Winter Invites Deep Work and Deep Rest

Winter is a season for quiet reflection, rest, and deep focus. By tuning into nature’s rhythms, we can balance productivity with rejuvenation, avoiding burnout and nurturing creativity.

Main Key Takeaways:

• Winter is a time for deep rest and reflection

• Deep work thrives when paired with rest

• Balancing deep rest with deep work

In temperate climates, deciduous trees go dormant (literally to sleep) to conserve energy. Other plants retreat underground letting their leaves die back while their roots rest and regenerate. Many animals hibernate or reduce their activity in some way as well. Water freezes. An insulating blanket of snow tucks it all in for winter’s rest. All of nature is preparing for a quiet stillness.

But at this same time in the human world, the frenetic energy builds. Bright lights, blaring sounds, activity, socializing, buzzing about and imbibing. There’s an excess that’s in stark contrast to nature’s minimalism. It’s no wonder we feel fried after the holidays.

Tapping into the rhythms of nature is one of the most effective ways to prevent burnout and build a sustainable business. Though we’ve long since morphed from the industrial revolution to the knowledge and gig economy, we still seem fixed to the clock, the conveyor belt, the relentless productivity day after day without regard for natural seasons. It’s easy to replicate this structure, even when you have your own business. But this isn’t a structure that works well for a sensitive person, nor is it needed to run a fulfilling and sustainable business. Too many people leave the corporate structure only to rebuild the same cage in their own business.

Let’s do it differently.

For a period in my life, I travelled quite a bit throughout Southeast Asia. The islands of Indonesia caught my attention for many months. Here, we would snorkel off any beach or rocky shore and submerse ourselves into a riot of color and underwater wonder. One day, the water was roiling from stormy weather. White caps and wind made the water much less inviting than was typical. I was nervous to be in such turbulent water with nothing but a swimsuit, a snorkel and a mask. As soon as I got into the water, I felt like I would be pushed up against the jagged shore, but I dove down and began swimming beneath the surface. Here, it was peaceful and quiet. The water was clear and the creatures were darting in and out from the coral in the same way they did on a clear, calm sunny day. When it was time to breathe in again, I swam toward the surface. But as soon as I lifted my head up, I was confronted with the waves and the wind. Swimming along the surface in the turbulent water was exhausting. When I would dive deeper down, I felt more at ease.

This is life. Turbulent and chaotic on the surface. Calm and quiet at depth.

Winter is a time of stillness, quiet and depth. So it’s the best time for deep work. In his book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport describes this as:

"Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate."

This is a time to write that book, restructure your coaching packages, design a life-changing course, develop a new skill or master an existing one. The quality of deep work comes from deep rest. So, the more you rest, the more you’ll tap into this well of creativity and unlimited energy.

To plod along on an unchanging schedule is to miss the opportunity to flow with nature’s energy. Go to bed early, sleep in, take naps, take the day off to read, knit and bake. It’s a lie that you’re slacking or unproductive or wasting time or any other cultural B.S.

Aligning your personal and professional schedule with the rhythms of nature is one of many benefits of having your own business. Trusting your rhythms and the rhythms of nature is the secret sauce to your success.

When we begin calls in my group coaching program, we start with a moment of centering. I invite the participants to align the spine, close the eyes, welcome in body sensations and deepen the breath. People have shared that this feels like breaking through the surface tension and dropping into a deeper, quieter and more still place within themselves. From this place, insights come, connections are made, new understanding is revealed.

This is a moment at the start of each call and it’s also the season of winter.

This seasonal stillness and underground work mirrors nature’s bedding down, a reminder that rest and restoration are essential parts of all living systems, including our own. It’s a time to conserve, reflect, and prepare for renewal. It’s a time to look at the calendar over these next three months and choose your balance of deep rest and deep work. You’ll emerge in the spring with more energy and creative projects to share with the world, just as nature puts forth her bouquet of new life.

Journal Prompt: How can you find joy in the season’s brightness while honoring the need for solitude and stillness, just as nature does? How will you make time for deep rest and deep work?