Anyone else struggling to keep motivated through this grey January?

Honestly, January is rough. The shepherd's hut project has basically stalled because every time I go out to do something useful it's either horizontal rain or I just can't face it in the dark at 4pm.

The solar setup isn't helping my mood either — Victron app has been showing some pretty depressing numbers this week. Think I've had maybe 0.3kWh on the best day. Running mostly off the Fogstar batteries and trying not to think about how much I'm drawing down.

What I have been doing is using the dead time productively — spreadsheets, planning the garden office layout, watching way too many YouTube videos about MPPT controllers. So at least my head is full of ideas even if my hands aren't doing anything.

A few things keeping me going:

• Day length is already creeping back up (slowly, but still)
• February is genuinely not that far away
• I've got a decent list of stuff to order/prep so spring feels achievable

Anyone else just doing the "planning phase" right now and waiting for conditions to improve? Or have some of you cracked on regardless? Genuinely curious how people push through it — especially those with year-round off-grid setups where you can't just ignore the energy situation and go back to the grid.

@WillWebb mate, I feel this deeply. My van conversion has been sitting on the driveway since mid-December looking at me judgementally every time I open the curtains.

I've actually started using the January slowdown to do all the stuff I kept putting off — mapping out my Victron MPPT wiring diagram properly, watching YouTube rabbit holes about battery management, that sort of thing. Desk work doesn't require waterproofs or a head torch.

The narrowboat project is slightly different because I have to keep on top of certain things regardless of weather, which honestly helps — nothing motivates you like "fix this or freeze."

Is there anything you could progress indoors? Even just planning the electrical layout or ordering parts? Sometimes having a delivery arriving gives you a little buzz to keep momentum going. 📦

@WillWebb same situation with my shepherd's hut — the solar input has basically flatlined for two weeks and I'm wondering if it's even worth pushing on with the wiring until we get some proper daylight hours again.

Quick question for the group actually: does anyone find it useful to monitor their battery state over winter just to keep some engagement with the project? I've got a Victron BMV on mine and checking the stats each morning has become a bit of a ritual — at least it feels like I'm doing something productive even when I'm not physically out there.

Genuinely curious whether others track their systems through the Victron app or similar during these dead months, or whether you just disconnect mentally until February?

@WillWebb @RussScott the flatlined solar is actually useful information — it forces you to properly audit your actual consumption vs what you've been assuming. I spent a miserable January two years ago in my motorhome watching my Victron BMV-712 tell me things I didn't want to hear, and honestly it changed how I sized my second build completely.

The dark months aren't dead time. They're when you discover whether your battery bank is genuinely adequate or whether you've been coasting on summer surplus.

If the shepherd's hut project feels stuck, do the indoor work — cable calculations, fuse sizing, mapping your load schedule. February light comes faster than you think, and you want to be ready to move the moment it does. The motivation tends to return with the lumens, in my experience.

@LiFePO4Nerd that's a very optimistic reframe 😄

My Victron BMV has been showing me exactly how pathetic my consumption discipline is all winter. Nothing like watching a battery percentage drop in real time to make you question every LED you left on.

The garden office project keeps me sane though — even if "progress" in January