How to Create Seasonal Themes for Your Life

This may sound silly, but I’ve found that choosing a theme each season has transformed my life.

My summer theme was “vibrant girl summer” a spinoff from the “hot girl summer” phenomenon.

This meant to me that I felt the emotions. Living that summer – doing lots of fun and new things, and living on purpose.

I decided to go all-in. I created a playlist, decided to only read books that felt like they fit the “vibrant girl summer” energy, watched upbeat shows, painted my nails vibrant colors, and created a fun bucket list.

While I didn’t check off every single thing, the summer was exactly what I wanted it to be, and I feel like that’s because I went in with the theme. You can imagine the vibe that I created.

As fall is now approaching, I’m thinking about my next theme.

I’m not quite ready to go full cozy mode; I still want lots of adventures. So, I’ve had to think about what I want that to look and feel like.

My Autumn theme:

I’m going with “feel good fall” as a way to explore different things like what makeup style makes me feel good, playing with my wardrobe, and watching shows and movies that leave me feeling good, etc.

In the beginning, I wanted to go for a darker theme. This is what we discuss in Playground To Purpose. A podcast that I co-host with my childhood friend about adding more play to your daily life.

In the end, I realized that I was longing for a bit more summer. This is completely opposite to Nina, my co-host (a very unique theme!).), which is a fun thing we’ll keep you updated on as we explore these themes. I’ll keep hers a surprise, so you’ll have to tune in!

Life themes have helped me to add more intention to a period of time – and allow myself to figure out what I want it to feel like ahead of time.

As much as we can’t predict aspects of our lives, we can go in with a purpose, so that we’re not left with a “wow, that just flew by!” feeling. Instead, I’ve been more present and gotten a little out of my comfort zone.

How to choose your seasonal theme

What kind of vibe are you looking for? What are you looking to bring more to your life?

I also enjoy thinking about the literal seasonal changes. In summer, you’re likely going to be outdoors more, maybe you’ll be taking vacation time, and it may be a slower work season. It may be more home time in winter when you celebrate holidays.

You can incorporate this into your life theme.

Examples of seasonal themes in life

Nina (my co-host on Playground to Purpose) had a theme for the summer season which was “Nina’s Summer of Adventure and Magic.”

This meant she read lots of fantasy-magical-themed novels, went on many trips, attended a whimsical tea party and spotted epic sunsets. She also enjoyed scavenger hunting in New Orleans, New Vegas, and other spooky places.

These are some other ideas.

• Soft Girl Autumn
• Cottagecore Aesthetic
• Baddie
• Cozy Fall Vibes
• Parisian Aesthetic
• Self-Care
• Wanderlust
• Adventure
• Hygge
• Coastal Grandmother
• Preppy
• Bold
• Moody
• Memorable
• Ease and flow
• The beauty of autumn
• Focused fall
• My original theme for fall was Moody and Mysterious.
• Barbiecore
• Revert to the basics
• Crafty & Creative

If you can’t tell, I love a little alliteration moment. There are no restrictions on what your theme should be and how it should look during the season.

Soft girl autumn could be achieved by slow cooking (such as slow cooker meals), long-term projects, purchasing a disposable camera and developing photos instead of snapping them instantly on your phone.

You could create a Parisian look by buying Parisian-inspired clothes for the season, making pastries, and watching French movies.

For “Back to the Basics,” you could simplify everything in your life. You could plan to clean out your closet, find some “staples” for your wardrobe, have more time offline, etc.

Things to do to plan for a new season’s theme

Define your ideal lifestyle.

My theme is what inspires my style, my activities, and what I listen to, watch, or read. The theme is only used for things that I find interesting or fun, but it also serves as a guideline for how I want the season’s mood to feel.

A playlist can be created

It’s great to start with a playlist that represents the theme. You could either find one on Spotify or create your own. Obviously, I’ll listen to other music during this time as well, but it’s fun to have one solely dedicated to the vibe.

Make a mood board

My Pinterest vision board contains both my goals and what I’d like to experience. It also includes how I feel. It’s a fun way to get more clarity on what you want to wear and what you want to experience. You can also make a color scheme!

I like picking a theme that’s broad enough to keep you going for a three-month time period. This allows me to have fun with the theme and feels like I can do so much within it.

A bucket list can be created with specific themes

It’s fun to make a list of all the things I want to do in my hometown. Plus, any travels I’m already planning on. It’s fun when you pair a trip with your theme as a guide for what activities you want to do. I find that I’ve been much more intentional about getting friends together with my bucket list. 13 things were added to my list.

It is possible to create goals around your themes if you wish to make it more productive. In a way, my bucket list also doubles as the “fun goals” I want to make happen.

Let’s hear your thoughts. What do you think? Do you have any experience with this? Tell us what you’re going to plan for the next season!

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Larry Smith