Unlocking
An invitation
In his writing, Kurt Vonnegut talks about unlocking. He describes the seasons and suggests there are six, not four: adding locking and unlocking to either side of winter. Unlocking is the moment that comes after the deepest cold, when the ice loosens its grip just enough for whatever has been held underground to begin to stir. Nothing has burst into life yet, but something is happening. The ground is no longer dormant; it’s preparing.
I’ve always loved this idea. We’re standing on the edge of the year ahead, and while it’s still cold and quiet, there’s a sense of movement beneath the surface. Seeing the year as more than four neat seasons feels truer to life. It also echoes older rhythms that once shaped the calendar in England—days like Plough Monday, the first Monday after Epiphany. Celebrated as far back as the 16th century, Plough Monday marked the beginning of the agricultural year, a time for blessing the land, the tools, and the human labour that would tend them. It honoured preparation rather than harvest, intention rather than outcome.
At this time of year, I like to think about my own unlocking. I ask myself what seeds are lying deep within me, quietly stirring, waiting for the right conditions to grow. A few years ago, that question led me to set myself a series of personal challenges—34 of them, to raise money for local foodbanks, reflecting the 34% of children in the UK living in poverty at the time. I didn’t have a fixed plan when I began. I knew only what I didn’t want: a rigid fitness goal, or a single task repeated for months. My life is busy with a million moving priorities, I needed to be flexible and I wanted to have fun in any time I set aside for myself. What I discovered instead was something far more meaningful—small, self-defined challenges that stretched me just enough to reveal something new.
That experience is the heart of this invitation. This is a call to your own season of unlocking: a subtle but intentional challenge to break free from what holds you back, embrace the unknown, and reconnect with what truly matters to you. Not through grand gestures or perfection, but through small acts of self-discovery that add up to something unknown and surprising.
This isn’t about pushing yourself to extremes or ticking off impressive achievements. It’s about uncovering the layers of who you are and noticing what makes you feel most alive. Like Vonnegut’s idea of unlocking, it’s subtle and quiet at first—a loosening, a softening, a willingness to open a door you’ve kept closed.
Between mid-January and Easter, we’ll complete 40 small challenges (that’s about three each week). Each one is an opportunity to step beyond routine, break old patterns, and reconnect with yourself, with nature, and with the world around you. This process follows the rhythm of the seasons, allowing change to unfold naturally rather than forcing it.
The intention
Choosing your challenges
You’ll choose your own challenges based on what resonates on any given day (you could write an ideas list now, or write a list of themes, but try to leave space to do whatever comes up). They might relate to something you’ve been meaning to return to, something you’ve set aside, something new you’d love to try or something that has always felt just out of reach - or maybe you bolt it onto something you already do (taking your trainers off-road for the first time or taking your guitar practice outside).
One of my big goals when I first did this was to swim in the sea alone. When it came to it I was too scared, so I just took a smaller step than planned, I sat in the cold shallow water on my own. This helped me to build up to swimming alone later in the month. Another one was organising my painting supplies cupboard, a long overdue task that held me back from painting, which then lead me to paint in later challenges.
It’s up to you how you join in. You might prefer to keep a private journal or a photo diary. If people are interested I am happy to start a supportive whats-app group. I’ll be posting some snaps and thoughts online and I invite you to tag The House Outside if you choose to do this too. I will hold some friendly in-person events in West Sussex (some of which might provide an opportunity to complete a challenge!). If you’d like to take part, please send your details below and I’ll send some more information. I hope you’ll join me taking small steps to unlock a special 2026.
Emma