My 5 New Year’s Resolutions (That You Might Also Want To Consider)

Oh hi, 2025. Where the hell did you come from?! Every January I feel blindsided by the start of a new year. I’m sure it has something to do with the blur of the holidays hectic with events, preparations (food, gifts, etc.), time with family and friends, travel, and the demands of work from our holiday concerts to year-end fundraising… Then, each January, it all comes to a screeching halt as the next concert isn’t until spring so we have a window of time to reflect. 
Here we are, at the start of another new year, and I’m feeling reflective and lethargic, but also optimistic, refreshed, overwhelmed, ambitious… and somehow clear-headed. That’s what the start of a new year brings: perspective and an opportunity for a fresh start. (Even though we’re all only halfway through our season!)

Every 6 months, I order a new paper planner and map out 12 months at a time. I’ve found this is a great way to internalize the natural rhythms of a season. I don’t feel bad about abandoning the previous calendar after 6 months—it has served its purpose. I spent hours on New Year’s Day with my brand-new planner and meticulously filled it out with projects, weekly reminders, personal plans, etc. (It. Was. So. Satisfying!)

In addition to planning out 12 months, I also reflect on how I did the previous year and set goals for myself. Yes, I am one of those people who make resolutions at the start of each new year. I’ve had varying degrees of success with resolutions. I’ve found I have a natural cycle of starting out GREAT and then as concerts or campaigns near and things get hectic, my intentions (and most everything else!) are thrown out the window in service of that goal or the vision of what we set out to achieve at the start of the season. My healthy routines take a backseat. 

My drive to reach each organizational goal is relentless and often takes a toll on me. These resolutions are a great way to say out loud what I know is best for me, and set my intentions for the year ahead. I do think it’s worth a shot to try and make these changes—or slight shifts—each year. 

Even if it only lasts a month or two, having the memory of resolutions can be a powerful reminder of where you aspire to be and, most importantly, to fight against burnout. So, here are my five resolutions for 2025.

1) This year, I’ll work ahead.

This year, I resolve to work ahead more than last year. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations and forget to chip away at looming projects. Last year there were so many back-to-back projects and events that I found myself working on things due that day or the next day and could not get caught up.

This work can be very demanding. Shifting priorities is a constant. Knowing what to let go of and what to focus on is not an easy thing to do. Putting off responding to an email (because it’s not as important as today’s deadline) takes patience with yourself, kindness to know you will get to it (eventually), and … hahahha THIS ISN’T REALISTIC. WHO AM I KIDDING. Chalk this one up as an aspiration… Ugh. I’m going to try. I give it 6 weeks.

2) In 2025, I’ll not work TOO much. (Hahahahahahahahahahaaha… me? Find balance??)

I think I’ve made this resolution every year for 20+ years. I start out strong and then as the next concert series approaches… I’m back in the deep end barely keeping my nose out of the water so I can breathe. “Not working too much” is challenging in itself. I like this work. I like knowing that each task I complete pushes the organization forward. But working too much will lead to burnout. A donor once said to me, “put a paperweight on it,” meaning, it will be there tomorrow. It’s true and I need to remember that!

So I think the resolution here is actually to stick to my work boundaries, and make an effort to keep work during work hours and actually take weekends off… I really failed at this last year!

3) I resolve to ask for help (more often than I did in 2024!).

I’m terrible at this. I think since I landed in San Diego, I’m getting slightly better at it. It’s hard to let go sometimes. It’s also hard to admit you can’t do it alone (see previous resolution). But if you don’t ask for help, you hoard all of that satisfaction to yourself. And even though it may seem like it’s impossible to train someone on how to do that task, it will be worth it in the long run. Start with the low-hanging fruit and share (delegate!) the easy things first. Then graduate to more challenging tasks. You will be glad you did. [Why am I telling you this?! I’m not. I’m saying this to myself right now!!]

4) I resolve to NOT create MORE WORK for myself.

This is not the same thing as delegation or asking for help. This one is about having too many ideas and overwhelming yourself by clogging your mind / desk / capacity with too many things. Streamline. Prioritize. Let go. I learned (and need to remember!) in the last few years that not every idea I have (or that others have) must be treasured like it’s gold.

9 out of 10 ideas aren’t going to happen because there isn’t time to do it all. Stop creating more work for yourself. [Repeat after me: stop creating work for yourself.] I have a binary system for deciding what ideas move forward. As I consider a project, idea, suggestion, etc. if I have the thought “that would be nice to do,” it goes right into the “nice to do” folder in my laptop/ email and if I ever find I have time to come back to it, I’ll do it. (Spoiler alert: I never ever have had a chance to go back and do any of those ‘nice to do’ things.) This helps me focus on only the things that MUST be done, the necessary things. 

But, I still need to be reminded to stop creating unnecessary work for myself. 

5) In 2025, I resolve to aim for GOOD ENOUGH instead of perfect.

This one is VERY HARD FOR ME. OMG. I have anxiety just thinking about it. There are some areas where you just can’t let it be good enough ( texts in the program book, names on thank you letters, donor lists in the program, the list goes on)... But there are some projects that can be good enough. Sure, that Facebook post should have correct punctuation, but the language can be conversational. It’s mostly temporary. The same can be said about email blasts. Less is more. Graphic design can be good enough (with correct language). Fighting over every detail, beating yourself up over a mistake or two, just stop. 

I’ll never forget the first concert I went to in New York years ago. I couldn’t believe it when I found 4 typos in the program book. I remember thinking, dang, if it happens in NYC it can (and does) happen anywhere! My mentor once told me that when you are in the business of printing materials, you are in the business of printing mistakes. It happens. Move on. My current board president encourages me to aim for progress, not perfection (I’m seriously considering having that tattooed on my arm!!). 

The new year is a chance to set your intention for the year ahead. I hope I stay the course and stick to these but who knows what this year has in store. What are your resolutions for 2025? Tell us in the comments. And If you don’t make resolutions, share why.