A Life in Seasons

As a music teacher in Germany, my year is naturally divided into teaching periods and breaks.

I started thinking of them as seasons.

Season 1 runs from January to around March. Then we have a two-week break. That break becomes Season 2.

Season 3 runs from April until around June. Season 4 is the summer break: six weeks free.

Season 5 begins in August or September and runs until October. Season 6 is another two-week break in October.

Season 7 takes us from October until Christmas, and Season 8 is the Christmas break until everything begins again in January.

I love working in seasons because each season can have one grand goal.

There may be several smaller goals too, but when I’m tired or don’t know what to do next, the direction is usually clear. I know what this season is about.

The vacation periods are seasons too.

A season might be about doing no work at all. Or spending almost all my time with my family. Or working on one small project while taking daily trips with the kids.

The point is that a season has an intention.

For me, living in seasons is a little like time-blocking a week, except on a much larger scale. Instead of deliberately deciding what Tuesday afternoon is for, I’m deliberately deciding what the next six weeks are for.

It helps me organize my time around my goals and values, rather than simply reacting to whatever comes next.