How to hack your New Year’s Resolutions
Happy 2026!
It’s the time of year when we make resolutions. Well, some of us make resolutions. Some of us avoid them because we are afraid of failure, hate to plan, prefer a “let the universe take charge” vibe, and various other reasons. Or maybe this is you.
I get it! I happen to love resolutions (what are they if not decisions???), but it’s taken me a long time to get them right. Below, my top four tips for making resolutions that actually get kept.
1) Review the previous year
In the past, whenever I read this advice somewhere, I would immediately close the tab because reviewing the past year is hard work, both in terms of thinking and remembering. How am I, with my goldfish memory, supposed to know what happened last year? That’s in the past! But a few years ago I decided to fix that, and I created a SPREADSHEET OF ACHIEVEMENTS.
Every Friday afternoon, a reminder pops up on my calendar that asks: “Achievements?”
And then I go add whatever the week’s achievements have been to the spreadsheet. Sometimes they’re big, sometimes small.
This year’s achievements included a lot of great time with friends and family, a few fun trips (I went to Crete for the first time), some big professional achievements (sold a book!), and some new personal things (volunteering with a political party here in Switzerland; hosting a non-religious Seder).
Now, when I make my resolutions and have to start by reviewing the previous year, I have something to refer to. I know what went right. And I can resolve to do more of that.
2) Add some fun resolutions!
Every year I resolve to drink more Champagne (part of my ongoing resolution to celebrate even the small victories) and to do more singing. Just singing around the house, because it feels great even though I am not very good at it. I make sure to add resolutions that are enjoyable because life is hard enough and we need to have some fun if at all possible.
3) Make sure you’ll enjoy the process of the resolution, not just the outcome.
One thing I’ve learned over lo these many years of decision coaching is that if we don’t want to do something, most of the time no amount of deciding or resolving will make us do it. So, when you’re setting your resolutions, don’t just focus on outcomes you’ll enjoy—think about what you’ll need to do to get there, and if you can find a way to enjoy that, too.
I am setting a resolution to learn four easy-to-cook meals that I can serve to other people, so I’m not so stressed when I invite people for dinner. What could make that process more fun? Maybe buying an actual cookbook, instead of propping up my phone against a box of salt and trying to read it while chopping. Maybe figuring out four themes and letting those guide my recipe choices. Maybe making this a group project with a friend.
If you hate the process of getting to your goal, you’re not going to do it. Find a way to make the process fun, or find a new resolution!
4) Set a reminder to check your resolutions once a week or once a month.
I have forgotten many, many resolutions over the years simply because I put the list away and never checked it 🤣. Now I put a reminder in my calendar to check my resolutions once a month. So I can, you know, actually do them.
Do you make resolutions? What’s the weirdest one you’ve made?