I Never Made New Year’s Resolutions. Until I Did.

For most of my life, I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions.

Not because I didn’t have goals. I absolutely did. I just never liked the pressure of declaring them on January 1 and then quietly forgetting about them by February.

Then I got married.

My husband loves starting the year with a list. Not a vague “be better” kind of list, but a real one. Things we want to do. Things we want to finish. Experiences we want to have. Plans that feel hopeful and a little ambitious.

The first few years, I played along politely. I wrote things down, nodded earnestly, and secretly assumed we would never look at the paper again.

But here’s the funny thing. We did look at it again. And again. And again.

Over time, I realized something. The list wasn’t the magic. The way we approached it was.

After doing this for a few years, I’ve learned what actually works and what absolutely does not. If you’re thinking about setting New Year’s resolutions for 2026, here are a few lessons learned from real life, imperfect follow-through, and one very large stash of yarn.

Big Goals Are Inspiring. Small Goals Get Done.

One of the hardest parts of creating resolutions is figuring out what you even want to accomplish.

We tend to jump straight to the big stuff. Travel the world. Get in amazing shape. Completely reinvent our lives in twelve short months.

A year feels like a long time. Until it’s June and you’re wondering how the year is already half over.

What helped me was starting with the big ideas and then breaking them down. Look at your bucket list. Look at the things you keep saying “someday” about.

Then shrink them.

Instead of “I want to visit every continent,” try “I want to plan a trip to one new continent” or even “I want to research and budget for a future trip.”

Big goals give you direction. Small goals give you momentum.

Make It Measurable. Even If It’s Personal.

One of my favorite goals I’ve ever set had nothing to do with work, fitness, or self-improvement.

It involved yarn.

I crochet. I also collect yarn like it’s my job. No judgment, please.

At the start of 2025, I looked at my overflowing bins and decided I wanted to actually use what I had. So I set a simple goal. Make 12 hats in the year.

That was it.

One hat a month felt reasonable. Flexible, too. Some months I made three. Other months I didn’t touch a hook at all. And by the end of the year, I didn’t just hit the goal. I exceeded it. I’m down to one tub of yarn.

If you craft, you know this is a serious accomplishment.

The point is not the hats. The point is that the goal was clear, measurable, and forgiving. It allowed life to happen without turning the goal into a failure.

Treat Personal Goals Like You Would Business Goals

Every year, we write our resolutions on a big sheet of paper. We don’t frame it or hang it like art, but we do take it out and look at it throughout the year.

More importantly, we talk about when things might happen.

If your goal is to work out more, what does that actually mean? Three times a week? A daily walk? A monthly class?

If your goal is to read more, how many books? By when?

This is no different than how you would approach a goal at work. Define success. Decide how you’ll track it. Give yourself some structure so it doesn’t rely solely on motivation.

Motivation is unreliable. Systems are not.

Some Things Just Won’t Happen. And That’s Okay.

There are goals that keep reappearing on my list.

Music lessons are one of them.

I really want to start taking them again. I really do. But the reality of time, schedules, and seasons of life has made it impractical the last couple of years.

That said, I told my daughter about it. She has not forgotten. She reminds me regularly. Enthusiastically.

So maybe it goes back on the list this year. Or maybe it doesn’t. I’m learning to be honest about what’s realistic without being harsh on myself.

Not completing a goal is ok. Sometimes it just means it wasn’t the right year.

Don’t Forget the Things You Want to Learn

When we think about resolutions, we often focus on doing and experiencing.

Don’t forget learning.

Learning a new skill. Learning how to do something better. Learning how to communicate differently. Learning how to reconnect with people you’ve lost touch with.

These goals matter just as much as the tangible ones. They shape who you become, not just what you accomplish.

As with everything else, break them down. Make them manageable. Create reminders. Put some structure around them so they don’t stay abstract.

A Final Thought for 2026

New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be dramatic declarations or impossible promises.

They can be thoughtful intentions. Small experiments. Gentle commitments to yourself.

Write them down. Revisit them. Adjust them. Celebrate progress. Let go of what no longer fits.

And remember, the goal is not perfection. The goal is forward movement.

Good luck in 2026.