Happy Almost New Year's Eve- 2026 NYE Resolutions

I can't believe New Year's Eve is already on Wednesday! This year flew by so quickly for me, especially the second half of the year. I've enjoyed traveling, learning, and making new friends in 2025. This week, I want to share six New Year's resolutions I will be bringing into 2026.

1: I want to cook more

My first New Year's resolution is to start cooking more. I really struggle with cooking. I am not totally sure why, but I think it is a mix of an autism (for me) response to food, hectic schedule, and sharing a small kitchen when I am home. I want to find recipes with meat that aren't time-consuming, that I like, and that don't use too many dishes. If you have any recipe ideas, please comment below. I am especially interested in crock pot meals because they are easy to ignore for the day. So far, my one recipe that I enjoy making is a vegan pesto, which is great, but it uses a lot of dishes.

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2: I want to continue to address my perfectionism

I have been working on this throughout 2025. I missed one point in a class that I technically could have redone, but I had a lot of personal projects I needed to get done. I want to address this because it is very likely that I don't get into a PhD or EdD program right away, and I want to be able to have empathy for myself and know that I am trying my best. I also know that I want to have a good relationship with school as I work on my thesis over my winter break and final spring semester.

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3: I want to pick a form of exercise and stick with it

I keep having a problem with exercise, where I start a new gym routine, and then it's too much, and I have a flare-up and have to quit for several months. I want to find a gym routine involving weights that addresses my core, legs, and arms that is not super time-consuming, painful, or strenuous. This will help keep my body stable as preventive care for my muscles without injuring myself. For this resolution, I will work with my physical therapist and health coach so I don't do exercises that aren't beneficial or aren't done correctly.

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4: Balance social time with working time for school

One thing I have done well this year is maintain a social life with friends, without completely disappearing. I want to maintain that balance so I do not isolate. Honestly, I wonder if I need to balance school work more than I did last semester, because my schedule felt hectic at times, where I had too many plans between appointments and social commitments to work in the way I feel best working. I also try to keep my weekends open, which is hard to do when I also do little work during the week. One way I have been finding that balance so far is by having study sessions with friends. I want to continue that in 2026, both in person and on Zoom.

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5: I want to be on my phone less

My phone is always in the background playing music or a YouTube video, whether I am working, getting ready, resting, going to sleep, or even eating. My screen time is anywhere from 8 hours a day to 10 hours a day. That number is very high, probably higher than it should be. I want to take intentional time not to be distracting myself. I did write this blog with no background music or video, which is a good start, but it was also probably an accident. I have heard of the apps that limit your screen time, but I haven't tried them yet because I feel controlled and sometimes I need my phone to access my university account for security reasons.

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6: I want to do more with this blog

I am not sure when I will have time, but I would like to start doing more with this blog. Right now, my two ideas I want to shift into are hosting interviews with other people with disabilities, and I want to start making reels on Instagram about disability content related to research and personal experience. I know I will be managing school, but I am putting it out there that I want to grow this space.

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Thank you for reading about my New Year's Resolutions! If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. Please comment your resolutions below, and I hope to see you next week!