"I'll go to the gym this year." = "We'll add tests later."
"I'll read more books." = "We'll write documentation next sprint."
"I'll learn a new language." = "We'll migrate to TypeScript eventually."
"I'll wake up early." = "We'll fix the CI pipeline when it becomes a problem."
"I'll eat healthier." = "We'll refactor this service when we have time."
Completion rate for both categories: approximately 0%.
Both work the same way. You identify a problem and feel motivated enough to make a grand declaration, then keep at it for about two weeks. Life happens, entropy wins, and by February your gym membership is the equivalent of dead code that nobody will ever delete because "we might need it someday."
New Year resolutions are just tech debt with a champagne toast. You're making promises to a future version of yourself that doesn't exist yet, using motivation that has a half-life of roughly 11 days.
Small, continuous improvements work better in both code and life. Walking today beats promising to go to the gym, just as testing the function you are writing now beats promising to add tests later.
But that's not sexy. Nobody posts "I'll make marginally better decisions on a slightly more consistent basis" on Instagram. It doesn't get the likes.
So here is to 2026, with resolutions that compile and builds that pass. I hope your promises to yourself have better uptime than your production servers.
Happy New Year. Same bugs, new calendar.