The 'To-Be' List: Ditching Resolutions for a Real New Year's Plan

The cursor is blinking on a blank document titled "New Year's Plan 2026." My coffee is getting cold.

If I'm being honest, my "plans" from previous years look more like a wish list I abandoned by February. That gym membership that gathered dust. The language app that still sends me notifications, bless its heart. The ambitious goal to "read 50 books" that stalled out at book number four.

Every year, I’d write a list of all the things I thought I should do. And every year, I’d feel like a failure for not doing them.

This year, something feels different. Maybe it’s the fact that this last year has been... well, a lot. I'm not interested in a total life overhaul. I don't want a "New Me." I'm actually pretty fond of the "Current Me." I just want to be a version of myself that feels a little more intentional and a lot less burnt out.

So, I'm ditching the "To-Do" list. This year, I'm making a "To-Be" list.

It's not about massive, life-changing achievements. It's about the small, consistent things. It’s about building a system for my life, not just setting a few finish lines.

My Theme for the Year: Consistency

My one-word theme is Consistency.

I'm a master of the grand gesture—the 3-hour weekend cleaning spree followed by two weeks of letting dishes pile up. The intense, week-long creative project followed by months of burnout.

This year, I want to be the person who just shows up, even in a small way. 15 minutes is better than zero minutes. "Good enough" is better than "not at all."

So, what does this "To-Be" list actually look like?

1. I want to be a reader.

The Old Way: "Read 50 books." This just made me look for the shortest books possible and feel stressed.

The New Plan: I'm putting my phone on the charger in the bathroom, not by my bed. I'm swapping that 30 minutes of doom-scrolling for 20 minutes of reading a real, paper book. It doesn't matter if I read 10 books or 40. The goal is to simply be someone who reads before they sleep.

2. I want to be someone who moves.

The Old Way: "Go to the gym 5 times a week." This was my fastest failure. I hate the gym.

The New Plan: I want to be a person who moves their body in a way that feels good. That means: taking a 20-minute walk at lunch, putting on a playlist and dancing in the kitchen while I make dinner, or finally doing that yoga video I've had bookmarked for six months. The goal is movement, not punishment.

3. I want to be present with my people.

The Old Way: "Be a better friend." This is so vague, it's impossible to achieve.

The New Plan: When I'm with my friends or family, I'm putting my phone face down on the table (or just leaving it in my bag). When I think of a friend, I'm sending the "thinking of you" text right then, instead of telling myself I'll do it later. It's about small, genuine points of connection, not grand, scheduled "catch-ups."

4. I want to be a creator (just for me).

The Old Way: "Start a side hustle" or "Master watercolor painting." The pressure was just too high.

The New Plan: I bought a notebook. Just a simple one. My plan is to spend 10 minutes every weekend just... making a mess. Doodling, writing down a random thought, trying to sketch my coffee mug. There's no goal, no audience, and no product. It's just about being creative, purely for the fun of it.

That's it. That's my big plan.

It's not flashy. It probably won't make for a dramatic before-and-after photo. But it feels... right. It feels kind.

It's a plan that's less about changing who I am and more about becoming more of who I am. It’s a plan rooted in small moments of intention, not massive, unsustainable bursts of effort.

I'm sure there will be days I scroll on my phone instead of reading. I'm sure there will be weeks I don't "move" as much as I'd like. But that's okay. Because there's no "failing" this plan. There's just starting again the next day.

So, here's to the New Year. May it be consistent, kind, and full of small, quiet joys.

What's on your "to-be" list?


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