If you’re feeling “behind,” read this
We all know January is a bit shit.
It’s dark. It’s grey. Everyone’s skint. No one really wants to do anything. And yet, somehow, January has been branded as the month for reinvention.
New habits.
New goals.
New identity.
New life.
As if clarity magically appears because the calendar flipped.
It makes absolutely no sense to me.
The older I get, I realise how much more sense it makes to mirror the seasons in how we work and live. January is peak winter. And winter is not for launching, pushing, or “becoming your best self”.
Winter is for retreat.
For rest. For taking stock. For letting the ground settle before you plant anything new.
When we force urgency in the dead of winter, we don’t create momentum. We create anxiety.
This way of thinking has been heavily influenced by one of my favourite books, Wintering by Katherine May.
It’s a beautiful, quietly powerful reminder that winter isn’t a problem to solve or a phase to rush through. It’s a necessary season of rest, reflection and regrouping, in life and in work.
Every time I reread it, I’m reminded that forcing productivity when your body and mind are asking for pause doesn’t make you resilient. It just makes you tired.
This year I soft-landed.
I'm deeply grateful that I got to spend the first two weeks of this year in Sri Lanka. It gave me a rare thing: space to feel genuinely content about the year that’s passed and grounded about where I am now. It was quiet, liminal, and calm. Full of gratitude, joy, and gentle beginnings, not pressure.
But, when I came back, I knew I was returning to the January mayhem.
I had a few peeks at LinkedIn while I was away and honestly… the dumpster-fire, all-caps, “NEW YEAR NEW YOU” bullshit made me want to throw my phone into the sea.
So I made a very conscious decision, right there and then:
No rushing, no urgency.
No letting other people’s panic dictate my pace.
And it’s really landed.
This is a growth year for me, but it’s slow, steady growth. Not because I lack ambition. But because I’m ambitious enough to know that speed without direction is just noise.
Slowing down isn’t opting out. It’s choosing your timing.
So if you’re already feeling “behind” this year, here’s your reminder: you’re probably not behind at all. You might just be moving in season.
What I’m actually focusing on right now
Since you’re here, I’ll give you a peek behind the curtain, as proof that “slow” doesn’t mean stagnant.
Right now I’m:
Refining the positioning of my speaking and facilitation work, especially around navigating change and creating space to think deeply
Getting my backend ops into good shape (hello Notion, automation, and levelling up my agentic AI skills)
Building my new website and showing up more consistently on LinkedIn and Instagram
And… I’ve gone back to school! After years of facilitation and holding space for leaders and teams, I’m finally formalising my coaching practice and completing my accreditation
I’m really glad you’re here.
Nat x
