Inspirational Seasonal Goal Setting To Increase Productivity

A Seasonal Approach to Goal Planning and Self-Awareness for a Fulfilling Life - By Linda Kleida Romera

Reading time: 5 minutes

Life can be overwhelming - Most of us are juggling many things at the same time and packing our daily routines with little to no time for ourselves. And even if we set goals and plan, we can find that on a practical level, it can often work out very differently. This may lead to procrastination, feeling uninspired and burnout. I want to share an approach to goal planning that has integrated my connection with nature's cycles and how I plan my life.

Explore your personal relationship with each season

Please take a moment to think about each season and how you feel about them. As part of nature, we build that personal connection over our lifetime.

Here are some examples - We may find that Summer brings out a different feeling in us than Winter or we might prefer one season more than the others. A common theme with many people is the feeling of the "Winter Blues" or S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which has a deep impact on our productivity.

Our connection to each season can often change based on our location and how the seasons are. Plus, many life experiences may attach emotions and memories to the seasons.

This is a personal journey and each season invites us to deepen our yoga practice and Self-awareness as we navigate life off the yoga mat and create goals.

Reflection questions for your journal:

For each season, how would you describe it in a few words that reflect your relationship with it?

Which season/s makes you feel more energy?

Which season/s makes you feel less energy?

How does that affect your daily life and productivity?

A Self-awareness journal exercise:

Choose one tree in your local neighbourhood that you feel connected to. This can be in your local park, on the street or even on your way to work each day. If you already do regular walks in your neighbourhood, this can be a beautiful way of seeing how nature changes and how you feel about it.

As an awareness practice to connect with your local space and the seasons, take time to observe this tree and its surroundings through different seasons - The colours, the weather temperature, how many leaves and flowers it has, how your energy and mood feels etc.

Over time, you might start to see patterns in your connection to nature. You can also use this time to plan your Self-care routines as well as your work.

The Sun & Moon months

We can now use these reflections to see how this relates to the energy of each season. Here are some general tips on how you can explore the seasons in your own life and set goals. Your intuition will also help you connect to what feels right for you.

The Sun Months (Spring and Summer) - Starts at the Spring equinox

This time of the year works with Solar energy - This is the Solar Masculine energy channelling into our outer world and speeding things up. We may feel more active and activated in our Upper Chakras. The warmer and lighter weather invites us to spend more time outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. We may also feel more sociable and courageous to try new things and travel to new destinations.

This is a great time to reveal and birth your projects out into the world. After working behind the scenes throughout the colder months, this is when you can now channel this energy to displaying your results.

A beautiful time to do a deep Spring clean and choose activities and routines that take you out of your comfort zone. You may also feel that your Self-care routines and yoga practice become more physically active so use this burst of energy to channel it into healthy ways.

The Moon Moths (Autumn and Winter) - Starts at the Autumn Equinox

The Summer holidays are over and most of us return to our usual routines. This time of the year works with the Lunar Feminine energy - This is the Feminine energy that works with the qualities of our inner world and slows down the pace.

During this time, you are invited to go deep within and plant new seeds, work with the lower Chakras, ground your Self and enjoy a deeper connection to the people you feel closest to. The colder and darker weather invites us to enjoy our home space more which gives us a feeling of comfort.

Think about how you want to change your daily habits and routines to nurture your inner fire. A big part of this is how you can nurture your creative Self and emotions. Slowing our energy pace can also be just as productive and even more focused.

We can also start the foundational process of new projects and work on the parts that are often unseen before a big launch. Gather your tools and skills to make the most of them. You might also feel inspired to learn new skills and build your knowledge.

Set your intentions with each season

I often find that people set their goals up at the beginning of each year as New Year's resolutions. To simplify and make the most of the year, we can break our goal intentions into 3-month seasonal periods. This helps us avoid burnout and being overwhelmed as we plan in a practical way that works with our energy and connection to the seasons.

Keep in mind your connection to each season as you create goals - The key is to work with how you relate to the season and to also challenge your Self (in a healthy way) to overcome any blocks that show up along the way.

To set your goals for each season, try this journal exercise:

Start planning at least a week before the season begins at the equinox or solstice. This will give you some time to gain clarity and write down your goals in advance.

Write down the season that is coming up.

Write down your ONE MAIN GOAL for these 3 months. You can name it as an inspirational title for this main goal.

Write down your WHY for this goal - Why do you want to explore this goal in your life? And how is it inspiring you? This is something you can return to every time you feel uninspired or challenged.

Now choose 3 PRACTICAL GOAL STEPS to achieve this throughout this season. If you like, you can choose to focus on one step each month during these 3 months. Each step builds on the last one. Once again, you can give each step an inspirational title to keep you focused.

At this point, you have a framework to build your ideas, actions and routines on how you can achieve this. Simplify as you go along to stay focused.

I hope this inspires you as you plan and connect to nature!