My track record for keeping New Year's resolutions has been so poor over the years that I haven't bothered at all for the last few. The sordid trail of healthy-eating cookbooks, dumbbells and finance-management apps betray a complete lack of willpower.
This year, however, I've had an epiphany: What if it isn't my commitment that's the problem, but the resolution setting in the first place?
So, for 2026, I gave ChatGPT the task of helping me come up with five challenging-yet-achievable New Year's resolutions — from custom-made pledges just for me, to ideas that are completely unexpected.
Resolution 1 — Healthier eating
Resolution 1 — I will eat a balanced, calorie-controlled diet and track my meals consistently to lose about 1 pound per week, aiming to lose 10 pounds by the end of February.
I asked ChatGPT what makes a good resolution and, like any SMART objective you may have at work, it advised me to make them specific, measurable, achievable and relevant.
Because I'm a walking cliché. I spent Christmas Day December completely overindulging my stomach and felt rotten for it by the time I reached New Year's Eve. So I wanted to kick off 2026 with better eating habits, but realized that there's no point in simply setting "Eat healthier" as a resolution.
The general rule when it comes to prompting AI chatbots is that the more details you put in, the better and more relevant responses you'll get back.
So, I fed (no pun intended) ChatGPT a few details about myself and how I currently eat and what I want to achieve.
Ok, the resolution itself is nothing ground-breaking, but I like that ChatGPT followed it up with five genuinely useful tips for making it happen. Although sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods aren't generally two of my vices, I do eat impulsively, so planning meals ahead is a great idea.
Resolution 2 — Exercise routine
Resolution 2 — I will do short, indoor-friendly workouts each week so I feel less gassed and more mobile when I play indoor soccer.
There is definitely huge room for improvement when it comes to my exercise regimen — or, rather, the lack thereof.
I like to take long walks, but have never otherwise derived much enjoyment from exercise for its own sake. No more so is this evident than when I play indoor soccer with buddies once or twice a month. The fact that I can barely drag my feet over to the car at the end of a game is painful clarity that I'm out of shape.
It would be very easy to have a two-word resolution for this: "Exercise more". But I wanted some practical steps that would ultimately help me keep up with the guys.
As well as asking for specific exercises, I also wanted to let ChatGPT know a bit about me so that it would be able to recommend actions that are relevant to me.
Again, I could have easily written the resolution itself without help. But the way ChatGPT laid out a realistic routine for me to follow will really help. I also really appreciated that it had understood from my input that I didn't need a professional athlete's workout and limited it to two sessions per week.
Resolution 3 — Write my screenplay
Resolution 3 — I will write my screenplay by sitting down to write for 30 minutes, three times a week, at the same pre-chosen times, with no requirement for the writing to be good, only that I show up.
For about as many New Year's Days as I can remember, I've always thought to myself that this will be the year I finally write up the film idea I've been boring friends about for years.
You see, it's about a man who goes... HOLD ON A MINUTE. I can't simply reveal my Oscar-worthy idea here on Tom's Guide!
It's a tired old excuse (and a line that I would expect to have edited out of any final draft), but life always seems to get in the way. That's why I need those robust, achievable goals to fall back on.
While I felt confident ChatGPT would come up with solid eating and exercise plans at the first time of asking, this time I asked it for three options to choose from.
Initially, the responses I got back just seemed too vague. So I chained up my prompts with a follow-up request to include the actual timings within the resolution itself.
I really appreciated the unexpected addition to this resolution that there should be "no requirement for the writing to be good". I'm prone to looking back at things I have written and castigated myself for their poor quality. I like that here it's the uninterrupted time that matters, not comparing my work to Quentin Tarantino or Billy Wilder.
Resolution 4 — What pledges are other people making
Resolution 4 — I will strengthen my friendships by organizing one planned social catch-up each month and by reaching out to at least one friend every week with a message or call, even if it’s just to check in.
Eating, exercise and evading procrastination are three absolute staples of New Year's resolution lists from coast to coast. I wanted to know what other useful examples I might be missing out on.
So I asked the chatbot to tell me about the most popular resolutions out there that I may not have considered. Despite wanting fresh ideas, I still let ChatGPT know a few things about my profile so that it didn't suggest something like "Do my homework on time" — that particular ship sailed a long time ago.
Of the five it suggested, one caught my eye: "Strengthen friendships and social connections".
But ChatGPT had broken its own rule by failing to make it specific or achievable, so I followed up by asking it to do exactly that.
Messaging a different friend once a week seems very low commitment, and yet will inspire 52 interactions in the year, which sounds like a great aspiration.
And while one planned social catch-up each month may be a little over ambitious, it's certainly a good place to start and aim for.
Resolution 5 — The wildcard!
Resolution 5 — Practise explaining one complex idea simply
For the fifth and final resolution I wanted to really see what ChatGPT could come up with. A complete wildcard idea that I could try out in 2026.
So I kept this prompt pretty vague, giving the chatbot free rein to suggest anything it wanted. In fact, I made it clear that it was to totally disregard anything it knows about me personally when suggesting these.
Having said that, I also want it to be useful. If it's something completely off-the-wall, it's very unlikely I'll bother sticking to it.
The 10 ideas it came up with were:
- Deliberately learn the layout of one unfamiliar place
- Practise explaining one complex idea simply
- Keep a “things I was wrong about” list
- Spend one month not consuming news in your default format
- Learn to recognize your own stress signals early
- Develop a personal threshold rule
- Create a short list of questions you genuinely enjoy being asked
- Intentionally repeat a good experience
- Learn how something you rely on actually works
- Practise finishing things slightly early
Although at least one of these is entirely impossible for me (number 3, obviously), it's a thought-provoking list.
Number 2 really stood out. I listen to so many podcasts and read plenty of non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects, but rarely feel like I can come away and explain the main takeaways to other people with a sense of authority.
Next time I hear a history show that really hooks me, I'll take the time to learn to explain it properly to friends and family in an engaging way.
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