There's a strange paradox about January.

Every ad, every influencer, every gym promo tells us this is the time to sprint. New goals. New habits. New you. Attack the year before it attacks you.

But look outside. At least in the northern hemisphere, it's the middle of winter. The days are short. The light is thin. Every living thing is conserving energy.

Except us. We're supposed to be "hitting the ground running."

See the problem?

The "new year, new me" energy isn't motivation. It's pressure dressed up as inspiration. And for high achievers, it's particularly dangerous. Because we don't need more reasons to push harder. We need permission to pause.

Here's what I've noticed about January launches:

The goals set in the first week are usually the goals we think we should have. The ones that sound impressive. The ones that prove we're not slowing down.

The goals that actually matter? Those tend to emerge later. After we've had time to sit with what we really want. After the noise of everyone else's resolutions fades.

There's a reason farmers don't plant in January. The soil isn't ready. Neither are we. Because we haven't had time to recover from the year that just ended.

What if this month wasn't for launching?

What if it was for listening?

Listening to what last year actually taught us. Listening to what our bodies need after a year of pushing. Listening to the quiet voice that knows what we want. The one that gets drowned out by productivity culture.

Spring will come. The energy to build will return. And when it does, we'll be ready. Not because we forced it, but because we gave ourselves the winter we actually needed.

This week, try this:

Instead of setting a new goal, ask: what am I still recovering from? What haven't I processed yet? That's not procrastination. That's preparation.