This cold season, give yourself the joy of a winter reset with these 11 simple and cozy steps. These steps will get you organized for the season and bring a sense of peace you are meant to feel during winter.
I have always seen winter as a season of reset, silent growth, and stillness.
The weather can be dark and cold, I know. But it’s during winter that we leave one year and enter a new one.
We also get to spend a lot of time indoors, so there’s a lot of scope for inner growth and finding stillness.
But to be able to get in that mindset, you need to do a seasonal reset first so that you can actually embrace the season fully instead of secretly resisting its restful nature.
A winter reset is basically your chance to pause, look at how life has been going lately, and make changes to feel better going into the new season.
And because this is the winter we’re talking about, we obviously need to make the whole thing cozy too (which I am all up for).
So, make yourself a hot drink, put on your favorite sweatshirt, and use these 11 tips to give yourself a proper winter reset.
How To Do A Winter Reset
1. Start with cleaning
Before you reset anything else in your life, you need to make your surroundings clean.
You simply cannot have your fresh-start moment while staring at a pile of clothes that has been sitting on the chair for four days.
So, start your winter reset with a good cleaning session.
Change your sheets, clear out random clutter, clean your desk, wash your blankets, organize your bathroom, and get to all those areas you usually ignore during your normal weekly cleaning.
Also, put away things you won’t be using for the next few months and bring all your winter essentials out.
Your fuzzy blankets, warm socks, winter skincare, hot water bottle, and everything else you’ve been waiting all year to use can finally come out.
By the end, your home should feel like it’s ready for winter.
2. Reset your morning routine
Winter mornings can go one of two ways.
You either wake up, stay under your blanket until the last possible second, and then spend the next hour trying to catch up with your day.
Or you make winter mornings so nice that getting out of bed doesn’t feel quite as criminal.
I’m going with option two.
Look at your current morning routine and figure out what you can change for winter.
You might want to wake up earlier, start your day with warm water, switch your outdoor workout to something indoors, or make time for a proper breakfast.
And please add something cozy to your mornings too.
Have your coffee while reading a book, play music while getting ready, or sit in the winter sun for ten minutes before you get on with your day.
If mornings are going to be cold, we might as well make them lovely.
3. Reset your sleep
If your sleep schedule has gone completely off track lately, now is your chance to fix it.
Winter is probably the easiest season to create a nice night routine anyway because everything about it screams go get into bed.
Pick a bedtime that actually gives you enough sleep and start winding down about an hour before it.
Lower the lights, change into comfy pajamas, do your skincare, make some herbal tea, and put your phone away before you start scrolling.
You could also keep a book on your nightstand and read for 10-20 minutes before sleeping.
There is something so nice about reading under a warm blanket on a cold night, so your sleep reset doesn’t have to feel like a boring health assignment.
4. Do a wardrobe switch
One of my favorite parts of winter arriving is finally getting my sweaters out again.
So, even though wardrobe switching can be quite a hassle, I do it happily.
Go through your wardrobe and move all the clothes you won’t be wearing for the next few months somewhere out of the way.
Then bring your sweaters, sweatshirts, coats, scarves, and other winter clothes front and center.
While you’re doing this, try everything on and get rid of the stuff you know you’re not going to wear.
This is also the perfect time to notice any gaps in your winter wardrobe.
Maybe you need a good everyday sweater, a pair of boots, or a warm coat that actually goes with most of your outfits.
Just don’t turn winter reset into an excuse to order a dozen new sweaters, alright?
5. Make your winter playlist and start listening to it
As soon as possible, sit down to create a winter playlist, even if you just add ten songs to it initially.
You can listen to it while you do the reset of your winter reset tasks.
The songs can represent the energy you want to embrace this season, the goals you want to work on, and of course, the cozy winter vibes.
Have a mix of all kinds of songs that fit your winter mood for the year, and keep adding to the playlist as you discover more songs.
Nothing else will give you your main character energy quite like this.
6. Pick 3 habits for your winter routine
I’m a huge fan of seasonal habits because what works for you in summer might not fit your winter days at all.
I won’t say you should overhaul your entire routine, but just choose three habits that you want to focus on this winter.
Maybe you want to take a 30-minute walk every morning, read before bed, or stretch every day.
Maybe you want to journal at night, drink more water, or get consistent with your workouts.
Pick a set of three habits that would make the biggest difference to your life right now.
When you have just three habits to remember, it’s pretty easy to build your days around them.
When you have fifteen, your habit tracker starts looking like a full-time job, which we want to avoid at all costs.
7. Declutter your digital life
A winter reset isn’t complete until you’ve dealt with the chaos living inside your phone.
Start with the easy stuff.
Delete apps you haven’t opened in months, clear your screenshots, organize your home screen, unsubscribe from emails you never read, and turn off unnecessary notifications.
Then go through your social media feeds and unfollow accounts you don’t enjoy seeing anymore (this is compulsory).
We underestimate how much random digital clutter we consume every single day.
You might not be able to physically see it piling up around you, but your brain definitely knows it’s there.
Once the boring decluttering part is over, make things cute again.
Put on a winter wallpaper, make a cozy playlist, organize your Pinterest boards, and give your digital spaces a seasonal refresh.
8. Give your body extra love and care
Winter is extremely cozy for the soul and not always quite so lovely for the body.
Your skin gets dry, your lips need lip balm every few minutes, you might drink less water because you’re not thirsty, and staying active becomes harder when your blanket is right there looking inviting.
So, part of your winter reset should be figuring out what your body needs this season and practicing self-care accordingly.
Bring out a thicker body lotion, keep lip balm everywhere, start drinking warm water if plain cold water feels unappealing, and make sure you’re still getting some movement every day.
You can also stock your kitchen with some easy and nourishing winter foods and warm drinks.
Basically, don’t spend three months taking care of your coziness while forgetting to take care of the person inside the cozy sweater.
9. Stock up on your winter essentials
I love having all my winter things ready before I actually need them, so this is always a part of my winter reset.
First, make a list of everything you tend to use more during the colder months and check what you already have at home.
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, moisturizer, candles, fuzzy socks, soup ingredients, tissues, lip balm, books — whatever makes sense for your winter life.
You don’t need to buy everything in one shopping trip, of course.
The idea is just to avoid realizing on a freezing Tuesday night that you’re out of your favorite tea and have exactly zero desire to leave the house.
P.S. Put your cozy essentials somewhere pretty and easy to reach. A basket with tea, snacks, and hot chocolate packets sitting near your winter corner? Yes, please.
10. Make a winter bucket list
Your winter reset should not be entirely about getting your life together. We need some fun around here too.
So, make a winter bucket list filled with things you want to experience before the season ends.
Maybe you want to take yourself out for hot chocolate, have a winter picnic in the sun, or spend an entire Sunday reading,
Maybe you want to plan a cozy movie marathon, take a winter trip, or go on evening walks.
Put your list somewhere you can see it throughout the season and start ticking things off.
Winter passes way too quickly when you’re enjoying it, so I like having a list that reminds me to make something out of these days.
P.S. Also make a separate reading list for the season, with enough books that you can pick from throughout the season for your reading time.
It’s fine if you don’t read all the books before the end of winter. Reading in winter is meant to be slow, anyway.
11. Decide what kind of winter you want
And finally, decide what you actually want from this season.
This is truly one of the best things you can do whenever you’re resetting your life.
Instead of only asking, “What do I need to get done?”, ask yourself, “How do I want my days to feel?”
Maybe you want a slow winter where you read a ton of books, spend time at home, and finally get some proper rest.
Maybe you want your winter to be your productive era, where you work on a goal you’ve been putting off and head into the new year feeling proud of yourself.
Or maybe you want to get out more, make plans with people, dress cute, take photos, and romanticize the heck out of the season.
There is no correct answer here.
But once you know what kind of winter you’re trying to create, it’s much easier to make choices that actually match it.
Ready For Your Winter Reset?
And that’s your winter reset done!
One thing I’d say before you leave is not to treat this as a self-improvement project.
(If that’s what you’re after, you should read my post on unlocking your winter arc).
This winter reset is meant to help you clear out what isn’t working, bring in things that will make the season better, and get yourself excited about the days ahead.
Winter only comes around once a year. Might as well make this one a really good one!
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