The End of Endless Productivity: How to Redefine ‘Good Days’ This Winter
If your to-do list is giving “late capitalism with a side of seasonal depression,” you’re not alone.
Winter in Aotearoa is here - shorter days, heavier skies, and that strange cultural pressure to pretend we’re still in peak productivity mode. Spoiler: we’re not. And we shouldn’t be.
Here’s the thing: you’re not a machine. You’re a human being with circadian rhythms, energy fluctuations, and a body that was never designed to perform at 100% output, 100% of the time.
So this winter, we’re opting out of hustle culture - and redefining what a “good day” really looks like.
Step 1: Stop Measuring Days in Output
We’ve been taught to measure our days by how much we do.
But in winter, that mindset gets extra punishing - because we’re biologically primed to slow down.
Research shows that reduced sunlight exposure affects the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the part of our brain that regulates alertness, mood, and hormone release. This can trigger low energy, mood dips, and good old-fashioned brain fog.
Source: National Institutes of General Medicine Science - Circadian Rhythms & National Library of Medicine
A “good day” doesn’t have to mean maximum productivity.
It might mean:
Getting one meaningful thing done
Eating a warm meal
Calling a friend
Or just surviving the workday without crying into your inbox
Step 2: Honour Your Natural Energy Curve
Most people have a natural rhythm of alertness that rises mid-morning and dips post-lunch (thanks, biology). But when it’s darker and colder, that curve flattens out.
Instead of pushing through it, try designing your day around it:
Use your peak energy for creative or mentally demanding tasks
Slot admin or easier tasks into your natural slump
Schedule wind-down rituals before you’re already fried
Bonus points for keeping your nervous system supported. We’re partial to InZone on brain days and UnWind on the ones where even socks feel like too much.
Step 3: Redefine Productivity as Regulation
Here’s a spicy take: maybe productivity isn’t about how much you do. Maybe it’s about how well you self-regulate.
Things like:
Recognising when you’re overstimulated
Knowing when to rest
Having a strategy to re-centre when your brain goes rogue
This is especially true if you’re neurodivergent, living with ADHD, or navigating burnout. One study from BMC Psychiatry found that people who practice emotional regulation techniques (think mindfulness, movement, or sensory tools) experience less winter-related cognitive strain.
Step 4: Rewire the “All or Nothing” Mentality
Missed your alarm? Didn’t hit your steps? Still haven’t opened that email from your accountant?
Cool. You’re human.
Productivity culture thrives on binary thinking: you’re either winning the day or failing it. But the real secret to sustainable output? Learning to start again - even if that “start” happens at 2:47pm with a snack and a reset playlist.
Or a sip of something that helps your brain catch up with your body.
Like a terpene-powered tonic. Just saying.
Step 5: Let Rest Be the Reward
You don’t need to earn your rest.
You don’t need to finish the list.
You don’t need to be anyone’s idea of “on.”
Winter is made for recovery. And recovery is where growth happens.
So this season, measure your days differently.
By how you feel - not by how many tabs you had open.
TL;DR:
Shorter days = less energy. That’s normal, not a flaw.
Design your workflow around your natural rhythm, not your calendar
Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a right.
Terpenes can support your nervous system through the dip
You’re allowed to have a “soft productivity era”
Want to feel better, not busier? → Explore our feel-good range.