Seasonal motivation

One of the things I struggle most with is motivation. Being productive and getting things done is sometimes really challenging for me, and minor mental health issues and all the social distancing we’ve had to do this year really aren’t helping. And let’s be honest, I’m the worst at being accountable to myself.

I’ve tried several things in the past few years to find out what motivates me, or the circumstances I require to motivate myself to getting things done. Now, a lot of these have to do with having a clean apartment, lighting some scented candles, brewing a cup of good tea or just simply having deadline. However, I’ve noticed that the element which has the biggest effect on my mood is what goes on outside my windows.

Where I live the seasons are between extremes. Summer is fairly warm and bright – the sunlight lasts for most of the 24-hour day. Winter is the opposite: cold and dark with sunlight barely showing for a few hours around midday.

Each season has it’s best sides. I don’t even need to be outside in the weather, I just need to observe them from my windows. In spring it’s the moments when the sunlight increases after a long and dark winter, and the colors start popping back. During summertime I find the best instances late at night with the midnight sun and the softest light. If I can be near a lake or the ocean, the better. My favorite moments of autumn belong to October. Whether it be rain or shine, it’s when the trees show the most color.

And though all seasons have their most motivational moments, I love winter most. The best weather in late autumn and throughout the winter are the crispy days, when the temperature goes below zero and the snow is light. So it’s no wonder that my most productive days of the past few weeks have been the ones with first snow and the temperature barely below freezing.

Since we’re all different, different things motivate us the best. What are the little things that motivate you to be productive?