A Case for Delaying New Year’s Resolutions

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1863

Abstract

being taken care of, but my leisure time has been more about quiet contemplation and simple pleasures than achievement.</p><p id="5198">The only thing active I’ve done is daydream about my spring garden and the brood of chickens I badly want. I can percolate on my ideas without feeling the need to begin them. It’s not time, and timing, of course, is everything.</p><h2 id="96c5">Spring Growth</h2><p id="a604">Spring is the ideal time to focus on growth. It’s getting warmer outside, and the daylight hours get longer. We tend to have more energy and a stronger desire to be outdoors. It’s also the time for our gardens to be cultivated.</p><p id="39bf">It seems like a good time to cultivate ourselves, too. The spring equinox presents a much better time to focus on goal-setting and achievement. We’ll have more daylight hours to do it, and we’ll be well-rested from winter. The last winter months can be used to reflect and resolve any issues before spring arrives. When the world begins to bloom, so can we.</p><h2 id="77c2">Natural Timing</h2><p id="536d">The seasons offer natural timing. In winter, when it’s cold, we sleep more. It’s dark longer. It makes sense. In the spring and summer, when it’s warm, we might have more active hours in our days and more energy to get things done. Instead of working against this natural timing by striving in January, we can choose to relax, rest, and review the past year’s goals. Come springtime, we’ll be ready to launch into new endeavors with a rejuvenated outlook.</p><p id="7dd2">From now on, I’ll be embracing spring resolutions. It will be an adjustment, but I suspect it will come naturally if we work with nature’s energy. After all, rest is productive in its own way. Winter is the perfect time to embrace it. We can relax knowing that Spring is coming — but it’s not here yet.</p><div id="38d0" class="l

Options

ink-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/its-hard-not-to-betray-yourself-for-love-when-you-re-lonely-d6dc9b8e2573"> <div> <div> <h2>It’s Hard Not to Betray Yourself for Love When You’re Lonely</h2> <div><h3>I’ve come too far to negotiate the non-negotiables.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*GwRjbruHDl1oetnR)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="4390" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-a-photo-gallery-becomes-a-powerful-year-in-review-9cfefb861c23"> <div> <div> <h2>How a Photo Gallery Becomes a Powerful Year in Review</h2> <div><h3>The motivational power of photography</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Wo3H5GVswPEcfWDs)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="e31e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-be-soft-in-a-world-that-sharpens-your-edges-9663d18aa5c2"> <div> <div> <h2>How To Be Soft in a World That Sharpens Your Edges</h2> <div><h3>Soft doesn’t mean weak, it means safe.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*AO2LQmWaTs2lo4WG)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Just hear me out…

It’s cold outside, and I want to be warm indoors. I don’t want to strive to meet a goal. I don’t want to hustle. I just want to hibernate.

And I know I’m not the only one.

I keep seeing the same thing circulating on social media — that the new year isn’t the right time for resolutions because we’re deep in wintertime. Instead, we should use this time to rest and reflect and save our goal setting for the Spring Equinox, which arrives in the northern hemisphere on March 19, 2024 (and on September 22, 2024, for the southern hemisphere). It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this suggested, but I think there’s a strong case to be made for delaying the start of our New Year resolutions.

Winter Rest

Winter isn’t the time for things to grow and produce. It’s the time for our plants to rest and wait. Why wouldn’t it also be time for us to rest and wait?

I feel like I’ve spent my whole life rushing from one goal to the next. Lately, I’ve chosen a sedate pace for my life. I spent an evening painstakingly working on a bookshelf book nook while singing along to one of my favorite albums on vinyl. Another day, I curled up with a book for a couple of pleasurable hours reading while a dog and two kittens curled up close by for snuggles. I don’t feel the need to rush into productivity. My responsibilities are being taken care of, but my leisure time has been more about quiet contemplation and simple pleasures than achievement.

The only thing active I’ve done is daydream about my spring garden and the brood of chickens I badly want. I can percolate on my ideas without feeling the need to begin them. It’s not time, and timing, of course, is everything.

Spring Growth

Spring is the ideal time to focus on growth. It’s getting warmer outside, and the daylight hours get longer. We tend to have more energy and a stronger desire to be outdoors. It’s also the time for our gardens to be cultivated.

It seems like a good time to cultivate ourselves, too. The spring equinox presents a much better time to focus on goal-setting and achievement. We’ll have more daylight hours to do it, and we’ll be well-rested from winter. The last winter months can be used to reflect and resolve any issues before spring arrives. When the world begins to bloom, so can we.

Natural Timing

The seasons offer natural timing. In winter, when it’s cold, we sleep more. It’s dark longer. It makes sense. In the spring and summer, when it’s warm, we might have more active hours in our days and more energy to get things done. Instead of working against this natural timing by striving in January, we can choose to relax, rest, and review the past year’s goals. Come springtime, we’ll be ready to launch into new endeavors with a rejuvenated outlook.

From now on, I’ll be embracing spring resolutions. It will be an adjustment, but I suspect it will come naturally if we work with nature’s energy. After all, rest is productive in its own way. Winter is the perfect time to embrace it. We can relax knowing that Spring is coming — but it’s not here yet.