An Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions: Small Plans

An alternative to New Year’s resolutions is to choose a direction, a small action, and a date to reconsider it. Use this if a long list of annual promises has become more work than help.

Correction, September 22, 2026: The earlier article invented the author’s annual resolution failures and claimed the replacement was more likely to succeed without evidence. This is one optional approach, not a proven superior method.

You can also keep a resolution that suits you. The calendar format is less important than what the plan asks you to do.

Build an alternative to New Year’s resolutions in three lines

Write:

1. Direction: what would you like to improve?
2. Action: what is one specific thing you can try?
3. Review: when will you check whether it still fits?

Hypothetical example: “Read for enjoyment. Keep one chosen book where I usually take a break. At the end of the month, decide whether this made reading easier to start.”

This is an example, not a habit-formation claim. It does not require a page count or a promise to become a different person by February.

Check what the action costs

A small-looking commitment can still be demanding if you have little spare time, unpredictable work, or caring responsibilities. Ask where it fits and what it competes with.

Do not add an obligation without considering whether something else needs to shrink. The doing-less guide offers a way to review optional commitments.

If the direction involves health, money, or another consequential area, use appropriate guidance for the actual decision. An annual theme does not establish an exercise prescription or an affordable savings amount.

Give the plan a version for an ordinary week

A useful plan says what happens when the ideal slot is unavailable.

A hypothetical writing plan could offer one short draft session when a longer block falls through. It could also allow skipping a week when another responsibility takes priority. There is no need to manufacture a tiny task just to protect a streak.

Write down the minimum useful action and the conditions under which pausing is sensible. A plan with an exit is still a plan.

Review what happened

Choose a review frequency that suits the commitment. Monthly is a convenient suggestion, not an evidence-based requirement.

Ask:

• Was the action clear enough to start?
• Did the timing fit the week?
• Was the result useful or enjoyable?
• What did it displace?
• Should the action continue, change, or stop?

Use observations rather than a personality verdict. “The evening slot was repeatedly unavailable” gives you a planning question. “I am bad at goals” does not.

For a shorter check, the ten-minute weekly review keeps attention on current work without asking you to redesign the year.

Start whenever the change is relevant. January is an available date, not a requirement or a guarantee.