Where the name comes from
“Arc” as in a character arc: the part of the story where someone changes. Winter is when it happens, in the cold, dark months most people use as a reason to slow down. The idea spread on TikTok and YouTube, where people share their rules and how their days are going.
It’s a challenge you set for yourself. There’s no sign-up, no official version and nobody checking, unless you bring someone who will.
When does the winter arc start?
A winter arc lasts 90 days. Most people start on October 1, and 90 days from there ends on December 29, just before New Year’s. Some run it to December 31 instead.
October 1 isn’t a rule, though. Starting with everyone else helps, because a lot of people are on the same day as you. Starting late still gets you the full 90 days, counted from your own day 1: start in mid-November and you finish in mid-February.
Winter arc rules
There are no official rules. You write your own, and that’s the point. Most arcs mix the body and the head. These come up the most:
- Wake up early, like before 6 or 6:30.
- Train 3 to 5 times a week.
- Walk 10,000 steps a day.
- Eat clean: hit your protein, skip the junk food and the sugary drinks.
- No alcohol for the whole arc.
- Read 10 pages a day.
- Take a cold shower in the morning.
- No doomscrolling in bed, or a daily screen time limit.
- Sleep 7 hours or more.
- Journal or plan tomorrow before bed.
How to pick your rules
- Three to five is plenty. With more than that, one bad week takes them all down.
- Make each one a yes or a no. “Walk 10,000 steps” can be checked off. “Be healthier” can’t.
- Give it a time. “Wake up before 6” beats “wake up early.”
- Keep one you can do on your worst day. You’ll have bad days. A rule that survives them keeps you going.
- Write them down and sign them. A rule you only thought about is easy to renegotiate at 6 am.
What if you miss a day?
You probably will. Decide what a miss costs before you start, not on the morning after. Some people allow one miss a week. Some reset their streak and keep going. The strictest version sends you back to day 1.
Plan for getting sick too. A few rest days that don’t count as misses stop a flu from ending your arc.
Doing it with friends
A winter arc is easier when someone notices if you skip. Pick a few friends, start on the same day and check in on each other. You don’t have to share your rules for that to work. Knowing your friends will see whether you showed up today is usually enough.
Tracking your winter arc
Paper works. So does a calendar with an X for every day. If you want reminders and your friends in one place, that’s what we built 90North for:
- Your rules become a short contract with yourself, and you sign it with your finger.
- Pick how strict your arc is. Warm-up lets one rule slip a day, Standard forgives one miss a week, Hard ends your streak on a miss, and Monk mode sends you back to day 1. Every weight comes with 3 sick days.
- Every rule can remind you at its own time, and your day ends at 3:00 am, so the late gym session still counts.
- Bring up to 7 friends. Your crew sees who showed up today, never what your rules are.
- Your rules and check-ins stay on your phone. Going solo needs no account.
- The first 3 days are free, then $9 once for all 90 days. No subscription.
Get 90North on iPhone or Android. Whenever you start, you get the full 90 days. See how it works.