10 Realistic New Year Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep
- Joao Nsita
- 4 hours ago
- 16 min read
The turn of a new year brings with it a powerful, almost magical, sense of possibility. It’s a collective deep breath, a clean slate, a moment where we give ourselves permission to believe in our own capacity for change. For decades, this moment was defined by grand, often punishing, resolutions: lose 50 pounds, run a marathon, completely overhaul your entire personality. But as we step into 2026, a quieter, more compassionate revolution is underway. A look at the cultural conversations happening on TikTok and Pinterest reveals a powerful shift away from self-flagellation and towards self-care.
The modern resolution, as championed by a new generation, is not about dramatic, unsustainable transformation, but about the gentle, consistent art of "habit stacking." It’s the trend of the "soft life," which prioritizes peace over relentless ambition. It’s the rise of "relationship wellness," the understanding that the health of our connections requires the same intention as our physical health. We are no longer interested in resolutions that make us feel like a failure by February. We are craving small, sustainable, and joyful changes that, over time, accumulate into a life that feels genuinely better. This is not about becoming a new person; it’s about becoming more truly and peacefully yourself. This list is your definitive guide to the ten most realistic, on-trend, and deeply impactful resolutions that you will actually be able to keep this year.
We hope you find this article an inspiring and helpful guide for the year ahead! If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work with a small donation or by sharing our articles with your friends and family. Your support helps us continue to create insightful and entertaining content.
10. Curate Your "Comfort" Media Diet
The Resolution: Instead of vaguely vowing to "read more" or "watch less TV," this resolution is about becoming the intentional curator of your own media consumption. It’s about making a conscious choice to fill your downtime with content that genuinely nourishes your mind and spirit, rather than leaving you feeling drained or anxious.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: For too long, we’ve treated our media consumption like junk food, mindlessly scrolling through anxiety-inducing news headlines or hate-watching shows that make us feel bad. The modern "comfort media" trend is a powerful act of self-care. It’s the understanding that the stories we consume have a direct and profound impact on our mood and our outlook on the world. By consciously choosing to engage with media that is comforting, inspiring, or genuinely makes you happy, you are creating a sanctuary for your mind. This doesn’t mean you have to ignore the world, but it does mean you need to balance the heavy with the light.
How to Make It a Habit:
Create a "To-Watch" List of Joy: Spend some time actively curating a list of movies and shows that you know will make you feel good. Think about your favorite genres, actors, or directors. For inspiration, you could start with a list of timeless classics, like the 10 Best Eddie Murphy Movies. Having a pre-made list removes the "decision fatigue" of endless scrolling.
The "One Chapter" Rule: If your goal is to read more, the pressure of finishing a whole book can be daunting. The "one chapter" rule is simple: commit to reading just one chapter a night. It’s a small, achievable goal that, over a week, will have you well into a new book.
Audit Your Socials: Perform a "social media audit." Go through the accounts you follow and mute or unfollow any that consistently make you feel anxious, envious, or angry. Actively seek out and follow accounts that align with your hobbies, your sense of humor, or your desire for beauty. This resolution is about transforming your relationship with media from one of passive consumption to one of active, joyful curation.
External Link: The website Goodreads is an incredible tool for discovering new books and creating personalized "want to read" lists.
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9. Master One "Go-To" Impressive Meal
The Resolution: Instead of vowing to "cook more" in a general sense, focus your energy on mastering one single, impressive, but secretly easy, "go-to" meal. This is the dish you can whip out for a last-minute dinner party, a special date night, or any time you just want to feel like a culinary superstar.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: The trend of the "dinner party" is back in a big way, but the modern version is less about formal, multi-course perfection and more about connection and cozy, shared experiences. Having one signature dish in your arsenal is a massive confidence booster. It removes the stress of trying a new, complicated recipe when you're hosting, allowing you to relax and actually enjoy your guests. It’s a practical skill that pays huge dividends in your social life and your own sense of capability.
How to Make It a Habit:
Choose Your Champion: Pick a dish that you genuinely love to eat and that fits your skill level. A great choice is a one-pan pasta bake, like this incredible Pumpkin Pasta Bake with Burnt Butter and Sage, which looks incredibly impressive but is very forgiving.
Practice Makes Perfect: Make the dish for yourself once or twice to get the hang of it. This will allow you to tweak the seasonings and get comfortable with the process.
Build the Experience: Think about the perfect pairing. What simple salad goes with it? What wine or cocktail complements it? Having a full "menu" planned makes hosting even easier. For inspiration, you could explore this list of 10 delicious apple cider cocktails. This resolution is not about becoming a professional chef; it’s about building confidence and finding the joy in sharing a beautiful, delicious meal.
External Link: The food blog Smitten Kitchen is a fantastic resource for finding reliable, well-tested, and impressive-yet-achievable recipes.
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8. The Weekly "Artist Date"
The Resolution: This concept comes from Julia Cameron's classic book, The Artist's Way, but it is a powerful mental health tool for everyone. The resolution is to schedule and commit to a weekly solo "date" with yourself, a pre-planned excursion to do something that is just for you, something that feels fun, interesting, or inspiring.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: In our hyper-connected, productivity-obsessed world, the act of spending quality, intentional time alone has become a radical act of self-care. The "solo date" trend on TikTok is a powerful celebration of this. It’s about replenishing your creative well, fostering a sense of independence, and reminding yourself that you are a fascinating person worth spending time with. It’s a powerful antidote to burnout and a way to reconnect with your own passions and curiosities outside of your roles as a partner, a parent, or an employee.
How to Make It a Habit:
Schedule It Like a Real Date: Put it in your calendar. Protect that time. It is a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
Create a "Date Idea" Jar: Brainstorm a list of things you’d love to do alone and write them on slips of paper. This can be anything from visiting a museum you’ve never been to, to trying a new coffee shop, to simply taking a walk in a different neighborhood. When it’s time for your date, you can pull an idea from the jar.
No Phones Allowed (Mostly): The goal is to be present with yourself and your surroundings. While you might use your phone for directions, try to resist the urge to mindlessly scroll. This practice is a powerful way to build a stronger relationship with yourself, which is the foundation for all other healthy connections. It’s a core principle of The Art of Self-Love.
External Link: The official website for Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is a great place to learn more about this transformative practice.
We hope you find this article inspiring! If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work with a small donation or by sharing our articles with your friends and family.
7. The "Financial Check-In" Ritual
The Resolution: Instead of a vague, anxiety-inducing goal to "save more money," this resolution is about creating a consistent, non-judgmental ritual for engaging with your finances. It’s about dedicating a specific, small amount of time each week or month to simply look at your money.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: For so many of us, money is a huge source of stress, shame, and avoidance. The modern financial wellness trend is not about restrictive budgeting, but about financial mindfulness. It’s the understanding that you cannot improve what you do not acknowledge. By creating a calm, consistent ritual for looking at your finances, you transform it from a scary monster under the bed into a manageable part of your life. This practice reduces financial anxiety by replacing fear of the unknown with the empowerment of awareness.
How to Make It a Habit:
Create a Ritual: Pair your financial check-in with something you enjoy. Call it your "Money Monday" or your "Financial Friday." Pour a cup of tea or a glass of wine, put on some calming music, and dedicate 20 minutes to the task. The goal is to make it feel like an act of self-care, not a chore.
Start with a Simple "One Look": In the beginning, your only goal is to open your banking app and your credit card statements and just look. No judgment, no immediate action required. Just get comfortable with the numbers.
Level Up to "One Action": Once you're comfortable with looking, add one small, proactive action to your ritual. This could be paying one bill, moving $20 into a savings account, or identifying one subscription you can cancel. This habit is about building a healthier, more empowered relationship with your money, which is a cornerstone of a secure and less stressful life. Financial stress can be a major strain on a partnership, so this is a crucial step in strengthening your marriage.
External Link: There are many fantastic apps designed to make financial tracking easier and more intuitive. Apps like Mint or YNAB (You Need A Budget) are great places to start.
We hope you find this article inspiring! If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work with a small donation or by sharing our articles with your friends and family.
6. The "Phone-Free First Hour"
The Resolution: For the first 60 minutes after you wake up, you will not look at your phone. No social media, no emails, no news headlines.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: This is the foundational habit of the "digital detox" and "low-dopamine morning" trends, and it is genuinely life-changing. When you immediately reach for your phone upon waking, you are flooding your brain with a massive, unearned hit of dopamine and a flood of other people's anxieties and agendas. This hijacks your brain's reward system and starts your day in a state of reactive anxiety. By reclaiming that first hour, you give your brain a chance to wake up gently, you protect your focus for the rest of the day, and you start your day on your own terms, not on the terms of the algorithm.
How to Make It a Habit:
Get a Real Alarm Clock: This is the non-negotiable first step. Your phone cannot be your alarm if you want this to work.
Charge Your Phone Across the Room: Create a physical barrier between you and your phone.
Have a Plan: Decide the night before what you will do in your phone-free hour. Will you do a 5-minute journal? Make a proper breakfast? Go for a short walk? Having a plan removes the temptation to default to your phone. This single habit can dramatically reduce your overall anxiety and improve your focus. For more on this, check out our guide to 7 Digital Detox Challenges.
5. The "Gentle Nutrition" Goal
The Resolution: Instead of a restrictive, all-or-nothing diet, this resolution focuses on adding one healthy thing to your day, rather than taking things away.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: The restrictive diet culture of the past is on its way out. The modern wellness trend is all about "gentle nutrition" and intuitive eating. It’s a more compassionate and sustainable approach to health that focuses on nourishment, not deprivation. By focusing on adding something positive—like drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning, or adding a handful of spinach to your smoothie—you are making a healthy choice that feels good, not one that feels like a punishment. This positive framing makes the habit much more likely to stick.
How to Make It a Habit:
Start Small: Choose one, incredibly simple thing to add. The goal for the first month could simply be "drink one glass of water before my morning coffee."
Focus on "Crowding Out": A fascinating thing happens when you focus on adding nutrient-dense foods: you naturally have less room and less desire for the less-nutritious ones. You are "crowding out" the unhealthy choices with good ones.
Make It Delicious: Find a healthy habit you genuinely enjoy. If you hate raw kale, don't force it. Maybe you love roasted vegetables? Make a big batch at the beginning of the week. This is a resolution about being kinder to your body and building a healthier relationship with food. It’s a core principle of wellness, a topic we explore in depth at our sister site, That Blissful Wellness Podcast.
4. The Daily "Movement Snack"
The Resolution: Instead of pressuring yourself to do a full, hour-long workout every day, this resolution is about incorporating small "snacks" of movement throughout your day.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: The "all-or-nothing" approach to fitness is a major reason why so many resolutions fail. We feel like if we can't get to the gym for a full hour, there's no point in doing anything at all. The "movement snack" trend is a powerful antidote to this. It’s based on the scientific evidence that even short bursts of movement throughout the day can have a huge impact on our physical and mental health. It makes fitness more accessible, less intimidating, and much more sustainable for people with busy lives.
How to Make It a Habit:
Attach It to an Existing Habit (Habit Stacking): This is the key to success. For example: "Every time I get up to go to the bathroom, I will do 10 squats." Or, "While my coffee is brewing, I will do a 2-minute plank."
Make It Fun: A movement snack can be anything! Put on your favourite song and have a 3-minute dance party in your kitchen. This kind of joyful movement is just as valid as a traditional workout. The right music can be a powerful motivator, a theme we explore in our ranking of the best songs from AC/DC.
Schedule It: If you have a desk job, set a timer to get up and stretch or walk around for 5 minutes every hour. This resolution is about reframing exercise as a joyful and integral part of your day, not a separate, punishing chore.
External Link: For fantastic, free, and short workout videos, the PopSugar Fitness YouTube channel has a massive library of 5-, 10-, and 15-minute routines.
3. Read 10 Pages of a Book Every Night
The Resolution: This is the most achievable and effective reading resolution you will ever make. The goal is not to "read 50 books this year." It is simply to read 10 pages of a physical book every single night before you go to sleep.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: In a world of endless screen time, the simple act of reading a physical book has become a powerful act of mindfulness and a well-documented tool for improving sleep. This resolution is incredibly effective because the goal is so small and specific that it is almost impossible to fail. Ten pages is not intimidating. It’s a manageable goal that, over the course of a year, will have you reading 3,650 pages—the equivalent of 10-12 books—without even trying.
How to Make It a Habit:
The "No-Screens-in-Bed" Rule: This is the perfect companion to an "analog evening" habit. Make your bedroom a screen-free zone.
Put the Book on Your Pillow: When you make your bed in the morning, place your book on your pillow. It will be a physical reminder of your goal when you get into bed at night.
Choose a Book You Genuinely Want to Read: This is not the time to finally tackle that dense, classic novel you feel you should read. Choose a fun, engaging, and exciting book that you will look forward to picking up each night. For inspiration, check out our list of 10 books for fans of Nobody Wants This. This simple habit can improve your sleep, reduce your anxiety, and reconnect you with the profound joy of reading.
External Link: The website Goodreads is an incredible tool for discovering new books, tracking your reading, and getting recommendations from friends.
2. Practice Active Gratitude
The Resolution: Every day, either write down or say aloud three specific, unique things that you are grateful for.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: Gratitude is more than just a fleeting feeling; it is a scientifically-backed practice that can fundamentally rewire your brain for happiness. Our brains are naturally wired with a "negativity bias" to look for threats. An active gratitude practice counteracts this by training your brain to scan for the positives. This is not about ignoring the bad; it’s about ensuring the good gets equal airtime. This has been a massive trend in the wellness space for years, and its staying power is a testament to its effectiveness.
How to Make It a Habit:
The Key is Specificity: Instead of "I'm grateful for my family," try, "I'm grateful for the way my partner made me laugh so hard I cried last night." Instead of "I'm grateful for coffee," try, "I'm grateful for the quiet, peaceful moment I had this morning with my first warm sip of coffee."
Habit Stack It: This is a perfect habit to add to your 5-minute journal, or to practice while you are brushing your teeth.
Share It: If you are in a relationship, sharing your "three good things" with your partner each night is a beautiful ritual of connection. This simple, two-minute habit can have a profound and lasting impact on your overall sense of well-being. It is a cornerstone of a positive mindset, a theme explored in this article on 14 Affirmations to Say Every Morning.
External Link: The Headspace app has wonderful guided meditations and exercises specifically focused on cultivating gratitude.
1. The "One-Minute" Rule
The Resolution: Taking the top spot as the most realistic, most effective, and most life-changing resolution is "The One-Minute Rule." The rule is simple: if a task takes less than one minute to complete, do it immediately.
The "Why" Behind the Trend: This simple hack, popularized by productivity experts and trending on "CleanTok," is the ultimate antidote to procrastination and the overwhelming feeling of a never-ending to-do list. It’s about tackling the small, annoying tasks that we often put off, the ones that collectively create a sense of low-grade chaos and clutter in our lives. By dealing with them immediately, we prevent them from piling up and becoming a bigger, more daunting problem. This creates a powerful sense of momentum and accomplishment, and it dramatically reduces the "background noise" of our mental load.
How to Make It a Habit:
Identify the Tasks: These are things like: putting your dish in the dishwasher instead of the sink, hanging up your coat instead of throwing it on a chair, responding to a simple text message, wiping down the counter after you make a sandwich, or taking out the recycling.
Just Do It: In the moment, it can feel like a small, insignificant act. But the cumulative effect of this habit is profound.
The "Closing Shift": Another great, related trend is the "closing shift," where you take 5-10 minutes before you go to bed to do a quick reset of your space, tackling any one-minute tasks you missed during the day. This single, simple rule can completely transform your living space, your productivity, and your overall sense of calm and control. It is the ultimate small change that leads to a massive, positive impact. This feeling of control is a powerful form of self-care, a core principle of That Blissful Wellness Podcast.
Conclusion
The journey to a better life is not about a single, giant leap; it’s about a thousand tiny, consistent steps in the right direction. The ten resolutions on this list are a testament to the power of that philosophy. They are a collection of small, achievable, and compassionate habits that, when practiced with intention, can lead to profound and lasting change. This year, let go of the pressure of a dramatic, all-or-nothing transformation. Instead, embrace the gentle, powerful magic of small beginnings. Choose one or two of these resolutions that resonate with you, be kind to yourself in the process, and get ready to build a year that is not just more productive, but more peaceful, more joyful, and more truly you.
We hope you found this article an inspiring and helpful guide! If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work with a small donation or by sharing our articles with your friends and family. Your support helps us continue to create insightful and entertaining content.
For more on building a beautiful life and strong connections, check out these other articles from That Love Podcast:
FAQs
I always fail my New Year's resolutions. How can I make them stick this time? The key is to start small and be specific. Instead of a vague goal like "get healthy," choose one specific, measurable habit, like "drink a glass of water every morning." Also, practice self-compassion. If you miss a day, don't give up. Just start again the next day.
What is "habit stacking"? Habit stacking is a popular technique where you "stack" a new habit you want to form onto an existing, automatic habit. For example: "After I brush my teeth (existing habit), I will do two minutes of stretching (new habit)." This makes the new habit much easier to remember and implement.
What does a "soft life" mean? The "soft life" is a social media trend and lifestyle philosophy that prioritizes peace, comfort, and low-stress living over the traditional "hustle culture" of relentless work and ambition.
How can I do a "digital detox" if my job requires me to be online? It's about creating boundaries. You can still implement habits like the "phone-free first hour" before your workday begins, or a "digital shutdown" routine to create a clear separation between your work and personal time.
I'm not a good cook. How can I master a "go-to" meal? Choose a very forgiving recipe, like a pasta bake, a simple roast chicken, or a hearty soup. Watch a video tutorial of the recipe a few times. Don't be afraid to make it just for yourself once or twice to practice without the pressure of guests.
I feel guilty when I'm not being "productive." How do I get over that? Start by scheduling your "do nothing" time, just as you would schedule a work meeting. Seeing it in your calendar as a legitimate appointment can help to legitimize it in your mind. Also, reading about the neuroscience of rest and creativity can help you understand that this "unproductive" time is actually crucial for your brain's health.
What is a "State of the Union" check-in for couples? It is a scheduled, weekly meeting where a couple can talk about their relationship in a structured, non-confrontational way. It’s a tool for preventative maintenance, designed to address small issues before they become big ones.
How can I find more information about intuitive eating? The book "Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch is the original and best resource on this topic.
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