After a slow start to winter, I’m ready to make the most of the rest of the year. In that spirit, our March theme is all about planning ahead.

Our February theme explored what it means to slow down. Yet there will always come a time when we need to emerge from our hibernation. I think a big part of slowing down is to ensure you have the energy for faster seasons; it’s about building up stamina for times when things start to get busier.

In my experience, planning ahead makes it easier to enjoy the next season of life with intention. It makes it possible to be deliberate about what matters to you most. Planning ahead is also about self-maintenance. It’s about tracking and accomplishing the small yet important tasks you may tend to put off so you don’t feel scrambled later on. 

In my experience, planning ahead makes it easier to enjoy the next season of life with intention.

It’s not about packing your schedule and fitting in everything. Rather, it’s about intentionally considering what you want each season, each month, or each day to hold, and planning for it ahead of time so you can be there in the moment when the time comes. As a person who historically loves to wing things, I know firsthand that the wing-it approach makes it harder to savor the moment. You’re organizing and problem-solving even while you’re supposed to be enjoying the moment at hand. When you plan ahead, you allow yourself time to account for all of the details beforehand. Then what’s left when the moment in question arrives is to simply be.

At the start of March, I invite you to think about what you want out of the year ahead. This year personally, in between the minutiae of the day-to-day, Joe and I are planning for a trip to Italy in June. I’m looking forward to having a big birthday party for August in July; to working on several home projects and getting the house even more ready for guests; to going up north in August. 

Whether it’s a big trip or a weekly schedule, I know that planning ahead can offer a lot of relief (and even joy). And that is something we all deserve.

This March, our contributors will be writing about how to make time for reading (and other things you think you can’t fit in) and what a “gentle reminder calendar” can do for your life. I’ll be sharing the home updates we have planned for the rest of 2022, my favorite face masks for dry skin, and a look into how I organize my fridge. Stay tuned for this and plenty more throughout the month ahead!

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Kate is currently learning to play the Ukulele, much to the despair of her husband, kids, and dogs. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.