I don’t remember any resolutions I’ve ever made. They were vague, easy to abandon, and never required real commitment. That’s probably why I stopped making them years ago.

In my eyes, New Year’s resolutions are nothing more than a coping mechanism, a psychological crutch. They’re just another way of saying “I’ll start tomorrow, not today.” A specific date makes inaction feel justified, even responsible. If you actually want change, you don’t wait for permission from a calendar.

Last month, I wanted to do more of x. I didn’t wait for 2026. I started the same day. I believe that I’m still doing it now because the action wasn’t externalised and deferred to a symbolic moment or framed as a “fresh start”. I got through the hard days where I didn’t feel like it, and it’s way easier now.

If you need a specific date to begin, you’re most likely not ready to sustain it. Change is hard, and resolutions make it feel easier by postponing responsibility.

Also, the phrase “new year, new me” couldn’t be more wrong. It pretends identity can be reset by a date, as if habits, incentives, and weaknesses expire at midnight. They don’t. You wake up on January 1st with the same brain, the same routines, and the same tolerance for discomfort. Nothing structural has changed, so nothing meaningful follows.

There is no “old you” and “new you”.

There’s only the person who acts or who doesn’t. And it’s you, today. ___ Enjoyed the article? Subscribe to my RSS feed :D