Happy almost 2025.
I believe in “new year’s resolutions” that start at any time of the year, and evolve in form until they become useful habits.
My most successful resolution ever was one I started on December 26, 2021. It was something I’d initially conceived as a 2022 resolution — but I started early.
It was an idea I probably copied from someone else, and when I had the idea on Christmas day, I thought "I should really start doing this _tomorrow_ and not wait until January 1."
The resolution was quite simple: I created an Airtable form to fill out myself with a few stats and data points (my weight, whether I’d exercised the day before, how positive I felt 1-10, and whether I was on vacation the day before), and resolved to make it my first digital interaction of the day (i.e., before I checked email, looked at my phone, etc.).
It's now almost three years later. I have filled out that form 1058 times, and I've only missed doing it once in three years. It’s also grown in size and scope: there are now around 30 different things I record, and it both structures and sets the tone for my day.
In that spirit, I'm going to try my hand at a 2025 "new year's resolution": I am to write a short Substack post almost every day (at least 5-6 times a week). It's still November, so there's a chance this fails and I don't even maintain the habit until 2025 starts, but I’m now on record trying.
I'll be writing short posts about a lot of things -- topics may include the habits that that form has cultivated, data, startups, polling, AI, and more -- and am aiming to do so most days. Most will probably be shorter than this one.
And if you're thinking about resolutions for 2025, why not start doing them... now?