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Are you feeling nervous to make New Year’s resolutions for 2026…?

One part of you feels like you really long for something more for yourself, your life, and those you care about in the coming year.

But the other part of you just doesn’t know if change is possible because you’ve tried before and failed–again and again. You don’t want to set up expectations for yourself, not meet them and then just feel worse.

If you feel this way, you’re not alone.

It’s vulnerable to try..

To want…

To dare to dream.

But it’s worth it.

If you find yourself tied up in knots even thinking about resolutions, here are a few ways to move forward:

Write all your thoughts and feelings down

Writing out what you’re thinking and feeling can help you sort out the tangled mess in your brain.

Acknowledging what went well in 2025 as well as your disappointments, failures and hurts can bring you to a place of acceptance. It can also help you learn from the past to chart a path forward.

Start small

If it feels too overwhelming to make goals for the year, start with a quarter, a month, a week or even a day.

Recovery programs focus on the idea of living “one day at a time” because the idea of staying sober for years is overwhelming when your past experience tells you that’s impossible.

A similar principle can apply to time management where you focus on going to bed or making a daily plan or staying off your phone one day at a time.

Get help

When I am struggling to move forward in an area where I’m not as comfortable or familiar and particularly where I have any emotions of anxiety, guilt, confusion or shame involved, I get help.

We aren’t meant to walk through life alone. That help could be through a friend, family member, mentor or coach.

If you would like my help to finally making lasting changes, I would be honored to partner with you on the journey.

The first step is to set up a time for a conversation with me here: Consultation Schedule

About Real Life E

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time management coach and best-selling author who empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished. She helps people struggling with new levels of responsibility after receiving a promotion or becoming a parent, who aren’t meeting expectations at work, or who need better work-life balance to overcome burnout.

Elizabeth was named one of the World’s Top 30 Time Management Professionals by Global Gurus every year since 2018 and is a member of Forbes Coaches Council. McGraw Hill published her first book The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Harvard Business Review published her second book How to Invest Your Time Like Money. And FaithWords published her third book Divine Time Management. Elizabeth regularly writes time management articles for Harvard Business Review and Fast Company and has appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox.