If The New Year Is Going To Be Different

There is something almost mystical about unwrapping a new calendar for the coming year. All of those blank squares spread out across monthly page after monthly page make our hearts swell with dreams of all that could be possible in the coming year. Maybe this will be the year we’ll finally write our novel. Maybe this will be the year we finally get into great shape and run a marathon.

Or maybe not.

Remember, we were at this exact same place last year. How did this past year turn out? And the year before that? We’ve been here before and dreamed many of these same dreams. Things never seem to work out the way we think they will. We’re constantly disappointed.

Yet, it’s never a matter of information. We know what we want to do. We know how to do it. We just never get it done. It’s always a failure of execution.

So, what’s going to be different about 2026? What are we going to do differently in the new year to make it different from all of our previous years? Let’s face it. If this year is different it will be because we did something differently.

And what will that difference be?

When we look over the past year in order to plan the coming year, our first question should be what are we NOT going to do in the new year? If we’re going to have a different year we are going to have to create some capacity for new things to happen. How will we create that capacity? By not doing some of the things we’ve been doing these previous years. I’ve always found it curious that the righteous man in Psalm 1 is first described by those things he doesn’t do. The man of God, according to Psalm 1, doesn’t go to certain places, doesn’t do certain things, and doesn’t hang around certain people. His righteousness is expressed by the things he doesn’t do.

The first decision we should be making about 2026 is what are those things we won’t do. What are those things that we won’t put on our new calendar? The first of the year is a great time for an honest assessment of how we’ve used our time. What are those things we will cancel, quit, resign from, or not attend in the coming year? What are those things that take up our time but don’t bring us closer to our goals? All of us have made commitments that we regret. We’re serving on some board or agreed to community organization that takes up a lot of time but gets nothing done. This is a great time to write a letter that begins “ After a very rough 2025, I’ve been reevaluating my priorities and time…”

Next, who do we want to become in the coming year? No, that’s not a typo. The question isn’t, “What do I want to accomplish” but “Who do I want to become?” Who we are determines what we do and what we do determines who we are. So, what do we need to do to become who we want to be? What are those habits and rituals that will build our best humanity in the coming year?

Let’s stop here for a gentle warning. We can’t do everything we want to do. There simply isn’t enough time. We don’t have time to climb Mount Everest, run a marathon, start a business in our garage and tutor children in the local elementary school. No matter who we are, we need several hours of rest every day. We need to eat. We need time to study and sharpen our skills and spend time with people we love. There will be people who need us and of course, we have to get the oil changed in our cars. Everything takes longer than we think it does. Which is why most time management experts suggest we have no more than seven goals. Most prefer less than seven. Yet, too many of us will have a list of goals ten people couldn’t get done in a year. Focus is the key.

We know all this. There are only a handful of things that matter. I’ve been in the hospital rooms after the doctor leaves and the patient knows they’re running out of time. It’s funny, but all the things we talk about every day – politics, money, and Tik Tok videos – never come up. In those moments, we only talk about a handful of things. We only talk about those that matter.

Those things that matter should be the things on our calendars. The things that matter should be the only things we do. Life is too short to live any other way. Insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results. 2026 can be a different year. We can be a different person, but we’re going to have to make different choices. We’re going to have to do different things.

I’m praying 2026 is filled with God’s goodness for you and all you love. Happy New Year!

This essay was first posted in Scot McKnight’s newsletter.