Over the years I have come to appreciate winter as a time for indoor projects. I don’t mean home improvement projects. I mean projects that are best done inside. Because when it’s warm out, I like to be outside.
Winter is a situation. It’s cold, it gets dark early, and driving for anything extra is a pain. None of that is up to me. For many of us, work doesn’t change with the seasons, but what we do with our non-work time does. In the warm months, mine goes to being outside and driving around. In winter, it makes sense to bring it home and put it into one project, a little at a time.
When folks talk with me about the coming winter and I say “Winter is for projects” about one in six people smile and agree. These are my people. I can’t make anyone love winter, and I wouldn’t try. But I can show what it looks like to meet the season on its own terms.
Here’s how I think about choosing a winter project:
- It pulls me. It’s something I’ve been wanting to learn or make, not something I think I should do.
- It fits the situation. It works indoors, in the dark, with little or no driving.
- It fits my non-work time. It’s small enough to do a little at a time.
- It has rhythm or company. A class, a group, or a friend gives it structure, and I’m more likely to keep showing up.
- It has a finish line. By spring, I have something to carry outside.
If you’ve been wanting to learn something, winter is a good time to start.
