Have you stuck to your New Year’s resolutions so far? If the answer is no, you are not alone. Research suggests 23% quit in the first week of January and 64% by February.
It’s often hard to maintain the momentum of resolutions. They are born amid the excitement of fireworks and popping corks, but, in the cold light of day, they seem far-fetched and unsustainable.
What if there was another way? A way to help you stay focused throughout the year. A way that prompts consistent choices and encourages you to notice where there is a misalignment.
Set intentions, not resolutions
The field of psychology is showing growing support for setting intentions rather than resolutions. Psychotherapist Hugh Willard states that “Intentions work better than resolutions because they align change with personal values and autonomy”. Psychologist Yosi Amram believes that “intentions act as a compass, guiding decisions and behaviours toward meaningful change”.
So if you’re struggling to stick to your resolutions, now might be the time to switch it up and set intentions instead.
From an L&D perspective, your intentions will act as design foundations, not delivery targets.
Here are some questions to help you form intentions, looking at three different angles:
Perspective one: You as the L&D professional
Questions to explore:
- At the end of 2026, what do I want to have created (rather than delivered)?
- What impact do I want to have this year?
- When I review the year, what achievements would I like to celebrate?
- What words would I want to use to describe this year and how I feel about it?
- What do I want to hear stakeholders saying about L&D in this organisation?
As you consider your role in L&D, ask yourself: what is my intention for the year?
Perspective two: The learners (individuals) in your organisation
Next, shift your focus onto the learners in your organisation.
- As individuals think about their development in 2026, what would I want them to feel has actually changed about the way they work?
- Considering the demands being placed on each person at present, how do I want individuals to feel about the support they have received from L&D?
- What challenges will people likely face in the coming year? How can L&D support individuals and teams to deal with them?
- How can L&D better help individuals to try something new this year, without fear of failure?
- If there was one capability that 2026 is going to require of individuals in this organisation, what is it likely to be?
As you consider how 2026 might impact your learners as individuals, ask yourself: what is my intention for the year?
Perspective three: The organisation as a whole
This final set of questions will help you to take a more strategic view.
- How will learning and development support the organisation to achieve its vision, mission and objectives in 2026?
- How will the L&D function be visible across the organisation?
- What will the organisation do in 2026 to ensure that learning is embedded in its culture and ways of working?
- What will managers do differently to ensure that learning sticks and truly transfers into the workplace?
- What systems and processes do we need to have in place to ensure that learning is considered essential across the whole year?
As you explore the organisation as a whole, ask yourself: what is my intention for the year?
Setting intentions, not resolutions, leads to better outcomes
I hope that you find these questions a useful reflection tool.
If we want learning to become business as usual, we need fewer resolutions about what we’ll deliver and clearer intentions about the conditions we’re trying to create and the outcomes we want to see.
