A Better Way To Do New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions can be exciting in January, but let’s be honest—they often lose steam by February. Many of us set big goals only to feel guilty or defeated when we fall short. But what if there was a more fun and flexible way to approach your aspirations for the year? Enter the New Year’s Bingo card.

Instead of committing to a single resolution, start with an empty 5x5 Bingo grid. In each square, write something you’d like to experience, achieve, or try in the coming year. These can range from small, joyful moments—like eating a freshly dipped corndog—to ambitious goals, like attending a conference or learning a new skill. The beauty of this approach is its flexibility. You’re not stuck chasing one big goal; you have 25 opportunities (well, 24 plus the free space) to make your year interesting and fulfilling.

Throughout the year, crossing off squares becomes a rewarding mini-celebration. And as December rolls around, the Bingo card encourages you to tackle those remaining squares to aim for a full “BINGO.”

[krystencabbage]

This is a great idea, and the "free space" could be something like "turn (the age you'll be)" so you can cross it off just for making it to your birthday!

[ordinaryextraordinary]

My friends and I have had a yearly bingo card for the past half-decade now, and our squares range anywhere from "Margaret Thatcher rises from the grave and has a pay-per-view boxing match with Ronald Reagan" to "I eat soup"

[elizabethfreed]

This is BRILLIANT. I want the entire world to switch from resolutions to bingo immediately.

[benjamin-hw]

I don't get why everyone thinks resolutions need to be so depressing, my resolution is gonna be to try as many different pasta types as possible

[alisaudalova]

Every year my single goal is “Survive the year”, I have very close to breaking that these past few years, but I’m still here 😍
(This was my therapist’s advice a few years back)

[Jay-vnyz]

My girl does a Visionboard every year where she puts aesthetically pleasing photos of things she likes to do to motivate her

[GG]

I stoped making resolutions like "I want to get more fit" and "I want to stop eating out" cuz I always fail them and I feel awful about it, so now I make resolutions like "I'm going to try every new fruit I see, and rank them"

[elisabetheastwood]

I made the middle square "fill out the rest of these squares" so I actually do the bingo. But everybody else's suggestion of "do nothing for a day" is good too.

[Redacted_]

Not me speedrunning it like video game missions and then proceed to be done by the end of February

[gio]

My resolution for the last 4 years has been "don't off yourself", big success

[RadishTheFool]

Suggestion: turn the free space into "loaf around for a day." Purposefully going with the flow for a day, and just doing whatever appeals to us in that moment, is so valuable. And most of us don't do it nearly enough.

So now, whenever we do have one of those bummer days, we can instead feel good about it because we can cross it off and realise: this might be a good thing that I actually needed today.

[Cqat]

New years resolutions worked great for me last year so I'm sticking to them again. Wanted to achieve the muscle up, almost achieved a one arm pullup lol. Wanted to learn full body bone and muscle anatomy for drawing and did.
Wanted to climb my first outdoor 7a and did.

So now my goal for next year is achieving the one armer, front lever, the splits, climbing at least a 7b in fontainebleau as well as increasing my visual library by drawing way more of everything from reference. Wish me luck lol

[lftward]

one of the most influential tumblr posts i've ever seen was this one where someone talked about their resolution being to try every type of apple they could find! some people forget that new year's resolutions can be fun too!!

[PleasantSludge]

I'm doing a reverse resolution this year. My goal is to deep clean my entire house before Jan 1 to go into the new year with a clean home. I only have a couple rooms left 😊

[madikkenzeldafrost]

I put "Give Birth" on my card. I'm due May 14th, so it seems achievable.

[youdidntseeanything]

😮Oh, this is a FANTASTIC idea 💡
It's better to be working towards something, than trying to make up for a failing!

[Scherzo-lxil]

I thought he’s gonna say New Years revolution 😭💀💀

[arobloxperson]

i personally wont use the free space but instead use the middle as my MAIN goal for the year
that way the main goal i complete will open up many new paths for the bingo

[stephenino]

Well, it’s like a bucket list for the year. But I liked the one I saw in a tv movie. Where your close friend or relative creates a bingo card for you to do throughout the year.

[seajelly]

My child and I made NY bingo cards together last year, and had a great time. It's fun to put a mixture of things, ranging from very easy to wild dreams. That way, we got quick wins, goals achieved, and also got to dream together.