A New Year’s resolution that survives reality
Five questions to replace wishful thinking with a real-world edge.
For fifteen years I’ve followed the annual ritual: year in review, goals for the next one. It was time pleasantly spent, but I doubt the ritual actually helped me achieve more.
I tried everything: public posts, Notion templates, custom GPTs. Comically, the result was always the same. No major insights, and by March, half the goals had become irrelevant.
Last December, sitting on a train with my laptop, I finally figured out a way to make the reflection impactful. Now, a year later, I feel it has helped me shape 2025 for the better. I ended up with highly relevant goals and had much more clarity in day-to-day decision making.
Strategize like a CEO (and actually better)
To make a New Year's reflection productive, you need to plan your year the way companies plan strategy.
“Strategy” sounds serious and intimidating. But any moderately intelligent person is in a far better position to develop their personal strategy than 99% of CEOs in business planning. Just a couple of reasons:
You have the complete picture of your life, performance, and resources. Top managers rely on reports and statistics that become outdated the moment they are created. You feel all the minute details every day.
You have much more agency in your moves. A CEO works in a web of regulations, conflicting interests and politics. Although you have your own stakeholders (like a spouse), the final decision is always yours.
This approach is still more of a challenge than just recording wishes. But you’re absolutely up to the task.
Do not let the worn-out corporate vibe of the word “strategy” repel you. Developing a strategy simply means means figuring out a rational way to deal with the concrete situation you find yourself in.
On the most basic level, strategy = (real picture + true goals) - fluff. This already gives you clarity and a tangible edge.
Being a bit more advanced: strategy = high-leverage pivot x concentration of force + risk management.
Five questions to develop a strategy for the next year
Answer them in writing. Be honest and do not show them to anyone: the goal is to bring real changes, not to feel better.
Which external forces and circumstances influence me the most?
When we write New Year’s resolutions, we put all the weight on our supposed discipline and strive to be a better self. When a sane CEO wants to change a team’s behavior, they change the environment and incentives, reducing friction on the path toward desired behavior and increasing it for the undesired.
If you need to ride to your gym for 45 minutes, you will not go there regularly no matter how much willpower you exert. If you put a pair of dumbbells next to your desk, they will never gather dust: you’ll use them just to give yourself a bit of rest from chats and calls.
You need to go deep to understand which forces are affecting you, both directly and subtly. A work culture conflicting with your values? A person who causes discomfort but at the same time stimulates your growth? Or even an ugly broker app interface that hinders investing?
What are the opportunities I have?
What is new on the horizon you can use? This question is not only about job openings. Think about which new things in your environment can become catalysts for change according to the logic of the previous question.
Another way to identify the opportunities is to find your unfair advantage — a combination of your background, personal traits and assets which makes you especially able to compete in a certain area.
What risks do I face?
New Year’s resolutions tend to be overly optimistic. To actually improve your life in the coming year you need to think hard about risks and how to deal with them.
There are two types of risks to consider.
Fat-tail risks. Low probability, devastating effect. To identify them, imagine yourself in the worst situation next December (sick, broke and alone) and trace how you got there.
General fragility risks. Much more probable, the effect is slow. Eroding relationships, stagnating skills, stacking unhealthy habits. Think about tendencies you have right now and those likely to develop due to external forces (again, we need answer #1 here).
Think outside the scope of usual self-help books with their obsession of weight management and other overused themes. Your life is unique and so are the risks.
For me, one example of general fragility risks was a bunch of old projects. I had no use for my first blog, my first SAAS and several old SEO experiments for a long time. But I continued to pay hosting bills, update the CMS and so on. That’s a waste of time and a tax on cognitive load. I archived everything and freed up mental space.
What am I too anxious (or angry) to ignore?
Do not ignore, exploit. Use strong persistent emotions as a source of steady motivation. If something continuously bothers you, you'll work twice as hard to fix the situation.
Treat it like the Dark side of the Force. You need to be careful not to spiral into obsession, but channeling this power into a constructive, growth-oriented project is a clear win.
It is almost impossible to give concrete advice here. All the answers are tied to a specific personality. I myself use this heuristic: “I’m not fighting a specific problem; I’m becoming someone who doesn’t face this type of problem anymore“.
What do I forbid myself to do next year?
The last one is the killer. This isn’t the part where you lie to yourself about eating less sugar or scrolling less on your phone. It is about potentially good, but currently irrelevant goals.
Without a clear “I will not spend time and energy on these good, but non-essential tasks,” the strategy is just wishful thinking. Time and energy are limited. You need focus. You need clear priorities. And saying something like “this year I will not even try to learn Spanish” helps you stick to your priorities without overthinking.
That is where most corporate strategies fail. Managers are too afraid of being articulate and avoid cutting through the noise. You too will feel the pressure to avoid answering the question. Fight it. Be strong enough to live with an idea of yourself that is less flattering than a demigod who crushes every goal imaginable.
So, how do you construct your edge?
#1 question → you understand how your environment messes with you.
#2 question → projects and goals with high upside.
#3 question → contingencies and hygiene.
#4 question → a highly relevant project you have an unlimited motivation budget for.
#5 question → making sure you have time and focus for all the above.
Keep your notes, re-read them and make adjustments throughout the year. This will lead you to new ideas, concrete plans and impactful decisions — in your own unique way.
And a reminder about the most important part. It isn't a motivational exercise; it’s accepting reality as it is and allocation of resources. If you’ve done this right, you should feel a strange mix of relief and discomfort. It’s like realizing that gravity exists. It is here, it is inescapable, it keeps you from floating freely like a balloon. But in return, it allows you to walk with confidence.