Commentarii Roamani

Every October, the Winter Arc picks up online: the idea is to finish the year strong instead of waiting for January. We'll show you how to make it work inside Roam.

We’ve launched a [[New Feature]]: the PDF Annotator. It lets you highlight, tag, and add notes to your PDFs directly in Roam! Check out this post on X.

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The Winter Arc

The Winter Arc is a stretch of focus you could undertake from October to December, to start working early on building momentum before the flood of New Year’s resolutions. While others slow down or hibernate, the cold months test consistency and reward those who lock in early.

It’s about using the last three months of the year to build structure, discipline, and progress that last through the holidays and carry into the new year.

Big Picture

Step #1: List all your goals

The first step is finding your goals and writing them down where they can take shape. Create a page in Roam called [[Winter Arc]] and list them under [[Goals]]: we like it simple.

Step #2: Plan out three goals

Add a section called [[Focused Goals]]. At the start of each week, select three goals, decide when you’ll work on them, and define the specific actions that will move them forward.

Step #3: Track your progress

Each week, open [[Progress]] and note what actually happened. Take notice of the goals you ignored and the ones where you made progress. The point is to see your path take shape over time, to see your results evolve. If you’re training, include weekly photos or numbers. If you’re creating music, art, or writing, add each new version or update here. Tip: by using the /streak feature like this: {{[[streak]]: [[Goal 1/Build stronger attention]]}}, you'll have a visual record of every day you've worked on Goal 1:)

Day to Day

Each day has a small place in the arc you’re building. The goal isn’t to push harder but to stay present in the work. Some progress is visible, most of it isn’t, but each repetition leaves a trace that builds on the last. Over time, the pages begin to form a streak of their own, a quiet line of effort running through the season. You’ll see where your attention goes, and how often it returns. That pattern is the real measure of consistency.

If you’d like to give this rhythm a home, here’s one way you could do it. A daily template can hold your goals, actions, and reflections in one place, making it easier to see how the days start to link together.

A simple Roam setup that connects long-term structure to daily rhythm. The Focused Goals query pulls the week’s priorities from the [[Winter Arc]], and the daily sections guide short, intentional work sessions. Here's what a full day could look like:

Start small. Stay steady.