We are 10 whole days into 2026 now, and honestly in some years I’ve already abandoned my resolutions by this point, and in other years I haven’t even come up with any.
In many ways, I think it’s silly trying to start stuff in January because it is cold and miserable and dark – the worst time for motivating yourself to do anything other than snuggle up in a bundle and nap whenever possible. So if you have made resolutions and then promptly abandoned them, then don’t feel like you’ve failed – just postpone them for a bit and start up in February or something and aim to keep going round for 365 day from whenever you start.
On my part this year, I haven’t made proper resolutions so much as set myself a target to ‘do some stuff’ – specific stuff, but also non-specific.
Let me explain.
I have one solid goal – my 26 in ’26 Project. I want to do 26 ‘Junk Journal’ page spreads through the year – becuase I have so much lovely but utterly random craft stuff that I never find a use for but really want to use. Stickers, pretty paper, random bits and bobs, weird coloured pens.
So I want to use them – that’s the only aim. To sit down and maybe pick a theme or a colour that takes my fancy that day and just ‘make’ something on a page.
I already did my first one on January 5th. My ‘theme’ was whimsical space and I came up with this:
Don’t worry yourself trying to read the ‘poems’ – they are badly translated mostly nonsense but the colours are so pretty I wanted to see if I could use them anyway.
It was weird at first, getting myself to let go of needing the piece to be something at the end, but after a bit I relaxed into it and just enjoyed arranging and sticking and ripping the paper into shapes (so satisfying!). Junk Journalling is definitely more about the process than the final result sometimes and it was a nice way to spend half an hour quietly concentrating on something fun. And I used up some random bits and bobs.
Other than that mini project, I have got myself a ‘Stuff’ Calendar for on my desk which is my ‘resolution tracker’ for the year.
The resolution itself is to make sure I do stuff for me, that is fun and easy, every day if I can. I have a list of ‘options’ and I want to try and do at least a little of one of them every day, because when you’re tired or busy, they are the first things you drop and then suddenly you’re tired and busy and sad.
The list is:
- Journal – I have several options to choose from here: my book journal/record, my nature 365 journal, my happiness journal, my garden nature journal, and my aforementioned ‘junk’ journal.
- Blog – I haven’t set a ‘post every week’ target or anything for this, but having it on the list means that it is more forefront in my head when I sit myself down for a few minutes to do something, without becoming a chore that I panic about being behind on. Maybe this means you’ll see more of me this year, who knows?
- Solo Game – I have multiple board games that have solo mode which I enjoy doing but never remember to just sit down and get out. I love playing games with friends and family and try to do that regularly, but I don’t often let myself play the solo games and I’d like to do that more this year.
- Diamond Art – I have a massive diamond art picture of Amber, Chase, and Jet Wash that my Mum and Dad gave me for Christmas… two? three? years ago which I did about an inch stripe of and then put down. I want to get it properly finished, and it is the best thing for dipping in and out of. It’s on my desk and takes 30 seconds to set up, so it is perfect for days when I feel like I ‘don’t have time’ because even on those days, I have two minutes to put on ten beads (diamonds? what are the little stud things even called?) and it’s clear progress which ticks of a box and is an instant satisfaction hit.
- Finish a Book – I was going to put ‘read’ but I do that every day anyway more or less, in some form or another. A few lines of kindle book over lunch, fifteen minutes of audio whilst I fold clothes, a chapter of my current physical read in the evening – but having finish one on my list gives me that tiny push to sometimes set aside an extra bit of time to read one more chapter. (What do you mean you know I don’t need an excuse for that? I can honestly, hand-on-heart stand here and say that I haven’t once stayed up later than I meant to reading a book in the whole of this year so far. Ahem.)
- Sew a Badge – My stack of patches and badges to be sewn onto things is… sizeable. I did finish sewing all my Mum’s badges on her blanket before the end of 2025 but that was only one pile of many, so I would like to try and make some constant progress on shrinking the rest. I have some to go on hoodies, some to go on Caius’s camp blanket, a fair few for the Not-So-Smalls’ blankets, and an unholy mountain of ones for my own camp blanket. I definitely collect them faster than I sew them without a doubt, so if I could increase my output then that would be helpful.
- Day Trip – What it says on the tin really. Actually leave the house and go somewhere either on my own, with Chase, the Not-So-Smalls, Caius, or any combination of the above. I did a lot of saying ‘I should go to X’ last year and not so much of the getting up and going. That one might get more traction when it’s better weather – although I did take the kids to Telford today just to wander, let them spend their Christmas money, and get us all out of the house and out in the fresh air. We are a bit jealous of how much better Telford’s snow was than ours, despite only being just down the road.
(The mysterious note in the bottom is reminding me what I was doing in Baldur’s Gate 3 ready for when I pick it up again.)
I guess I need to add a bit of green to today’s square as well now!
Have you set yourself any resolutions or goals for 2026?
‘Make it through the year in one piece’ is an entirely valid option, if you’re still thinking. The world is kind of on fire right now, and just surviving feels like a bit of a mission some days – remember to turn the news off and do something frivolous every now and then to keep the monsters out.
Carole Finds Her Wings 