How to stay motivated in the winter months

One way in which I help motivate myself during the winter months is by breaking down tasks into smaller manageable chunks. This can help things to feel less overwhelming. I also find it easier to complete tasks if they have deadlines and normally, I set these earlier than they need to be done Which can allow for some wiggle room if needed but still allows me to meet the overall deadline.

It’s also important to look after yourself and prioritise self-care in whatever way this might look like for you. This might be through exercise, doing meditations or through journaling. This can really help you to recharge your batteries and help you to rest and look after yourself during the winter period.

Staying connected during the winter months can also really help to keep you motivated. I know personally, my university degree is all online so I try and plan regular catch-up calls with the other people on my course and organise meet-ups to study together. This can really help to feel less isolated and stay productive.

Exercising can be really challenging, and it can be hard to motivate yourself to do this, especially during the winter months. However, exercise has many benefits to both your physical and mental health. If you’re struggling to get out more then try some online exercise videos – you can even do these with friends to help hold yourselves accountable and increase motivation.

As someone who tries to run before or after work during longer days, I don’t feel safe to do so in the winter months. To stay motivated, I swap activities to make sure I’m still sticking to a schedule which makes me feel good and gives me a brain break after work. During winter, I run on weekends when I have time during daylight and swap mid-week runs with home workouts. This applies to everything in winter – if one thing isn’t possible due to shorter days or low motivation, try an alternative which works better for you: focus on the goal, not the route. Changing my routine maintains an active schedule but doesn’t mean I have to do exactly what I’d do in the summer when I can’t think of anything worse.

Summer for me means I feel more motivated and keener to get going. Shorter days make me feel like it’s time to unwind as soon as I get home and not get up until I have to. It’s important to change how to motivate yourself, depending on your base energy level. I find doing things I enjoy is even more essential during the winter when endorphins are running low but I have less motivation to do this. Therefore, having realistic expectations of what you are going to want to do versus what you can push yourself to do is vital. Without this, failing to achieve what you normally would do in summer feels even worse. Be realistic about what you want to and can do.

Your physical environment has a significant impact on your mindset. Personally, for me, having autism means that my environment plays an even more critical role. I rely heavily on routine to feel grounded, so I focus on creating a "safe space" full of predictability. I keep familiar items on my desk and ensure my setup does not change.

Trying to study or work in a cold, uncomfortable space often creates resistance before you even begin. So make your workspace somewhere you want to be. Use warm lighting instead of harsh overhead bulbs, keep the room at a comfortable temperature, and play some music. By making your space inviting, you shift your focus from the difficulty of the task to the comfort of the setting.

Last winter, I noticed my mood dipped whenever I spent whole days indoors. Even if I got enough sleep, I still felt groggy and unfocused. Once I made it a habit to step outside for a short walk in the morning, I started feeling much more awake and balanced throughout the day – it made a bigger difference than I expected.

Sunlight plays a powerful role in how we feel. Shorter days mean less sunlight, which can disrupt our internal clocks. What you can do is get outside for at least 20 minutes during daylight hours. Exposure to natural light can really help.

Winter is often better suited for maintenance rather than massive new undertakings. When your energy levels feel lower, trying to force high-intensity effort can lead to burnout. A word of advice is to use the "micro-goal" approach. If a full workout seems overwhelming, commit to ten minutes of movement. If reading a whole chapter feels like too much, read just two pages. The goal is to keep the habit alive as doing a little bit is far more effective than doing nothing at all.

As someone with ADHD, there were weeks when having it made it almost impossible to focus or find the motivation for long workouts or deep tasks. So I stopped trying to do everything perfectly and started setting tiny goals instead, like ten minutes of movement or reading just a couple of pages. It took the pressure off and helped me stay consistent, even on low-energy days.