By Ed Nite in Self-Improvement — 31 Dec 2025

From Reflection to Small Actions: The One Rule That Makes 2026 Resolutions Stick (Part II)

Part II of my year-end reflection turns into a practical 2026 plan: one rule that keeps resolutions alive past January. Small habits, real life, “oops” plans, and a little social gravity, plus the reminder that productivity isn’t worth losing the people you’re doing it all for.

A quiet reset: a meteor streaks across a star-filled sky over a wildflower field.

Small habits, real life, and the art of starting again.

How to Make 2026 Resolutions Stick (Without Perfection)

My last blog post of the year. And, what a year it was.

First, a genuine thank you to every subscriber and reader. I’m wishing you a fantastic 2026, full of happiness, love, and kindness.

I’m honestly grateful to be part of this little MindTheNerd corner of the internet: a community of curious minds who read, think, build, and occasionally spiral into a new obsession… for fun.

When I first started writing here, I wasn’t trying to “grow a following.” This began as a private, inner thing, me putting thoughts on the page, documenting new creative adventures, and letting a bit of my brain leak onto the internet. But the steady growth surprised me in the best way.

Seeing the reader count tick up gave me energy to keep doing something I genuinely love: writing. So again, thank you. Every single one of you.

And while I’ve been sharing my experiences (the good, the messy, the “what was I thinking?”), The deeper goal has always been the same: to nudge you to do the thing you keep postponing. Not to fall into the trap of “I don’t know how” or “I don’t have time.” Whatever passion, dream, or project has been living rent-free in your mind, my best advice is still the simplest:

Simply start.

If you endured last week’s post, you know 2025 had some rough stretches, along with a few unexpected surprises the universe tossed my way. But before I share my 2026 plans, I want this piece to be more about you than me.

So first, here are the tips I’m using to make resolutions actually stick.

7 Tips to Turn 2026 Resolutions Into Habits

Tip 1: Ask “Why am I doing this?” (Honestly!)

Before you pick the habit, know the purpose.
Write one sentence: “I want __ because I value __.”

Example:

“I want to exercise because it gives me more energy and makes me feel good.”
“I want to save money because I want freedom and stress-free nights.”
“I want to write because I value honesty, entertaining, and helping others.”

That “why” becomes that voice in your head when you start slipping away from your goal.

Tip 2: Honey, I shrunk the Actions!

Really, shrink your actions until they are embarrassingly tiny and nowhere to go.

If your mind wanders like mine, you know that it loves grand plans. Spoiler, your daily routine does not.

Turn your resolution into a simple version you can do on your worst or busiest day:

Read more --> Read two pages
Work out --> 10-minute walk
Write a book --> Write 200 words per day
Eat better --> Eat one decent meal a day
Learn a skill --> Learn Sumerian 30 minutes each morning

The goal isn’t to impress the dieties. The goal is to show up repeatedly and build that habit!

Tip 3: Schedule it like an appointment with yourself.

This tip is one of my favourites. I used to ignore my routines or actions in favour of others. I learned the hard way, and now I value scheduling “Ed Time” in my daily routine.

If you are an avid calendar daily planner user, like yours truly, then schedule (recurring) it as you would a client, doctor, or class appointment.

If you don’t use daily planners or calendars, then write it down on a post-it, place it next to the coffee machine, in your car, on your desk, no matter, just as long as you remember.

After/At __, I will __ for __ minutes.

Examples:

“After coffee, I walk 10 minutes.”
“At 9:00 pm, I write 200 words.”
“After lunch, I study French for 15 minutes.”

If it’s not on your day, it’s not a plan. It’s just a pipe-dream.

Tip 4: Build an Oops! I forgot Plan (because you will)

In your resolution for each Plan, add one sentence:

If I miss it, I will ___ (create an easier action) the same or first thing next day.

Missed the gym --> 10 pushups + 5-minute walk before bed.
Missed writing --> 50 words as soon as I wake up.
Missed budgeting -->open the app for 60 seconds

Tip 5: Kill Perfection Quentin-Tarantino style! (seriously)

Perfection is my quiet assassin of consistency and getting things done. Another lesson I learned was to get rid of the notion of seeking perfection in everything. Once I did, I got things done much quicker, checking off more actions and stacking more wins. You don’t “lose motivation”; you usually lose momentum because perfection keeps moving the finish line and stealing your time. So, not to sound too dramatic, but kill Perfectionism.

So, start treating progress like a Tarantino first cut: get the scene on film, then edit. Not because “good enough” is what I’m trying to achieve, but because you cannot improve something that is not “done”.

Practical ways to do it:

Set a “minimum viable version.” If the perfect workout is 45 minutes, the real workout is 10. If the perfect writing session is 1,000 words, the real writing session is 200.
Use a two-pass mindset: Draft fast. Fix later. The second pass is allowed to be picky. The first pass is not.

So yeah… be Tarantino about it. Get it on film. Then polish the scene.

Tip 6: “It’s the simplicity of it, stupid.”

Start with no dashboards. No color-coded spreadsheets. No “habit operating system.” Just a checkbox.

✔ Do the tiny version of my plan today?

That’s it. That’s the whole religion.

Then once a week, do a 2-minute review:

What made it easy?
What got in the way?
What’s the most minor tweak for next week?

Later ( when your habit is well-formed), and if you are like me, go nuts with color-coded Excel sheets to track your habit, but don’t fall into that trap early on. Stay simple.

If you want a little pressure, do it like this:

Tell one person. Make it mechanical. Keep it kind.

Not: “I’m going to reinvent my life.” but Yes: “I’m doing a 10-minute walk after coffee, 4 days/week. Can I text you when it’s done?”

A good accountability script:

“Quick favor: I’m trying a tiny habit for the next 4 weeks. I’ll text you a on Mon/Wed/Fri. No pep talks needed, just a thumbs up will suffice.”

That’s accountability without drama.

If you want to go public:

Go public with the process, not the identity.

“Posting a weekly screenshot of my streak/calendar.”
“Sharing a monthly ‘what worked / what didn’t’ recap.”

And if you’re the kind of human who needs consequences or rewards, you can also use a commitment device (a pre-commitment with a small cost for skipping). These have evidence in some health-behavior contexts, especially when there’s real visibility or stakes. Example for me, “If I complete my minimum daily actions at least 5 days this week, I will play WoW for 4 hours on Saturday. If not, no WoW this weekend, I reset and try again.”

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The one rule that ruled them all.

If you only want one rule then this should be it.

Make the habit small enough to repeat, scheduled enough to happen, and forgiving enough to survive real life.

No personality transformation. No “perfect streak or I’m a failure” nonsense--just reps.

Your resolution doesn’t need more intensity.

It needs to become a habit.

Pick a real “why.” Make the action tiny. Schedule it. Plan for slip-ups. Track the checkbox.

And when you mess up, because you will, don’t restart next Monday.

Restart next rep as soon as possible.

That’s how you win 2026 without needing a whole new personality.

My 2026 Plan: Why, How, Minimum

Open lined notebook on a wooden desk with a blue pen and a small printed checklist card tucked inside, with sticky-note tabs on the page. — The low-tech habit system: one notebook, one pen, and a tiny checklist that actually gets used.

Here’s my 2026 plan, built on Why (meaning), How (scheduled action), and a Minimum (so perfection doesn’t kill momentum).

MindTheNerd: 1 article per week (1,000–1,500 words)

Why: I want to entertain, share, and help people through my writing and whatever I’m learning in real time.
How: Thursdays, 7:00–10:00 pm. Write + edit.
Minimum: If Thursday explodes, 800 words Friday morning. Still counts.

Build a fun personal app (not a business project)

Why: Learn cross-platform mobile development and build something useful and playful for us ordinary folks.
How: Mon–Thu, 10:00 pm–12:00 am. Focused build session.
Minimum: 30 minutes + one commit on rough nights.

Self-publish a motivational book.

Why: I want the journey, learning self-publishing and improving my writing, without needing a bestseller fantasy.
How: Sundays, 9:00 am–12:00 pm. 3-hour writing block. 2,000 words/week.
Minimum: 500 words if the week is chaos.

Self-publish my political spy thriller (after book #1)

Why: Get this story out of my head and sharpen my craft.
How: Same Sunday writing block after the first book is done.2,000 words/week.
Minimum: 500 words.

Learn to read + write Sumerian.

Why: Learning weird ancient things resets my brain, no pressure, no “productivity outcome,” just joy.
How: Mon–Fri, 6:15–7:15 am. (or first thing after waking).
Minimum: 15 minutes + one review. Enough to keep the thread alive.

YouTube: make it a real rhythm

Why: Feed the creative passion and share the journey beyond text.
How: 2 videos/month as weekend projects.
Minimum: If a full video is too much, I still do one step: Script 10 lines or film 5 minutes or rough cut 15 minutes.

Date night

Why: Nourishing my marriage comes first.
How: Every Friday, 6:00 pm. No phones, no shop talk, just us.

My little sister

Why: Same rule: relationships first.
How: Daily check-in (a quick message counts).
Minimum: Even “thinking of you ❤️” counts.

Travel: 2 trips in 2026

Why: Reset, enjoy life, come back sharper.
How: One spring trip + one fall trip. Short trips count. The point is the reset.

Work projects

Why: Pay the bills and earn the lessons.
How: Day job focus, help launch 2 SaaS apps with the team, and share what worked (and what didn’t).

The reality of things

I’m not trying to build the perfect year.

I’m trying to build a year that keeps moving forward, even after the first missed Thursday, the first bad sleep week, the first “I don’t feel like it.”

Because the secret is:

Consistency and habit-building aren’t personality traits. They’re choices, sometimes easy, sometimes brutally hard, but still choices that you need to make. -Ed Nite

Honestly, this list might sound a little grandiose for some, and I’m not saying you should copy it. My honest recommendation is the opposite: keep it small and simple. One consistent action beats a full page of “2026 plans” every time.

Happy 2026 to all my fellow readers and nerds alike.

Stay nerdy, stay kind, and stay consistent, one small rep at a time.

One caveat: For me, my track record proves I can pull off a lot, especially under pressure. I’m fortunate to have a supportive wife and family who understand when I disappear into projects, but that shouldn’t be the norm. If you’re in a similar situation where work is slowly pulling you away from friends and family, stop and ask: Is it really worth it? Unless you’re building something you truly own, and even then, the answer is usually no.