It's A New Season—Here's How To Set New Habits This Winter To Skyrocket Your Productivity

Winter is officially upon us. And with a new season comes the opportunity to set new habits—and use those habits to skyrocket your productivity and get more done.

But how, exactly, do you do that?

Let's take a look at four strategies you can use to set new habits this winter—and take your productivity to the next level in the process:

Identify what habits you need to cultivate or change.

You can't skyrocket your productivity this winter if you don't have clarity around what habits would help you get more done—and which patterns might be holding you back from being your most productive self.

So, if you want to set new habits to skyrocket your productivity this winter, the first step in the process? Identifying what habits you need to cultivate—and which you need to change.

Take stock of the productivity goals you want to hit this winter (and beyond!); then, figure out what habits you need to develop to move you towards your goal—and which habits you currently have that may prevent you from hitting your goal.

For example, let's say one of your productivity goals is to learn a new coding language and land a promotion. After reviewing your current habits, you might realize that, to meet that goal, there are new habits you need to build into your everyday routine. These could be things like setting aside an hour each morning and each evening to study. Then there are existing habits you need to drop from your current routine, like watching TV or surfing the internet for hours each night, to make your goal a reality.

Bottom line? You can't overhaul your habits to increase productivity this winter if you don't know what habits you need to change to be more productive. So be sure to make a "habit plan" around what new habits you want to build this winter—and what existing habits you want to say goodbye to.

Choose habits that take advantage of the season….

You can leverage many different habits to skyrocket your productivity—and the "right" practices will depend on you and your ultimate goals.

That being said, certain habits will be easier to set (and follow through with!) during the winter—so why not leverage that seasonal advantage to increase your chances of success?

For example, winter often means colder weather and shorter days, which drives many people inside. This season is a great time to cultivate home-based habits that can increase your productivity. Maybe you would meal prepping on Sundays, so you have easy, healthy food options throughout the workweek, or spend an hour each week organizing your workspace.

Or let's say you're looking to make a career move in the upcoming year. Winter is often a time that companies are planning for the following year's projects and priorities—making it a great time to reach out to new contacts at companies you'd like to work for.

The point is some productivity-boosting habits are just more conducive to the winter season—so consider leveraging that seasonal advantage and setting some of those habits this winter.

…and consider the season's challenges

Like certain habits are easier to set in the winter, but some will prove more challenging. And while that doesn't mean that you shouldn't develop those habits this winter, it does mean that you'll want to consider the season's challenges when creating your habit plan.

For example, let's say you want to increase productivity by getting into a more regular exercise habit. You can cultivate an exercise habit any time of year. With colder temperatures and later sunrises, it might not be the best time to try to set a habit of running outdoors at 5 am every day. Instead, you might consider an indoor AM workout or shifting your run to your lunch hour, when the sun is shining, and temperatures are at their warmest. (An added benefit of the latter option? Breaking up your day with a workout could help you increase productivity. A 2018 study found that when participants took a 15-minute walk in the park during their lunch break, it improved their concentration when they got back to work—helping them get more done throughout the rest of the day)

There is no habit that you can't cultivate, change, improve, or build during the winter season. So make sure to anticipate any seasonal challenges when creating your habit plan.

Build on your existing

If you want to build new habits this winter, one of the best ways to do so is to make on the habits you already have—also known as habit stacking.

Habit stacking is a productivity concept made famous by self-improvement and productivity expert James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. When you habit stack, you cultivate a new habit by adding (or "stacking") it to an existing habit—or, in formula form:

After/Before [Current Habit], I will [NEW HABIT].

Make a list of your most automatic, ingrained habits—and then use the habit stacking formula to pair them with a new habit you're trying to cultivate. For example:

• After I drink my morning coffee, I will spend 10 minutes reading a personal development book.
• After I attend my weekly team meeting, I will send one email to a colleague to acknowledge their work and contribution.
• After I eat breakfast, I will spend 30 minutes doing coding challenges.

Using this habit-stacking formula can help you leverage your existing habits to set new habits to skyrocket your productivity this winter. Then, keep that new level of productivity going well into the new year (and beyond!)

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