desired end result. The SMART goals framework helps you set goals that are
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timebound
To give an example, one of my goals is to have a consistent sleep schedule. To make this a SMART, goal, I can say I will go to bed by 10:30 pm and get up by 6:30 am on weekdays.
Identifying my ideal bedtime and wake-up time makes this goal specific and measurable.
This goal feels attainable and realistic since I’m already going to bed and getting up roughly around those times.
To make my goal timebound, I will say I want this to be a consistent routine by the end of the year.
Now that you know how to set SMART goals, we can go over how to take the necessary steps to achieve those goals.
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
Determine Your Winter Arc Intentions
Part of the Winter Arc trend involves setting “rules” for your Winter Arc. However, the word “rules” feels too restrictive for my personal journey.
If you want a more gentle approach, I invite you to join me in setting Winter Arc Intentions. These intentions are compassionate guidelines to keep you on track, so you can meet your goals without being overly rigid.
I find that taking a balanced and flexible approach to self-improvement is more enjoyable and actually makes it more likely that you stick to your goals. Setting rigid, unrealistic rules might make you susceptible to burning out and giving up.
So, set some intentions that align with getting you closer to achieving your goals. Think of all of the small steps you can take to help you achieve your long-term goals.
For example, one of my SMART goals is about better organizing my content creation. I want to have my blog and social media content planned and scheduled at least one month in advance. This is my long-term goal, instead of posting day-to-day (as I have been doing now).
My intentions to reach that long-term goal are:
🌟Create a thought-out content calendar
🌟Block out a minimum of 2 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday to focus on content creation
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
How to Stick to Your Winter Arc Plan
Making a plan is great, but you also have to stick to your plan to see results. This is where I have fallen short in the past. I am great at making plans, but not always great at following through.
I know that, despite good intentions, a lot of us struggle to keep up with our plans to better ourselves. Which is completely understandable. Making lasting changes can be challenging.
This is why I want to share some tips to help you better commit to your Winter Arc.
Focus on Your Mindset
Your mindset can make or break your success. Unfortunately, subconscious limiting beliefs can hold you back from being your best self without you even realizing it!
Cultivating a positive mindset can make such a huge difference in helping you achieve your goals.
For more on that, check out this blog post on tips to help you overcome subconscious limiting beliefs.
Stay True to Yourself
It is so important to stay true to yourself as you go through your Winter Arc.
It is too easy to compare yourself to friends, family members, and people you see online. But, what works for someone else might not work for you.
It is so important that you stay true to yourself and set goals and intentions that align with your unique life.
If you notice yourself falling into the comparison trap, use that as a reminder to refocus on yourself and your goals. Comparison will not get you any closer to where you want to be.
Practice Self-Compassion
It should not surprise you that “practice self-compassion” is one of my tips for helping you stick to your Winter Arc plan.
I strongly believe that treating yourself with kindness and compassion is crucial to being the best version of yourself.
Check out this blog post on Compassionate Self-Discipline to learn about how to practice self-compassion throughout your self-improvement journey. This is my take on how you can achieve your goals while still being kind to yourself and not being overly rigid.
Photo by Yuliia Tretynychenko on Unsplash
Track and celebrate your wins
One easy way to practice self-compassion is to track and celebrate your wins. I know how easy it is to fall into a self-critical spiral. I can start to feel frustrated if I see that I’m not meeting my goals.
But, it is so important not to fixate on your shortcomings and to celebrate your wins. Even if you fall short in one area of life, there is more than likely another area of life that you are doing well in.
Giving yourself credit for all of your successes, no matter how seemingly small, makes a huge positive impact on your self-esteem, which can help you continue to reach more goals.
Every night, I write down a few of my daily wins. I highly recommend you start acknowledging and celebrating your wins. This simple practice can help motivate you throughout your Winter Arc!
Seek Inspiration
Consume content that inspires you to achieve your goals. There are so many amazing creators who share self-improvement and personal development tips.
As I mentioned, I was inspired to write this blog post after listening to an episode of the Lovely With Lana podcast. I highly recommend checking her podcast out. I love how inspiring and positive Lana is.
Also, check out this blog post on 7 Self-improvement Podcasts to Inspire You to Start Living Your Best Life. I love consuming motivational and uplifting content. Hearing about how other people are bettering themselves makes me want to continue bettering myself.
I hope this post helps you set yourself up for success. Let’s all end this year on a high note!
Hopefully, this message reaches anyone who thinks they missed this opportunity to improve.
I’d love to hear what your Winter Arc goals and intentions are. Leave a comment so we can support each other on our self-improvement journeys.
Make sure to sign up for my email list to get notified of new blog posts with tips to help you live your best life. And, follow me on social media (links below) for daily lifestyle and self-improvement motivation!
Featured Image: Photo by Vasilina Sirotina on Unsplash
Life by Julia 