Winter Rut Survival: Simplify, Refocus, & Snap Out of It!

Is it just me, or does winter feel like it lasts for years? I loathe bundling up in bulky clothes just so I can step out the door, so I generally don’t leave the house unless I really need to (even though I know it only makes things worse). Because of that, I find myself restless as all hell. I’ll start working on something and then find 50 more things I could do. Before I know it, I’m driving myself crazy learning things I don’t really give a shit about and stressing over a massively unnecessary task list.

The Struggle is Real. Every year.

Perfect example – The other day, I found myself freaking out about my blog. Am I in the right “niche” for what I want to create? I even went down a rabbit hole about AI agents—do I need one? Do I even know what one is? Researching and tweaking and…all of a sudden I have a task list full of bullshit busywork! Why? Apparently I’m bored!

I slammed the brakes and thought “Does any of this really matter? No? Then fuck it!” In this scenario, all I need to concern myself with is creating valuable content that I enjoy sharing. There’s no reason to overcomplicate that.

Simplify and Break Free

I’m sure you can relate, especially during winter. You have this tired, restless energy, but you have nothing useful to do with it so you just stress yourself out. What can we do?

1. What matters? Make a list. Keep it as simple as possible. Embrace some selective apathy instead of spiraling and drop the guilt about things that don’t really matter to you.
2. Create small “chaos breaks”. Dance, wash five dishes, or write out a messy braindump (and then throw it in the recycling bin if it ultimately doesn’t matter!)
3. Get outside, even for five minutes – just enough to feel the cold slap some sense into you. Like I said, I loathe bundling up, but the crisp fresh air does do wonders for snapping me into a different mindset.
4. Channel restless energy productively. Work on something that does matter to you, whatever that may be.

Bonus : Create something to look forward to. You don’t need to lock anything in – just let yourself dream a little. Personally, I like to brainstorm ideas for summer travel, tattoos, parties, my garden, local hiking spots, concerts, and exterior property maintenance. Most don’t happen, but that’s fine—I like having options.

Conclusion

It’s normal to feel restless in winter, and it’s ok to feel like you’re in a rut sometimes. Check your priorities, cut the bullshit, and give yourself something to look forward to! And enjoy these times of rest and reflection while they last.

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Rock on!