Winter arc routine: a typical day to stick to your rules
In short
A winter arc day rests on three fixed moments: getting outside for 20 minutes in the morning, training at a set time, and checking off your day in the evening before going to bed, so you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Everything else (water, phone-free meals, steps) fits in between.
Fixed times, decided once
A winter arc routine gets decided once, before day 1: your wake-up time, your training slot, your bedtime. After that, your rules turn into appointments, and you don’t have to figure out every day where to fit them in.
Habits stick faster when they’re tied to a specific moment. In the University College London study on habit formation, each volunteer linked their new habit to a cue in their day, like “after breakfast” (Lally et al., 2010).
Two typical days
School day
Wake up, big glass of water
- Only water
20-minute walk to class
- 20 min outside
- 10k steps
Lunch in the cafeteria, phone in your bag
- Zero fast food
- No phone while eating
Gym, or a run on Wednesday and Saturday
- Gym
- Run
Dinner, no phone
- No phone while eating
Gratitude, check off your day
- Gratitude
Bed, for 8 hours of sleep
- 7-8h of sleep
Work day
Wake up, big glass of water
- Only water
Gym, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
- Gym
Walk to work, or get off one stop early
- 20 min outside
- 10k steps
Lunch prepped the night before, 15-minute walk
- Zero fast food
- No phone while eating
Run on Wednesday
- Run
Dinner, no phone
- No phone while eating
Gratitude, check off your day
- Gratitude
Bed, for 8 hours of sleep
- 7-8h of sleep
Morning
Get up at the same time, weekends included, give or take an hour. No need to aim for 5 a.m.: pick the time that gives you 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
Drink a big glass of water when you get up. The “only water” rule starts right there.
Get outside for 20 minutes. Walk to class or to work, get off one stop early, or walk around the block. Morning light, even on a gray day, is way stronger than the light in your bedroom, and it resets your body clock.
During the day
Keep a water bottle on you and refill it twice during the day.
Eat without your phone. Leave it in your bag or face down on the table for the whole meal.
Prep your lunch the night before, or pick something simple in the cafeteria. Fast food is most tempting when you’re hungry and have nothing planned.
Walk. 10,000 steps is 6 to 8 km (about 4 to 5 miles) depending on your height, and it’s the daily rule people keep least often in the app. Take the stairs, walk while you’re on the phone, go for a walk after lunch.
Training
Pick a slot and treat it like an appointment: 5:30 p.m. after class, 7 a.m. before work, whatever works. Pack your bag the night before. The full sessions are in our winter arc workout program: 4 lifting sessions and 2 runs a week.
Six months of focus can make up for six years of screwing around.
Evening
Eat dinner without your phone, same as at lunch.
Write down one gratitude: one good thing from your day.
Check off your day. In Winterarc, 6 check-ins out of 10 happen between 6 p.m. and midnight, peaking at 9 p.m. Anything you check before 3 a.m. still counts for the day before.
Go to bed at a set time. For 7.5 hours of sleep with a 7 a.m. alarm, you need to be asleep by 11:30 p.m. Put your phone down before that.
Weekends
Keep your wake-up time and bedtime, give or take an hour: a three-hour shift on Saturday hits you on Monday morning.
Put your second run on Saturday morning, and prep your meals for the week on Sunday. On nights out, the “only water” rule means sparkling water with a slice of lemon.
When the day goes off the rails
You’re sick. Rest. The week might be lost, but in Winterarc, your first missed week is covered by the freeze, and the winter arc keeps going until day 90.
You’re traveling. Keep a bare-minimum version: 20 minutes outside, push-ups and squats in your room, no fast food.
You forgot to check in. You can still check off yesterday the next day.
The 9 rules in this routine are explained one by one in the winter arc rules.
Frequently asked questions
What time should you wake up during winter arc?
Whatever time gives you 7 to 8 hours of sleep. If you go to bed at 11 p.m., get up between 6 and 7 a.m. A 5 a.m. alarm only makes sense if you go to bed around 9:30 p.m.
How do you stick to your routine on weekends?
Keep the same wake-up time and bedtime, give or take an hour, put your run on Saturday morning and prep your meals for the week on Sunday.
When should you check off your day in the app?
In the evening, once your day is done: in Winterarc, 6 check-ins out of 10 happen between 6 p.m. and midnight. Anything you check before 3 a.m. still counts for the day before.