How I’m Building My Spring “Life Curriculum” (and How You Can Too)

Last fall, I created my first intentional semester. I was pregnant, had a lot of curiosity, and honestly just wanted a way to keep learning without the pressure of going back to school.

Winter, I skipped. And now I’m in a completely different season. I have a 5-month-old, I’m navigating a transition after being laid off, and I’m finding small pockets of time to focus on things I’ve been wanting to learn.

But this time, I’m approaching it differently.

Last semester, I focused a lot on learning. This semester, I’m focusing on doing.

Instead of asking “what can I learn?”
I’m asking:

“What can I build that would actually improve my life right now?”

🌱 The Appeal of a Personal Curriculum

For me, the biggest draw is the freedom.

  • no cost (or very low cost)

  • no grades or pressure

  • fully personalized

  • flexible to your current season of life

You decide:

  • how much capacity you have

  • what skills matter right now

  • how fast or slow you move

It’s learning… but on your terms.

🧠 Step 1: Start With Your Current Season

Before choosing anything, ask:

What would benefit me the most right now?

Not in a perfect world.
Not “someday.”

Right now.

For me, that looked like:

  • upskilling for career opportunities

  • building systems to make daily life easier

  • improving how I create and share content

Your answer might look completely different.

🌿 Step 2: Choose Your Areas + Skills

Now for the fun part! I personally like to keep it simple with three categories:

  • Career growth

  • Personal growth

  • Creative growth

From there, choose specific skills within each area.

This can look like anything from:

  • side hustles or upskilling for your career/business

  • cooking, organizing, exercise or building systems at home

  • hobbies, music, books, movies, or creative projects

There’s no right or wrong here. It’s all about what feels relevant to your life right now.

You don’t need 10 “courses.”
You need just a few things you can actually put into practice today, or that make the most sense to grow right now.

📚 Step 3: Pick Simple Resources

Once you have your skills, choose one starting resource for each.

This can be a mix of:

  • YouTube videos

  • free courses

  • books or articles

  • knowledge bases

The key is not to over-research. Pick a starting point and move on.

📅 Step 4: Design Your Semester + Workflow

Decide:

  • how long your semester will be (4–8 weeks is a great start)

  • how much time you can realistically commit each week

Then build a simple rhythm.

My typical week looks like:

  • a couple short learning sessions

  • a couple build sessions

  • one day to apply what I learned

I use AI here to help:

  • find resources

  • break things down into “syllabuses”

  • and design a schedule that fits my life

Nothing complicated.

⚖️ Step 5: Build + Track as You Go

This is the biggest shift I made.

Last semester, I was consuming a lot of information. This semester, I’m prioritizing building.

I try to follow:

20% learning
80% doing

To keep myself on track, I keep it simple:

  • take notes

  • track what I worked on

  • or ask myself each week: “What did I build?”

✨ Final Thought

You don’t need perfect conditions and you don’t need hours of free time.

You can build your own curriculum…
in the middle of motherhood, transitions, and everything in between.

One skill. One system. One small window of time at a time.

If you’re building your life more intentionally too, follow along for more on life systems and intentional design.

I shared this as a starting point, but the best part is—you get to make it your own.

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