I don’t really have resolutions, but I do have some areas I’d like to improve or focus on in 2026.
A couple of mine are -
Drink less alcohol. I don’t drink that much to begin with, but I want to drink even less.
Prepare for death. What I mean is get things in better order - declutter the house, figure out if I/we should do a trust, maybe figure out if there’s anything the kids really want, things like that.
Continue to get a fair amount of exercise - I try to get at least 500 calories of exercise most days, and plan to continue that.
H and I committed to eating dinner every night in our dining room instead of the kitchen island (we tend to linger longer in the dining room and really talk and connect better).
I don’t do resolutions either but I often choose a word or phrase for the year. Something to guide my actions and decisions in areas where I want to “do better”.
My words for 2026 are “follow through”. Following through with plans, ideas, projects, connections, etc. Also “follow through” meaning following in the footsteps of someone else I admire for whatever reason. Their fitness, their routine, their style, their projects, etc.
I gave up resolutions long ago, but was recently reading something that suggested “intentions” work better, as in @abasket’s guide phrases, focusing on the process rather than the outcome. For instance, “incorporate more activity into my routine” rather than “go to the gym four times a week.”
My younger daughter (in her 30s) has a practice she has been doing for as long as I can remember. She starts the year off by writing out goals for the year (these are not what I think of as “resolutions”). I believe each year she does tend to reach each goal. She is driven and goal-oriented. I admire it so much. I tried it for one year and don’t think I’m as good at it. On Jan. 1, I texted her to ask if she was doing it again this year, and she wrote back that she was in the middle of doing it.
My intention for this year is to live in the moment. In years past I’ve set lofty goals, primarily fitness related, that have often become derailed over the course of the year. This year, I am going to take one day at a time. Do what I can, when I can, but enjoy what I’m doing. So I guess I am going to spend more time with activities I enjoy! Journaling, needlepoint, watercolor, Pilates. I don’t want to spend my time worrying about the future as so much of it is beyond my control.
If you are interested in drinking less alcohol, I have been using an app “Sunnyside” for almost two years. I will have a glass of wine on a very rare occasion now and the reinforcement and support from the app has been really, really helpful.
I just posted this on the health and fitness thread before seeing this.
I am doing something similar. I have two friends who do it this way and give updates throughout the year (which I won’t be doing), and it seems a great way to stay on track. I find myself cheering them on.
My goals include:
Watch 20 (new to me) movies
Read 26 books
Set up 20 meetings with friends (dinner, activities, walks, trips, coffee dates, FaceTime with friends who live far away)
Try 26 new recipes
Complete 12 squares of an ongoing crochet project.
These are all things I like to do, and can easily achieve, if I just avoid falling into the sitting on the couch and doom-scrolling trap. It’s also time to get my life back to pre-Covid socializing rather than being a hermit. I still don’t love going out, but I do like to intentionally meet up with friends to catch up IRL rather than just reading about their lives on social media.
Health-wise, I’m moving my rigid workout schedule to a 10-minute block system. In the past, I’d have to miss a few days of working out due to injury, illness, travel, or a packed schedule, and it would throw my entire routine off, resulting in not doing anything until I could regroup and psych myself back up.
This year my goals are:
2 ten-minute blocks of yoga a week
6 ten-minute blocks of strength training per week
2 10-minute “new to me” workouts a month (try something different, and if you hate it, you can stop after 10 minutes )
6 ten-minute blocks of rebounding a week
walk 10,000 steps at least 5 times a week.
I decided to break workouts into 10-minute blocks because I can intersperse them throughout the day if needed. Often knowing I only have to do 10 minutes will get me up and moving, leading to doing 20 or thirty minutes (which would count as 2 or 3 blocks for the week). I’ve also accumulated a bunch of 10-minute workouts that can be done anywhere, so no excuses when traveling.
I keep a running to-do list of big and small projects or just things I want to do. Currently includes sorting and weeding all pre-1998 (when oldest son was born) photos, several house projects in preparation for selling in 2? years, more in depth learning about my hobby, more bike riding, less sugar. I cross off when something is complete or put check marks next to it if ongoing - like each time I go for a bike ride or feel I’ve done a good job reducing sugar intake that week. I hate having anyone else know my goals and am not motivated by feeling accountable to someone else. A holdover from when I was working is I often do a weekly to-do list to focus big projects that can be overwhelming. Then I can cross that off that step and feel an accomplishment.
In past years, I’ve had resolutions, and believe it or not, I’ve accomplished them all. (One took five years, but still.) I don’t have reservations per se for this year but I do have some big projects to handle – getting a new pole light for outside and buying new deck furniture will both require lots of research. In addition, I am also preparing for death by filling something called a NOKBox. https://www.thenokbox.com/
Oh yeah, you reminded me - I want to get back to being more social/making “dates” with friends/couples. COVID got us off track, and I’ve never resumed my pre-covid socializing.
I’ve talked about this before on CC - I call this list you have (lovely list!) not a “to-do” list but a “ta-da!” List - a list of things you actually want to do or try (food, activities, etc.) not “have-to’s”.
Hmmm so much food for thought. D mentioned that if you stack something you always do (like brushing teeth) with a healthy habit (like squats, heel raises and side leg lifts) you can add the new healthy habit to your regular old habit and end up better for it.
Also want to say that for some people, at some time this year - now or later - keeping your head above water is all you can and should focus on during the year. Do not feel the need to add more to your mental load than you have room for!
That’s what I did for the end of 2025. I didn’t have many big goals per se. Nothing earth shattering. But I made a mental of list of all the things I did that I had never done before prior to 2025.
I’ve made out a sheet of things for me to focus on in 2026. It’s long and nothing is set in stone for me. Just contemplating ideas of where to grow in various areas of my life. Some items have concrete terms, some are just general. It’s at work though so I’ll post some more if it tomorrow
