Every November I set up a chair by the window with a lamp and a blanket, and every January I admit I never sat in it. The problem was never motivation. It was the light and the cold.

Light First, Everything Else Second

A reading chair needs a light that lands on the page, not over your shoulder or behind your head. A small adjustable floor lamp with a warm bulb, around 2700K, pointed at your lap is worth more than any decorative fixture.

Deal With the Draft

Windows in older houses leak cold air. If you sit next to one in January you will feel it on your neck within ten minutes and you will leave. A draft stopper at the bottom of the window and a throw blanket over the back of the chair fixes most of it.

Keep the Distractions Far Away

• A small side table for a mug. Not a big one, it will collect mail.
• A basket for the book you are reading and nothing else.
• Charge your phone somewhere else. This is the one that actually matters.

Mine is a corner between the bookshelf and the radiator, about four feet wide. That is plenty. The version people post online with fairy lights and eight pillows looks nice and is not comfortable to sit in for an hour.