There’s a reality I’ve been circling currently: I’m bored with making an attempt to be my “greatest self.” Someplace between the micro-habits, the stacks of self-help books, and the limitless discuss of optimization, wellness began to really feel much less like care and extra like efficiency. I’ve caught myself questioning, virtually sheepishly: Has wellness gone too far? And the uncomfortable reply I hold coming again to is sure.
I don’t wish to optimize my life anymore—I wish to stay it. To really feel curious, expanded, and impressed, not consistently polished. As an alternative of perfecting my routine or hacking my habits, what I crave is one thing more true: growth, not effectivity. Depth over self-discipline. Studying not as a result of I ought to, however as a result of it makes me really feel awake once more.
A Private Curriculum for Dwelling Absolutely
That’s why, once I stumbled throughout the concept of a private curriculum, it felt like an exhale. Not one other system to overcome or follow to grasp, however a return to the best impulse: following what fascinates me. Exploring concepts, books, and abilities as a result of they spark one thing—not as a result of they promise to make me higher.
I’ve all the time believed curiosity is my best superpower. I don’t fake to have every thing discovered (removed from it), however my intuition to observe what lights up my thoughts has by no means led me fallacious. It’s saved me versatile, hopeful, and linked via each chapter of my life.
Studying for pleasure—not perfection—expands us in methods achievement by no means can.
A New Solution to Develop This Season
This winter, as an alternative of setting targets, I’m designing a syllabus—one constructed not round productiveness, however round pleasure, curiosity, and aliveness. A private curriculum isn’t about turning into somebody new. It’s about returning to elements of your self that felt pushed apart beneath the burden of self-optimization.
So in the event you’re feeling the identical pull, right here’s what a private curriculum actually is, and learn how to create one which seems like a deep breath as an alternative of a guidelines.
What Is a Private Curriculum?
A private curriculum is precisely what it appears like: your individual self-directed “course” within the topics and concepts that spark one thing inside you. It’s a follow rooted in curiosity somewhat than achievement—a return to studying for the pure, unpolished pleasure of it.
Perhaps this appears to be like like a month immersed in poetry, a season spent studying to bake bread, or a quiet stretch learning philosophy or pictures. No efficiency. No measuring. Simply the gradual, regular thrill of following what feels nourishing proper now.
In a tradition obsessive about progress, a private curriculum lets us be college students of life once more—curious, playful, open. Not striving, however increasing. Not reaching, however awakening.
Why It’s the Antidote to Winter Burnout
Winter invitations a special tempo. The sunshine softens, routines blur, and our our bodies ask us to show inward. However as an alternative of honoring that, we frequently attempt to outrun it with plans, resolutions, and productiveness binges.
A private curriculum meets winter the place it’s. It provides us a solution to keep engaged—not via urgency, however via inspiration. Burnout comes from output with out replenishment. A private curriculum is replenishment, reminding us that progress doesn’t should appear to be striving. Generally it appears to be like like paying consideration.
Easy methods to Discover What You’re Curious About
Step one isn’t planning—it’s noticing. Curiosity exhibits up as a tug: a e-book you retain choosing up, a recipe you’ve saved 3 times, a subject you analysis late at evening.
Ask your self:
- What am I drawn to, with out making an attempt?
- What concepts or subjects hold resurfacing?
- What seems like nourishment, not obligation?
- What would make me really feel extra alive to study?
Begin there. Your curiosity is already pointing someplace—your job is just to observe it.
Easy methods to Create Your Personal Private Curriculum
As soon as you are feeling that spark, give it construction—sufficient to assist it, however not a lot that it feels inflexible. Assume readability and rhythm, not guidelines.
1. Select 1–2 themes
Depth, not breadth. Let this season be about one or two significant threads. Examples might be: poetry, seasonal cooking, philosophy, pictures, artwork historical past, or nature examine.
2. Decide your studying codecs
When you’ve chosen your themes, resolve how you wish to study. A significant private curriculum blends enter and expression—absorbing concepts, then partaking with them. Take into consideration selecting one format from every class:
Enter
- Learn (books, essays, Substacks)
- Watch/Pay attention (lectures, documentaries, podcasts, talks)
Motion
- Follow (writing, cooking, pictures, sketching, language)
- Expertise (museum visits, nature walks, workshops, lessons, conversations)
Reflection
- Journal or voice memo
- Finish-of-week notes on what moved you or sparked one thing
The magic is within the steadiness: study ? do ? mirror. It retains your curiosity alive and helps your studying really stick. Let concepts are available, transfer via you, and rework you—that’s the place progress actually lives.
3. Set a mild rhythm
A private curriculum involves life via rhythm. This appears to be like like small, constant touchpoints that assist curiosity develop into a part of every day life. Select easy anchors you’ll be able to look ahead to, like:
- Sunday morning studying ritual
- One winter stroll every week to note mild, stillness, and seasonal change
- One new recipe on the weekend
- A month-to-month inventive or cultural outing (a museum go to, workshop, bookstore browse, movie, creator discuss, and so on.)
The objective isn’t to fill your calendar—it’s to create moments you come back to.
4. Keep versatile
Your pursuits will shift as you discover. That’s not a failure, it’s a part of the method. If a theme stops inspiring you, pivot. If a brand new curiosity begins tugging, observe it. A private curriculum isn’t meant to lock you in; it’s meant to maneuver with you.
5. Mirror weekly
Take a while on the finish of every week to test in with your self. You don’t want a spreadsheet or a journal routine — only a second of trustworthy noticing.
Ask your self:
- What sparked one thing in me this week?
- What felt nourishing or significant?
- What do I wish to discover extra subsequent week?
Concepts to Discover
Consider these not as duties, however invites—small methods to observe your curiosity in on a regular basis life. Select one or two that really feel thrilling or just fascinating. Let inspiration, not strain, be the information.
Creativity: Examine a brand new poet every month, annotate one poetry assortment, weekly free-writes or journaling
Meals: Deep dive into one delicacies, study foundational winter methods (broth, braise, bread), host a comfy dinner to share your studying
Philosophy and self-inquiry: Select one thinker or college of thought, learn one textual content slowly—a chapter at a time, hold a pocket book for questions + concepts
Artwork and visible examine: Decide an artist or motion, go to a museum or gallery as soon as a month, sketch or {photograph} what conjures up you
Nature and seasonal consideration: Study winter vegetation or constellations, stroll the identical route weekly to note modifications, hold a easy nature pocket book
Dwelling: Examine one design philosophy or period, create small seasonal vignettes, discover and elevate one on a regular basis second (a candle at dinner, a bedside vase of flowers, thoughtfully plated meals)
The Fantastic thing about Studying for Studying’s Sake
Winter provides us the present of slowness—an opportunity to ease off the accelerator and switch inward, not in retreat however in delicate growth. A private curriculum honors that rhythm. It reminds us that progress doesn’t solely occur via achievement. It blooms in curiosity, play, and the act of paying consideration.
As you progress via the season, let your pursuits information you. Decide up the books that tug at you, observe a recipe that feels comforting, or stroll simply to note winter mild on the timber. Let your studying be private and your tempo be variety. There’s no end line—only a path ahead.
Right here’s to a winter of rediscovering the enjoyment of studying.
