In partnership with
Annual planning sounds great in theory.
In practice? It can feel heavy, unrealistic, and oddly discouraging—especially if your life doesn’t stay in one place.
When your calendar changes with the weather, your location, your energy, or your priorities, committing to a rigid 12-month plan can feel like setting yourself up to fail.
So let’s try something different.
Welcome to micro-seasons.
You don’t need a perfect year.
You need the next meaningful chapter.
🌱 What Are Micro-Seasons?
A micro-season is an intentional 8-week chapter of focus.
Not a hustle sprint.
Not a New Year’s resolution.
Just a short, defined season where you decide:
What matters right now
What gets your attention
What can wait
Think of your year as 6–7 small seasons instead of one massive commitment.
This works beautifully for:
Nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles
Creative entrepreneurs
Anyone who wants momentum without burnout
🧭 Why Annual Planning Often Fails (Especially for Nomads)
Traditional yearly goals assume:
Stable routines
Predictable energy
One version of you all year long
But real life? Especially nomadic life? Doesn’t work like that.
Seasons change.
Places change.
You change.
Planning a full year ahead can lock you into goals that no longer fit who you become.
Micro-seasons give you permission to evolve—without losing direction.
🔄 Why 8 Weeks Is the Sweet Spot
Eight weeks is:
Long enough to make real progress
Short enough to stay motivating
Flexible enough to adapt
It’s also just enough time to:
Build a habit
Launch a project
Explore a new rhythm
Reset your energy
Instead of asking “What do I want this year?”
You ask:
“What does the next 8 weeks need from me?”
🛠️ How to Design a Micro-Season
You only need three things.
1️⃣ Choose One Core Focus
Not ten. One.
Examples:
Build consistency in your business
Slow down and recover from burnout
Create a digital product
Reconnect with movement and health
Explore a new place deeply
If everything is a priority, nothing is.
2️⃣ Pick 3 Supporting Anchors
These are the habits, systems, or actions that support your focus.
For example:
Weekly long walks 🚶♀️
One newsletter per week ✍️
Two focused work blocks per day ⏳
Simple. Repeatable. Realistic.
3️⃣ Define a “Season Ending” Ritual
This is key.
At the end of 8 weeks:
Reflect on what worked
Let go of what didn’t
Decide what’s next
No guilt. No “failure.” Just feedback.
Completion builds confidence—even if the outcome changes.
🌍 Micro-Seasons + Nomadic Life = Alignment
Micro-seasons naturally align with:
Travel windows
Weather shifts
Energy cycles
Life transitions
One season might be:
Exploration & light work
Another might be:Deep focus & creation
Both are valid. Both count.
You’re no longer forcing balance—you’re designing rhythm.
When you stop promising yourself a “perfect year,” something surprising happens:
You start faster
You quit less
You feel less pressure
You enjoy the process more
Momentum comes from finishing small things consistently—not chasing massive goals endlessly.
🧠 Try This: Your First Micro-Season
Grab a notebook (or your favorite planner) and answer:
The next 8 weeks are about:
Three anchors I’ll return to weekly:
One thing I’m intentionally not focusing on:
That’s it.
You just designed your next chapter.
🌅 A Different Way to Measure a Life Well Lived
We’re so used to measuring progress by years.
What did you accomplish this year?
Did you hit your goals?
Did you stay on track?
But maybe that’s the wrong unit of measurement.
A meaningful life isn’t built in years—it’s built in seasons.
Micro-seasons invite you to stop forcing consistency where it doesn’t belong and start honoring the natural rhythm of how you actually live, work, and grow.
Some seasons will feel expansive and adventurous.
Others will be quiet, focused, or restorative.
Some will surprise you entirely.
And that’s not a flaw—it’s the point.
🧩 When You Zoom Out, the Chapters Add Up
Eight weeks might feel small when you’re inside it.
But stack a few micro-seasons together, and something powerful happens:
Projects get finished
Habits take root
Confidence builds
Direction becomes clearer
Not because you planned harder—but because you stayed flexible and intentional.
Progress doesn’t come from clinging to a plan.
It comes from repeatedly choosing what matters now.
🌍 Especially If Your Life Is Always Moving…
If your address changes.
If your routines shift.
If your energy ebbs and flows with the landscape around you.
Micro-seasons give you a portable framework—one that travels with you.
You don’t need perfect conditions.
You don’t need certainty.
You just need the willingness to design the next chapter with care.
✍️ Your Only Job Right Now
You don’t have to redesign your whole year today.
Just ask yourself:
What kind of season do I want to be in next?
Then give yourself 8 weeks to live into that answer.
That’s how momentum is built.
That’s how burnout loosens its grip.
That’s how a flexible, meaningful life starts to take shape—one chapter at a time.
Start using AI the way top finance teams do.
The AI for Business & Finance Certificate Program from Columbia Business School Exec Ed and Wall Street Prep draws on real-world examples inspired by how firms like BlackRock, Citi, and Morgan Stanley approach AI enablement for their teams.
You’ll go beyond theory to understand what’s being implemented, why it works, and how to apply it in your own role.
Join LIVE office hours with Columbia Business School faculty
Earn a certificate from a top business school
Get lifetime access to program materials, meet-ups, and networking opportunities
Save $300 with code SAVE300 + $200 with early enrollment by Feb. 17.