Hellooo friends~
Someone asked me the other day what my New Year’s resolution(s) is/are, and I said I don’t believe in making resolutions. How about you?
Most of the time New Year’s resolutions are punitive, and imply that you need fixing – lose weight, stop drinking, start exercising, get a hobby, start or stop doing things. Most resolutions are broken within weeks of the new year. The fitness industry is making it worse. Instagrams keep popping up with long, passionate, authoritative diatribes on how to become a better version of yourself. That’s a lot of pressure, and it’s annoying. Most of these posts are from people figuring it out themselves.
So let’s reconsider. Are you with me? Resolutions should be kind, helpful, gently guide us to be more conscious, live better, love better, find joy.
As humans we’re in a constant state of evolution. If we’re living consciously we can make intentional changes if we want to, any day, at any time. Here’s a little something I might try (sorry Yoda “there is no try” I get it.). Ok, maybe I will reduce some of the clutter in my brain.
I’m not good at the “real simple” lifestyle, and from what I know of Marie Kondo, we would not be friends. So I’ll see if I can find other ways to make my life easier, “make space” (I keep hearing that phrase and it seems to fit here) in 2025. We’ll see how it goes.
My maybe resolution:
Delete some mental tabs. I’ll learn to prioritize – that’s really what it’s about.

It’s an ongoing effort.
It seems to me that everything matters – that’s the problem. Priorities are blurry which makes for a long list. Life would so much be easier if the to-do list wasn’t continually growing and never finished. When one or two things are crossed off the list, 3 or 4 more are added. On and on it goes. Confession from a chronic over-doer: sometimes I write a task on the list that’s already done just so I can cross it off.
If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.
The basket of papers on my desk is always full of stuff that I think is important, which I intend to do. A big step – just now I dumped the contents of the basket onto the counter and tossed out most of it. Liberating! The basket is now less full (not empty), but there are currently 25 tabs open on my computer. A resolution can be a work in progress.
Many adults are being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. It could possibly have been me as a child: creative, inattentive, a gazillion things on my mind, distracted, losing things, late. Teachers got mad at me and so did my mother. I managed to grow up, raise a family, and along the way I’ve learned a ton. I don’t plan on getting tested for ADD.
At 71 the evolution continues. I’m pretty happy being me, and yet a nice gift to myself would be to make things a bit easier.
The mantra for this resolution is, “it’s ok Polli”. It’s ok to keep doing lots of things, my style of managing works for me. I know scientifically that no one can do more than one thing at a time, and we can’t imbue everything with the same degree of importance, so there’s the essence of the resolution – the challenge to prioritize.
In 2025 I’ll be kind to myself, keep the mental list a little smaller, and basket less full. The tabs, well, maybe keep it to 25 or less…
Are you contemplating any resolutions?
It’s really ok if not.
x
Onward.
Polli