5 Things I’m doing to stay cozy + productive this winter

Maybe you live somewhere sunny and 75, and winter isn’t all that different from summer except that there aren’t any leaves on the trees. There’s no need to change your routine because the weather isn’t against you. But here, in the North, the weather can always be against you. Roads are icy, visibility sucks. It gets dark at 4 o’clock.

Life shifts accordingly.

Winter is a time to stay indoors, and: catch up on leftover work that got neglected during the summer. At least that’s what the next couple months look like for me. I literally had no time this summer to do anything but stress and work and run and sleep.

Oh, and eat.
I did eat.

Needless to say: I’m really looking forward to a slower season. And I’ve got a list, too.
5 things I’m doing to stay cozy + productive this winter.

 

Read many, many books

Reading doesn’t quite count as productive, but it fits the definition of cozy like a glove. Besides, I haven’t had nearly enough time to read this year, and there are SO MANY BOOKS I HAVEN’T READ BUT WANT TO. You understand, right?

My winter TBR includes:
– The Interpreter | Suzanne Glass
– The Girl You Left Behind (a re-read)
– Culture Making | Andy Crouch (a re-read)
– Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

I can’t commit to more than 4 books, if want to complete everything else I’m putting on this list, ha.

 

Learn to knit a pair of socks

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a little while, and idk, it seems like a very aesthetic winter activity. I don’t know anything about knitting with double point needles, but I found this tutorial, which uses straight needles, and it looks waaayyy more manageable than other kinds of sock knitting I’ve seen.

 

Grow my plant collection

If you know me, you know that I am that obsessive plant lady-type. I love the plants-hanging-from-every-nook-and-cranny aesthetic. I used to have. . .like a ton of succulents but a lot of them either died from exposure (cue: *crying face*), or I had to give them away because #reasons. Anyway, I really want to get back into – scouring thrift stores for cute pots, and getting clippings from my friends to restart a new collection in my living room.

Make/Set some long-term goals to work toward

You know the feeling when you have ideas and plans, but you can’t sit down or think about them because life is pushing you into the next day and the next? That’s how I’ve felt lately. But now that life is a little slower, I can finally do just that – write down what’s in my head, and what little steps I can do to bring them into the real world. Sticking to goals is not my strong point, but I’ve heard that writing them out is a good place to start.

 

Work on Neglected Photography Projects

Yeah. . .a big one. I haven’t been as intentional with photography as I really want to be. I haven’t learned very many new techniques or photographed outside my comfort zone. Although I’m quite proud of the photos I’ve taken this year (more than any other year), I know I have a long, long way to go. So…a couple of things on my list are:

– Take photos of the sky at night
– Figure out how to edit video in Photoshop
– Calibrate my monitor/color spaces for accurate color rendering
– Do a photo shoot – with people!!!
 

. . .

This winter is gonna be a good one, I can feel it. I’m already excited about snow (even though it is a little cumbersome when you’re trying to get to work in the morning and you gotta dig your car out). The beauty is worth it.
 

cheers.
k.

postscript #1 – all photos
(except the header)
are mine

 

 

|| Let’s Have a Conversation ||

• Do you have any 2018 goals you gotta finish before the 31st? • Any special winter plans? • What is your favorite “cozy” activity?