This is something I’m half writing for myself. Let me set the stage for you real quick.

It’s January. I’m snowed in. The Holidays are done and over with, and I am more than a little antsy. My weekend has left me bored and stagnant, as I’ve been trapped at home for far too long. While some might think this would be a WONDERFUL time to catch up on the long-dead hobbies and creative endeavors that I’ve left at the wayside of life due to busy-ness, I have found this time not so…constructive nor productive. Why, you might ask? It’s simple… I’ve got a case of Winter Yuck.

I am so so so ready for spring. It gets dark early. It’s nasty outside. When I get home from work, I just want to eat, watch tv, and hit the hay early. I am anything but motivated. Perhaps it’s the perpetually gray sky? Or perhaps it’s the inability to go outside for a refreshing walk, but regardless, the result is the same. I am doing a whole lot of nothing.

So, I’ve written a little guide for myself to follow as spring slowly creeps ever closer. Maybe you need it too?

First, bullet point number one….

Don’t go to bed immediately. Try to stay up and enjoy something. This could be reading a mere 5 pages of a book or popping popcorn and watching a new movie. Just do something that you can tell your friends that you did with your evening. One redeeming thing is all it takes. Then you can go to bed.

Bullet point number two is in regards to your writing…

If you find yourself absolutely hollow creatively, maybe put a pause on the self-induced guilt trip, and try consuming writing instead. This still contributes to your growth as a writer. It is so so important that you read and engage with other creative voices, and it’s a little more pasisve and requires less energy than creating the work itself.

My other tip in regards to your winter writing slump, is to do something ELSE creative. Not writing related but still creative. Writing is creativity + words. When you read, you’re still developing the WORDS part of that equation. When you’re doing another creative hobby, you’re developing the CREATIVE part. Still progress, friends. It still counts.

Bullet point number three…

If it’s miserable outside, try to get up and move around your house. You can do this by cleaning or taking a quick shower. Sometimes this is all it takes to get you out of hibernation mode. If not, then at least you or your house its clean. Time to go to bed,

And Finally…

Be easy on yourself. Winter sucks. I get it. It’s my least favorite season, too. I’m a plant at heart. I need sunshine. But spring will come again soon, just hang in there.

It’s at the point that I’m going to insert a master list of winter-friendly creative tasks, divided into low-energy to medium-energy. Maybe give it a skim if you find yourself at a loss for what to do with your life right now. Some of these are even winter-unique so perhaps you can find a bright spot in all this gray!

Please note, I tried to make these activities have a bit more of a whimsical spin. You can scroll Pinterest for your more generic “learn to crochet” type activities. I am by no means going to preach the benefits of scrapbooking either. Here are just some out-of-left-field but fun things you can do to try and prevent yourself from succumbing to winter-induced brain rot. Take what you want and leave what you want.

Low-Energy (Bed, Couch, or Chair by a Window Activities)

• Re-title your life as if it were a novel
  Write five alternative titles. Bonus points if one sounds vaguely Victorian or mildly tragic. The modern version of this is title your life like it’s a show and divide your life into “seasons”. Who would the characters be?
• Make a “things that felt important this winter” inventory
  Include tiny things: a mug, a song you played on repeat, a phrase you overheard. This can help you try and find some creative meaning in the midst of a not-so-fun or colorful season.
• Annotate your own memories
  Pick one small memory and write footnotes explaining what you didn’t realize at the time. Kind of like journaling but shorter and more focused.
• Create a winter alter ego
  Give her a name, a coat, a favorite hot drink, and one quirky habit or interest.
• Transcribe comfort
  Handwrite a poem, passage of scripture, recipe, or letter that steadies you. No analysis. Just copying as a means to meditate or collect.
• Design a room you’ll never have
  Describe it in words only. Light, textures, where the chair sits. No Pinterest allowed.
• Write extremely short letters you will never send
  To: the moon, your childhood bedroom, the version of you who thought 2020 was the year (oof. Sorry, girl).
• Make a list called “Things Winter Is Good At”
  Keep it humble. Dusk. Soup. Long shadows at 4:30 pm.
• Rename the months like an old folklore calendar
  January becomes “The Month of Locked Doors,” and so forth. You can make them cute or ominous or fantastical or something entirely different.
• Curate a personal winter museum
  Five objects on your desk. Write one sentence about why each deserves a placard.

Low-to-Medium Energy (Tabletop, Floor, or Soft Music Required)

• Create a survival guide for your specific winter
  Include rules like: “No big decisions after sunset” or “Always light a candle before you shower”.
• Make a tiny ritual out of something you already do
  Tea, skincare, feeding the cat. Give it a beginning, middle, and end. Then write it down for yourself down the road. Collect these winter rituals in a book. Maybe even ask your friends if they have some of their own?
• Rewrite a fairytale as Southern gossip or local legend
  Not a full story—just the tone and rumor version that you’d imagine your local church-going gossips reaccounting.
• Assemble a “cold-weather soundtrack” for a fictional character
  Or even yourself. But this can also be a character development exercise.
• Practice intentional loitering
  Sit near a window or porch and observe one thing for a little while.
• Write a poem that never mentions winter but is clearly about winter
  Focus on restraint. Omission is the point.
• Create a recipe that exists only in theory
  Name it. Describe when and how it would be served. You do not have to cook it.
• Sort your photos like an archivist
  Create albums that are separated by color, adventure, life phase, or even time of day.
• Draft a one-page “field guide”
  Examples: Field Guide to People Who Disappear in Winter, Field Guide to Indoor Light, Field Guide to Quiet Evenings.

Medium-Energy (Still Gentle, Still Cozy, But Upright)

• Rearrange one small space like you’re preparing for a long stay
  A drawer, a shelf, a nightstand. Be prepared, yaknow?
• Write a winter letter to yourself to read in spring
  I’d recommend to keep it observational, not aspirational. No goals. Just telling your future self how excited you are for sunshine to come back.
• Create something meant to be used up by the season
  A candle plan, a soup rotation, a nightly reading list.
• Host a solo “slow afternoon”
  One album, one warm drink, one creative task. No multitasking allowed.
• Make a map of your hometown or neighborhood. Make it winter-specific if you’d like.
  This can be real or imagined. Perhaps you map all the hibernation spots of the fairies and goblins or maybe you make a map that shows you the best place to get a hot chocolate.

I hope these tips have been useful to you. Hang in there, and stay alive!