If your resolution needs its own spreadsheet, it’s a part-time job and it’s not sustainable.
Whether you’re closing out 2025 in sparkles or sweatpants, this mini episode is your permission slip to ditch the shame spiral of unrealistic resolutions. Instead of dramatic overhauls that fizzle by February, I’m sharing a better way: small, sustainable systems that actually support your life.
I’ll walk you through three simple strategies to make your goals stick, without white-knuckling your way into a new personality. Plus, I’ll share one resolution that guarantees lasting impact, requires zero daily effort, and protects both your business and your family.
This episode is brought to you by The Entrepreneur’s Death Folder:
If your business couldn’t run without you, that’s a problem—a haunting your assistant from the beyond kind of problem. That’s where the Entrepreneur’s Death Folder comes in. It’s your digital contingency plan: all your logins, contacts, workflows, and need-to-knows in one tidy, shareable place.
Less spooky, more smart. Because peace of mind is the ultimate productivity tool.
Why Traditional Resolutions Fail
We often approach resolutions like we’re trying out for a new identity. New planner, new diet, new Google Drive folders, and a complete self-rebrand. It feels exciting for about five minutes. Here’s the reality: big, dramatic change rarely works.
You can’t white-knuckle your way into a new personality. Even the most inspiring goals fall apart when life gets busy, motivation fades, or the energy just isn’t there. Resolutions that rely on constant willpower will always fail.
What you need instead is a system. Something that works when you don’t feel like it and is so simple it runs even on your lowest-energy day.
Step 1: Make It Small Enough to Win
Big goals are sexy and seductive. They whisper promises of transformation: run a marathon, overhaul your finances, wake up at 5 AM every day. But big goals also come with big opportunities for failure.
The antidote? Shrink it down.
Instead of “run a marathon,” aim to walk two mornings a week. Instead of “keep the house spotless,” make your goal “keep the kitchen counter clear.” Instead of “journal every day,” try writing just one sentence at bedtime.
The goal is to create wins that feel inevitable. When your brain gets proof that you can change, it builds momentum, which is far more powerful than martyrdom.
Step 2: Automate Your Future Self’s Success
Motivation is unreliable. Systems are not.
The less you rely on daily decision-making, the more likely you are to follow through. So remove friction, set things up in advance, and outsource your discipline to your environment.
If you want to save money, set up an automatic transfer before you can even spend it. If you want to read more, keep your Kindle on your nightstand. If you want to move your body, schedule a recurring walk with a friend who will text you, “Where are you?” if you bail.
Don’t give your brain the chance to talk you out of it. Think of your brain like a very skilled lawyer—it will argue against every single good intention if you leave the door open. Make the better choice the easier choice.
Step 3: Fortify Instead of Fix
Most resolutions are reactive. We pick them because we feel behind, or because something feels broken. But what if your 2026 goal wasn’t to fix something? What if it was to fortify something?
Ask yourself: What systems already sort of work for me? Start there.
If your mornings are chaos but your evenings are calm, build your routine around the evenings. If you never stick with fancy planners but love your notes app, make that your home base.
Improvement feels easier—and lasts longer—when it’s built on top of what already fits your life. Instead of forcing yourself into something new, reinforce the systems that are already holding you up.
The One Resolution That’s Built to Last
If you want to make just one resolution this year—one that actually lasts—this is it:
Put your essential information in one place.
This isn’t about daily motivation or streaks. It’s about creating a single system that protects your business, supports your family, and gives you peace of mind. It’s called the Entrepreneur’s Death Folder—and yes, the name is a little intense, but the purpose is powerful.
Once you set it up, it just sits there quietly doing its job. No checklists. No apps. No pressure. It’s one of the rare resolutions that doesn’t fizzle by February, because once it’s done, it’s done.
Find It Quickly:
00:50 – The Problem with Big Resolutions
01:31 – Step 1: Make It Small Enough to Win
02:24 – Step 2: Automate Your Future Self’s Success
03:12 – Step 3: Focus on Foundations, Not Fixes
04:03 – A Resolution That Sticks: The Entrepreneur’s Death Folder
Review the Transcript:
Welcome back to the System for Everything podcast. Today’s system tip. If your resolution needs its own spreadsheet, it’s a part-time job and it’s not sustainable. Hi friends. Happy almost New Year. Whether you are closing out 2025 with sparkles or sweatpants, I wanna talk about something that sounds exciting but usually ends in guilt resolutions.
Take a second and think about your. Track record with resolutions. How many times have you promised yourself a brand new routine only to abandon it before you’ve even finished the first week of the year? No shame. We’ve all been there. I mean, the problem isn’t us. It’s that resolutions are built for ideal circumstances, not real life.
So today, let’s build a system that actually survives January. I used to try and treat New Year’s like eight. Complete identity overhaul, new planner, new diet, new Google Drive folders. You get it? But eventually I realized that big dramatic changes rarely work. You can’t white knuckle your way into a new personality.
But what does work are small, sustainable systems, things you can actually maintain when the confetti settles and the to-do list reappears. So let’s talk about three ways to make resolutions that don’t suck and actually stick. All right, step one, make it small enough to win. Big goals are sexy and seductive.
I’m gonna run a marathon, I’m gonna overhaul my finances, but giant goals come with giant failure potential. I want you to shrink it down until success feels inevitable instead of run a marathon, make. Walk two mornings a week instead of keep the house spotless. Make it keep the kitchen counter clear.
Instead of journal daily, try write one sentence at bedtime. When goals are small enough to win, your brain builds proof that you can actually change. The key is to build momentum, not martyrdom. Once you start feeling capable, you naturally expand from there. Step two, automate your future self success.
Motivation fades, systems don’t. So I want you to remove as many decisions as possible. If you want to save money, set up auto transfers to your savings account before you can spend that money. If you wanna read more, keep your Kindle on your nightstand. If you want to move your body more, schedule a recurring walk on your calendar with a friend who will text you.
Where are you if you bail? The less friction the better. Don’t even give your brain a chance to negotiate with itself. It is a very skilled lawyer. Think of it as outsourcing your discipline to your environment. The easier you make the good choice, the less energy it takes to follow through. Step three, focus on foundations and not fixes.
Most resolutions are reactive. We pick them because we feel behind or we feel broken. But what if this year’s goal wasn’t to fix something? It was to fortify something. Okay? Ask yourself, what systems already sort of work for me? What if I just made those a little better? Maybe your mornings are so chaotic, but your evenings are calm.
What if you built your routine around that? Maybe you’d never stick with planners, but you love a running notes list. Make that your home base instead of forcing something fancy build around what already fits in your life, improvement feels way easier when it’s built on a foundation that’s already holding you up.
All right? If you want run resolution that is guaranteed to stick. Here it is. Put your essential information in one place. We all say we’ll get more organized, save more, do better. But the entrepreneur’s death folder is the rare system that actually delivers on that. Once you set it up, it doesn’t need daily motivation.
It quietly sits there doing its job, protecting your family, simplifying your business, and giving you peace of mind. That definitely lasts longer than any gym streak. It is a resolution that will not fizzle by February because once it’s done. It’s done. You can grab the link in the show notes to start yours before the new year officially hits.
All right, let’s close with the system. Shut down three perfect New Year’s Eve television episodes to keep you company while you avoid writing your resolutions. Number one, the office ultimatum. I mean, this episode where everyone is making resolutions and absolutely none of them go as planned. It is painfully relatable.
Number two, how I met your mother. The limo New Year’s Eve plans that go spectacularly off the rails, reminding us that sometimes simple is best. And number three, friends, the one with all the resolutions. Everyone makes promises they can’t keep. Plus Ross and leather pants. All right, as you close out the year, remember.
You don’t need to overhaul everything. Pick one system that supports the life you already have and make that your resolution. Thank you for spending part of your year with me. If this episode gave you permission to simplify or rethink your goals, share it with someone who needs that same reminder before January 1st.
I’ll see you next week for the first full episode of the New Year. No glitter. No guilt, just systems. That actually work. Happy New Year friends.
