The resolution industrial complex is real.
It’s built to tell you that on January 1st, you’d better make a big change. It tells you, often through well-tuned marketing that’s both subtle and effective, that you’re not where you need to be, and conveniently, they offer the perfect solution to help you become the person you should be.
The problem with resolutions is that they aren’t built to be supported.
According to Strava, the fitness app maker, January 19th is the day when many respondents were most likely to give up on those incredibly well-meaning New Year’s resolutions. Most people don’t quit because their goal was wrong—they quit because their expectations outpaced the systems they had built.
You can beat quit day by avoiding the resolution mindset and focusing on a habit-building one, where you make small, consistent moves towards something, rather than a sweeping statement that ignores how you’ll actually accomplish it.
I’m not telling you that the “New year, New You” course you signed up for is entirely without merit. In fact, if you’re seeking out these courses or similar ideas to support what you’re doing, you’re already ahead of the game.
​Temporal landmarks like the first day of the year are scientifically proven to be a great day to start something new - it’s more about what you do with what you learn, taking those habits that support small wins for you to get where you want to be.
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What Actually Works
So what can you do with that resolution you made?
Don’t give up on it, and don’t read this as saying you did something wrong. Quite the contrary, you’re trying to improve your life, and that’s commendable.
The trick is to shift your approach and build daily, achievable habits. For instance, if you’re starting a journaling practice in 2026, don’t worry about filling up the entire notebook. Focus on today’s page and write with intention for what you need. It might be a sentence or a page, and it might change depending on the day, your mood, and your experiences.
If you’re trying to exercise more, make an achievable plan that works with your life. If you have two kids and a full-time job, it may be hard to commit to going to the gym five days a week. Instead, commit to going twice a week or starting an at home exercise routine with something like Apple Fitness+.
Making it achievable reduces friction and creates momentum rather than guilt, so you can focus on building through repetition.
Finally, journaling your way through the process of building new habits to replace or support a resolution can be a huge help. Writing your plans and desires for the new habits you want to build helps you understand them better, and doing a regular check-in during your journaling time helps keep you on track while finding any issues that might pop up along the way.
Your journal is the ultimate power tool here. It turns vague intentions into observable behavior and gives you feedback without judgment.
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I've been on vacation since Christmas, and during a quiet afternoon I happened upon an episode of the podcast SOLVED with Mark Manson about procrastination. At three plus hours, it’s the most comprehensive examination I’ve encountered about procrastination. Manson and his cohost and producer, Drew Birnie, go really deep on this one, citing historical figures and wisdom from around the world and throughout the ages.
What struck me most was how often procrastination stems from unclear systems, which is exactly the problem most resolutions suffer from. Give this a listen if you're curious.
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​Pro Tip: You can also get a digital reference guide toward's the bottom of the show page by signing up for Mark's newsletter. It's lengthy, but allows you to take notes and skim - which may be quicker than listening for some people.
Self-improvement is a journey, not a goal.
I believe a daily journaling habit is the ultimate roadmap for your success and one of the best ways to learn from your failures. I’ve yet to find a better or more efficient way to review what you’ve done, understand where you are right now, and forecast the future you want. That’s why I created the Quarterly Review Roadmap entirely in my journaling app of choice, Day One.
Case in point. I celebrated the fourth anniversary of 24 Letters on January 1st. It was and remains an imperfect experiment in becoming a writer and a creative. Still, I started on January 1st, 2022, with many ideas and as many fears. I wrote one blog post, and another, and kept going.
My advice for the new year is this: Don’t focus on the end. Look at how acting in the present can move the needle in the direction you want to go.
If you know someone who might enjoy learning how to write their own story down, forward this email to them today. They can sign up here and join The Journaling Challenge to help them kickstart their journaling habit today.
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