Don’t wait for New Year’s — These viral trends are inspiring us to be our best selves before January

My years of working in corporate engrained the urge to divide my year into quarters. There’s something to be said about the late capitalist horror show that is dividing your life up by the corporate calendar — but I balance it out by celebrating every eclipse. You do what you can.

But anyone else who’s been subject to the corporate calendar knows that Q4 is a hellscape because it goes by so fast and so much happens. Suddenly, every last thing has to be rushed-rushed-rushes and compressed to get it in before the holidays while you’re planning out the new year. It’s chaotic, it’s miserable. But often, if you pull off a stellar Q4, you can turn around the whole year.

In our personal lives, something similar happens. So many major events of the year seem to happen at the end of it. From scrambling to meet your lofty New Year’s Resolutions to new beginnings and certain holiday-related chaos, the final three months of the year are often packed with memorable moments.

Perhaps it’s because there’s something about October that feels like pressing reset. Perhaps it’s muscle memory from decades of back-to-school seasons – that feeling of possibility I try to recapture every year by channeling Rory Gilmore and watching Back-to-School movies. It’s a distinctive mix of possibility and pristine notebooks that never quite leaves us – even years after our last first day. Or perhaps it’s Virgo season that tells us all to lock in. Either way, when autumn hits, I press reset. The second I feel a crisp breeze I’m jolted out of my sweet summer haze and give in to the collective energy shift towards getting stuff done.

Of course, the internet proves that none of us has ever had an original thought or experience. That’s why everyone’s talking about the Fall Reset. Social media challenged us to take it a step further: Why wait for January to become who we want to be? Thus, they crowned October The New January and proposed that you can start over now, right now, and transform the year’s final quarter from a holiday countdown into a powerful launch pad for either reinvention or revitalizing chaos.

What Is The October Theory?

The October Theory capitalizes on the aforementioned idea that your life changes in unexpected ways during the final quarter of the year. To me, the entire month of October has the same energy as a Friday night. You’re shaking off the monotonous energy of the week and heading pell-mell into the weekend — ready for wherever it takes you. In the same way, October’s full of incipient, unpredictable energy. And according to the October theory, that’s where the magic happens.

In a viral video, TikTok creator @chloevanberkel broke the trend down. “A lot of canon events will be happening for people at this time.” She explained. From relationships to major life changes, she told viewers that now’s the time to expect rapid changes. “It also is a time where life seems to go by super fast … so much is happening in such a short period of time.”

We can all relate to this. Whether you’re participating in cuffing season — or just watching the drama that comes along with it — or taking October as a challenge to embrace the final sprint of the year and get some goals ticked off your list, life doesn’t seem to slow down in October. It feels like it speeds up.

Don’t get me wrong, as an active participant in cozy season and someone who is anti-hustle culture, I welcome the coziness that autumn invites. I participate in hygge decor and curl up to watch my favorite fall movies every night … Yet somehow, around me, life is changing at a rapid clip. According to October Theory, this is inevitable. So the best thing you can do is lean in. 

So, Then, What Is The Winter Arc?

Another term buzzing around the TikTok trendsphere is “winter arc.” But how is the winter arc different from the October Theory? They’re connected. October’s the catalyst for your winter arc to begin. But contrary to what you might believe, the winter arc doesn’t end at the end of the year. A Winter Arc ends in the spring — giving you more time to reach your goals. Segmenting your time this way, in seasons rather than calendar dates, makes more sense. And the Winter Arc is about changing your life — on purpose — during the winter.

While the October Theory has an element of spontaneity, the idea that life zooms through you and you’re left at the mercy of it, the Winter Arc concept encourages you to take a more active role in this season of your life. Returning to the idea of looking at your life in seasons, the Winter Arc is literally an exercise of thinking of the winter as the time for changing your life — instead of sleeping through it.

The premise is beautifully simple: rather than waiting for January 1st to start working on your goals, use all of the winter, starting now, to create a version of yourself that will emerge brand new in the spring. It’s like stepping into a chrysalis for the season. Starting now means hitting January already in stride, three months ahead of the resolution rush. While others are just beginning their journey, stumbling through crowded gyms and overwhelmed yoga studios, you’re already flowing in your routine, having weathered the holiday season with intention rather than abandoning all progress until the new year.

The trend speaks to a larger shift in how we approach personal development and self-improvement. Gone are the days of dramatic “new year, new me” declarations. Instead, we’re embracing intuitive timing  and intentional progress. It’s less about dramatic transformations and more about thoughtful alignment with our natural rhythms and energy cycles.

The Winter Arc promotes a holistic view of this season and your life. It encourages you to be intentional about what goes on in every pillar of your life, from finances to physical health. It asks you what would happen if, for this arc of the year, you locked in and really cultivated a winter version of yourself who is attentive to all of your pillars.

The Winter Arc also encourages you to pursue this change in private. This doesn’t mean secret, per se. But winter is a time when many of us retreat anyway. Instead of announcing your plans to the world, some are taking the Winter Arc as a challenge to lock in, focus on themselves, then surprise everyone by becoming “unrecognizable.” Even if this part doesn’t resonate with you — like having an accountability buddy is the only way you’ll ever make it to the gym — the notion of setting intentions for who you want to be in the Spring is a powerful mindset to take into the winter.

This might sound pretty woo-woo — I told you, I’m an eclipse girl so what did you expect? — but what makes the Winter Arc so actionable is that three months just makes sense. While October is the kick-off season, you can start whenever you feel the call of winter’s general hibernation and use it to pay attention to your own rhythms and use them to set goals instead of arbitrary dates on a calendar.

And just as you can begin your Winter Arc whenever feels right, you can end it in the same way. Many people feel like the new year is actually in April or May when Spring comes. For them, the Winter Arc is a mid-year reset that encourages them to switch from the fun and flirty vibes of spring/summer to a focused, more intentional energy in the cooler months. Instead of ascribing to arbitrary “new year” delineations, this fresh approach feels different, more organic, and somehow more authentic.

Why These are More Than Mere TikTok trends?

Okay so October is over, and even the Winter Arc may feel daunting. But the reason these trends have staying power is because you don’t have to follow them to the letter. The Winter Arc is also about changing our relationships to goal-setting and even the notion of time.

Gone are the days of five-year plans. In our rapidly changing world, three months feels like the perfect timeframe for meaningful change. And it’s never a bad time to jumpstart a season of transformation. Whenever you feel the call to reinvent yourself, or just focus in for a short burst of time, you can. No need to wait for January to re-envision who you can be — or to feel the buzz of possibility that comes with a new season of your life.

Consider this: the most successful never wait for arbitrary start dates — they begin when the moment feels right. And with the year’s end visible on the horizon but not yet looming, this is a fantastic opportunity to grab and use this moment to your advantage. 

There’s psychology behind why this timing works. The pressure of January resolutions can be overwhelming — it’s like trying to sprint before you’ve warmed up. Starting in November gives you a runway to build momentum before the new year hits.

How To Use The October Theory And Winter Arc To Your Benefit

So, how do we harness the benefits of this trend without falling into the productivity trap? Or, simply giving up and hibernating our way through the holidays. The key is keeping up the momentum. And to do that, you have to stay motivated — at least until you’ve built the habits that will carry you through to the Spring.

I like to inspire myself by making a moodboard. Visualization is a proven tool for effective goal-setting. Really seeing what you want your life to look like gives you something to focus on and look forward to. And just as you visualize the life you want to lead, you also have to have a clear vision of the person you want to become. When motivation fails you, ask yourself how the person you want to be would act. Would they cancel that workout class? Would they skip that lecture?

But as the October Theory points out, you can’t control everything. These mindsets encourage you to roll with the punches and the plot twists. As life accelerates around you, use that energy to inspire you to keep momentum and stay open to possibilities.

Staring into the barrel of the end of October, I’ve already experienced a few plot twists and canon events. I’ve met new people and can already see my life changing. And by keeping the October Theory in mind, I’m embracing all of this change to propel my life forward — and even catalyze some changes myself.

At the end of the day, both the October Theory and the Winter Arc inspire you to be engaged in your life rather than passive. Especially during the slower seasons. They encourage you to find balance between cozy season and the end-of-year Q4 rush. 

The best time to start is now, especially when “now” comes with a side of hot chocolate and cozy sweaters. They’re part of a larger shift in how we approach personal development. The future of goal-setting isn’t about waiting for the perfect moment; it’s about creating momentum in the moments we have.