2026 New Year's Resolutions You Can Win on Day One

What If You Could Win Your New Year’s Resolutions in a Single Day?

What if New Year’s resolutions weren’t something you maintained all year… but something you finished right off the hop?

One-Touch New Year’s Resolutions… You can win them in a day.

Hear me out.

Instead of promising myself I’d “stay on top of the laundry” this year (a lie I have told myself many times), I decided my New Year’s resolution was to move my washer and dryer from the basement into the kitchen.

Not do more laundry.
Not try harder.
Just make it more noticable, and reduce the friction.

And the best part? Once that’s done, the resolution is technically complete. I win. 🎉
The rest of the year is just the bonus round.

That idea—winning your resolutions in a single day—became the theme of my entire year. Rather than relying on motivation (which we all know will abandon us by mid-January), I focused on one-time setup actions that make success basically inevitable.

Below are the kinds of New Year’s resolutions you can “win” on day one—or at least week one—before your motivation returns to baseline and your brain starts bargaining with you again. I’ve only knocked a couple off my list so far.

1. Stop Trying to Go to Bed on Time. Just Block the Distractions.

“Going to bed earlier” is not a plan. Blocking the things that keep you up is.

This might look like using app blockers at night, or the Wi-Fi turning off automatically. I’ve actually already knocked this one off the list. Small adjustments, big payoff.

2. Make Tidying Inevitable (Not Aspirational)

Keeping our van tidy is tough—especially with three kids. So I’ll purchase and install a portable garbage container in my van. If cleanup is frictionless then—inevitably—the van will just stay tidy of its own accord.

3. Make Fitness Happen Without Willpower

This one’s big.

Instead of committing to working harder on my fitness, I decided to make fitness inevitable. This is also one of the things on the list I knocked off immediately. Here are the one-time actions I took to ensure a year’s worth of success:

Body doubling during workouts
Financial penalties if I don’t start on time (yes, there are apps for this)
An AI fitness coach that removes the friction
Distraction blocking during workouts

My real goal: stay on the fitness bandwagon by any means necessary—without using willpower.

4. Plan Two Weeks of Meals—Then Stop Planning

I don’t want to meal plan forever. I’ll plan two weeks, then coast on repeat.

Once the decisions are made, future-me just has to buy the groceries.

5. Automate Extra Mortgage Payments

If it’s optional, it won’t happen. If it’s automatic, it doesn’t require executive function. Enough said.

6. Automate Savings and Investing

Once kids entered the picture, my financial admin fell apart.

So instead of shaming myself, I will use Wealthsimple to automate a simple savings schedule and investment plan.

This is a theme, by the way.

7. Clean Up Old Passwords (Just Once)

I’m currently using Lastpass and things have gotten a little bloated.

This is one of those annoying tasks that quietly saves hours of frustration later. Future you will be grateful.

8. Automate Bedtime Lighting

Smart switches in the bedroom, laundry room, and bathroom mean:

Lights dim automatically
My body gets the “wind down” signal
I don’t have to remember anything

Sleep hygiene without effort > sleep hygiene advice.

At the moment my bedtime routine is pretty dialled in, but during sections of the routine I don’t have a great lighting option. For example, I try to flip a load of laundry during part of the routine; it’s annoying to do it in the dark, but turning on the lights is blinding and counterproductive.

9. Cancel Subscriptions You Don’t Use

For me, that means ditching Adobe and switching to free or one-time purchase alternatives.

For you, it might be:

A streaming service you forgot about
An app you “might use someday”

If I’m honest, this might be the hardest one on the list for me. The only part I really hate about adobe is the large monthly price tag. I’m curious to see how this works out.

10. Unsubscribe From All the Emails

Inbox clutter = mental clutter.

This is a one-time sweep that pays dividends every single day afterward. I’ll set aside some time to unsubscribe from all the emails in my inbox. If you need help, check out this video I made. Also note that google now has a handy “Manage Subscriptions” feature that will make this whole process insanely quick.

11. Add Public Swim & Skate Schedules to Your Calendar

I firmly believe I do my best parenting OUT of the house.

By loading my city’s schedules into my calendar, I became a way more spontaneous (and present) parent. I can suggest activities even at the last minute—without planning fatigue. The only trouble is that you need to update it a couple of times each year. So I’m adding it to my list.

12. Set Up Consequence-Based Morning Alarms

I use an alarm that literally takes my money if I don’t scan a barcode on time. Even though I tend to be under motivated, I consistently get out of bed at 5am.

Is it extreme?
Yes.

Does it work?
Also yes.

If you need help with your morning routine, book a free consult, or grab my free guide to the Best 3 Apps to Optimize Your Morning Routine.

13. Relocate the Washer/Dryer

As I said at the beginning, this is going to be tough, but the payoff will be worth it. It’s currently in the basement, and that makes it hard to remember to stay on top of it. This way, I’ll be able to flip a few loads through while keeping an eye on my kids.

The Big Idea (And the Only One That Matters)

All of these goals have something in common:

They’re one-time actions I can knock out in a few days—before motivation fades.

Instead of asking:

“How do I stay disciplined all year?”

I’m asking:

“What can I set up once that makes success automatic?”

That’s how you make “optimal” feel easy.
And that’s how you actually stick with things when you have ADHD.

If this approach resonates, you’re not lazy—and you don’t need more willpower.
You just need better systems that work with your brain, not against it.

ADHD Coaching Tools That Work

These ideas come out of the concepts we share with clients in our ADHD coaching programs at ADHD Canada. It’s designed to reduce overwhelm and make systems more automatic — something every ADHDer can benefit from.

Do you constantly struggle to follow through on your intentions? Are you ready to turn things around? Book a free consult and get started today!