Ahh, the start of the New Year—so full of hope, promise, and a million downloads of the trendiest habit-tracking app.
Funny, then, that my own logged results for January 1st would first appear as either a slip up or a total, abject failure at goal-setting.
I did not avoid alcohol.
I did not stick to my intermittent-fasting window.
I did not record my nightly reflections.
I did not turn off my phone an hour before bed.
And, I did not go to sleep by midnight.
Despite what my Day 1 data seems to suggest, this isn’t a sign of a disasterous year to come. I can ignore that my habit tracker looks like I took every New Year’s resolution and aggressively tried to do the opposite—chaotic-neutral characters from the Bizarro World would be impressed.
Because, in terms of practicing healthy and fulfilling changes, I see January 1st as no more of a special day than any other… minus the fanfare and sleep-shattering fireworks from those considerate enough to keep lighting them night after night. If they’re not beating themselves up over their choices, neither am I over mine.
I haven’t lost progress right from the start, I’m just not progressing as quickly.
In fact, there’s more to the story than a few red X’s in the habits column—my first day of the year was far from a Cheetos-crunching couch-fest.
I did draft multiple blogs in the morning.
I did help my wife host our immediate families for lunch.
I did review our 2024 in pictures from a black sand beach at sunset.
I did go on a long walk with my visiting parents from half-way around the world.
And, I did cap off the night with a pint of my favourite porter whilst reflecting on the past year.
2025 actually sounds pretty promising when framed this way. Sure, my habit streaks may suffer, but not meeting some of my targets created space for others.
There is no magic in a date like January 1st; it is but a handed-down idea of when change should happen. New Year’s Day is too easy to pretend you’re on track—try starting a new habit on the 7th of February or a 23rd of August when the rest of the world isn’t trying to do the same. You’ll really test your intentions that way.
Nothing is lost on a cheat day nor is my incomplete To-Do list worth stressing over—meeting my goals will just take a bit longer.
And that’s what I’m accepting this year.