There’s something both exciting and daunting about picking up a book like The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. While it promises transformation—a framework to accomplish more in 12 weeks than most people achieve in a year, I found that this book challenged me to think more deeply about how its concepts already underpin aspects of my seasonal practice, offering new ways to refine and strengthen the methods I’ve been cultivating around intentional and mindful living.

It turns out, The 12 Week Year aligns beautifully with my existing seasonal practice, and even where it differs, it offers insights I hadn’t considered before and may choose to incorporate. Here are five lessons within the book that reinforce what I have already been practicing:

Letting Go of Annualized Thinking

One of the first lessons in The 12 Week Year is the trap of “annualized thinking”—setting big, ambitious goals for an entire year, only to feel overwhelmed or lose focus long before achieving them. This idea hit home for me. For years—decades, really—I’ve rung in the New Year with a list of habits, goals, and plans I was excited to tackle starting January 1. Without fail, by the end of January, many of those resolutions had already fallen apart. Each time, I’d beat myself up, labeling myself a failure and looking ahead to the next “restart” date, like my birthday in early March. And so the cycle of setting lofty goals and feeling personal disappointment would begin again.

The seasonal practice I’ve been developing has helped me break free from this pattern. Like The 12 Week Year, it avoids the overwhelm of annualized thinking by breaking the year into more manageable chunks. My practice focuses on one season—13 weeks at a time—providing space to set meaningful intentions, take action, and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This shorter, intentional cycle has been a game-changer, naturally aligning with the book’s concept of redefining success in smaller, more focused intervals.

Getting A Fresh Start

Letting go of annualized thinking opens the door to something far more empowering: the chance to begin anew with each cycle. One of the most exciting concepts in The 12 Week Year is that every 12 weeks marks a fresh start. If you fall short of your goals, there’s no need to dwell on the disappointment. Instead, you regroup, refocus, and move forward.

This idea resonates deeply with my seasonal practice. Each season offers its own opportunity and excitement. The natural rhythm of the changing seasons brings its own momentum, allowing me to work with the flow of time instead of against it.

Both The 12 Week Year and my seasonal practice share a built-in framework for reflection and celebration at the end of each cycle. In my practice, the final week of every season is dedicated to the principle of Reflection. This isn’t just about looking back; it’s about engaging deeply with the experiences of the season. I reflect on how each principle manifested in my life, what I learned, and how I lived my intentions. I also ensure to close the season with a meaningful act of celebration, honoring the journey before turning my focus toward preparing for the next.

Similarly, The 12 Week Year ends with a week of reflection and celebration. This pause creates space to acknowledge progress, identify lessons, and recharge for the next cycle. Both approaches emphasize that growth isn’t about starting over; it’s about appreciating the journey, learning from the process, and carrying those insights forward with renewed purpose.

Each new season, whether in the calendar or in life, is a chance to begin again—not from scratch, but with the wisdom and clarity gained from the path already traveled.

Connecting to Your Vision

Each fresh start, whether it’s the beginning of a new season or a new 12-week cycle, requires something deeper than just goals to guide the way—it requires a vision. One of the most powerful lessons from The 12 Week Year is the emphasis on creating a compelling vision—a vivid picture of the life you want to create. This vision isn’t just an abstract idea; it’s the emotional connection that fuels consistent action, even on days when motivation is hard to find.

In my seasonal practice, vision takes the form of intentions tied to my 11 guiding principles. These intentions aren’t just goals—they’re deeply personal commitments aligned with the values I want to embody. For example, when I set an intention around Comfort, it goes far beyond cozy blankets and warm tea (though I love those too!). It’s about creating an environment where I feel safe, rested, and restored—a space where I can fully recharge and show up as my best self.

This kind of vision provides both clarity and direction. It gives meaning to my daily actions, helping me stay aligned with what truly matters throughout the season. Both The 12 Week Year and my seasonal practice recognize the importance of this connection to a bigger picture. Without it, even the best plans can feel hollow. But with a vision, every step—whether small or significant—becomes a part of creating something larger and deeply fulfilling.

Making Progress Daily

A compelling vision is only the beginning. Both The 12 Week Year and my seasonal practice stress an essential truth: execution isn’t about grand, sweeping gestures—it’s about the quiet, consistent actions of each day and week.

In my seasonal practice, I bring my vision to life by breaking the season into manageable weeks, each centered around a single principle like Nourishment, Presence, or Simplicity. This focus ensures I stay aligned with my intentions without feeling overwhelmed. Each week becomes a deliberate exploration of how to embody that principle in my daily life.

To keep this focus actionable, I incorporate daily practices. Morning questions help me plan specific ways to live out my intentions, while evening reflections allow me to notice how other principles naturally reveal themselves throughout the day. Designated journal prompts nudge me to pause and write, giving me a chance to consider these principles more deeply within the unique context of each season.

This approach — intentional actions supported by reflection — ensures that my seasonal practice stays grounded and meaningful. Much like the 12 Week Year’s emphasis on weekly plans and daily execution, my approach creates a structure that bridges the gap between vision and reality, one day and one week at a time.

Building Community and Accountability

Daily and weekly execution can create powerful personal transformation, but The 12 Week Year reminds us that we don’t have to go it alone. The book highlights the value of peer support, emphasizing how accountability groups can significantly improve outcomes. This idea feels like an invitation to expand my own practice—not just as a personal journey, but as something shared.

While my seasonal practice has been deeply personal and largely private, I’ve begun to feel the pull toward building a small, supportive community around it. Imagine a space where people come together to reflect on their seasonal intentions, share their experiences, and hold each other accountable—not as critics, but as cheerleaders for one another’s growth.

Whether this takes shape through social media, intimate gatherings, or an entirely new platform, the potential for connection excites me. Sharing what I’ve created and refined over the past four years feels like the natural next step—not just to strengthen my own practice but to invite others to find meaning in theirs.

What new ideas, perspectives, and possibilities might emerge from such a community? What lessons might we learn from sharing our wins and struggles? These are the questions I carry as I think about how to cultivate connection and collaboration. Together, I believe we can deepen the journey of intentional, seasonal living—and maybe even inspire each other in ways we couldn’t imagine alone.

Embracing Structured Seasons

While The 12 Week Year thrives on urgency and efficiency, my seasonal framework offers a deeper connection to natural cycles and an emotional release from the pressure of constant striving. It’s about valuing the process as much as the outcomes, celebrating progress, and living each season with intention and grace.

Reading The 12 Week Year has reaffirmed so much of what I value in my seasonal practice. Breaking the year into smaller, intentional periods; finding meaning in daily actions; and celebrating progress are all at the heart of what I do. The book has challenged me to strengthen my focus and structure, while my practice reminds me to slow down and embrace the rhythm of life.

As I prepare for my next season, I’ll take these lessons with me. Each principle, each intention, and each moment of reflection builds toward a life lived with purpose, connection, and balance. Whether I’m nurturing my personal growth or inviting others into this journey, I see the potential for both approaches to create something truly transformative—one season, and one step, at a time.

What about you? Have you tried a structured approach like The 12 Week Year or found your own way to navigate goal setting and personal growth?