What's your New Year's resolution?

I need to know.

I love asking people this question. Every New Years Eve I go around insisting people share with me what their resolutions, goals and wishes are for the year ahead. It makes me giddy to start a new! Resolutions don’t have to be daunting or hard to achieve, or life changing. I think taking the time to write down a few things you want for yourself, small or big, is the first step to actually achieving them. So if you haven’t already, take out a piece of paper or notebook and let’s go!

alright, let’s f*cking gab

Read 40 books

In 2022 I read 2 books (senior year man, I had better things to do). In 2023 I read 38 books, in 2024 I read 39 and in 2025 I will read 40. I’ve already read three books this year, so we’re making great time.

Continue to publish my writing

Last year I had set a specific number subscriber goal for my Substack. Since I’m a numbers girl I thought that setting a benchmark for myself would be inspiration enough for me to get me there, but that wasn’t the case. It was more daunting than motivating. I know every successful writers on Substack say consistency is key, and communicating that with your audience builds trust, but with a 9-5 job that just isn’t possible for me right now. So instead, I have shifted my motivation and will continue to publish my writing in 2025, just in a way that makes more sense to me. I love writing and talking to you all on here and I want to make that a priority.

Cook more

How specific! Let me elaborate. In 2023 I cooked all the time. I was unemployed, so I would dedicate entire days to making time consuming recipes for my family and friends. But, when I got a full time job, I stopped almost completely. I didn’t cook after work, I didn’t eat breakfast at home and I ordered lunch with everyone else. This year I’m changing my ways. I’m making myself breakfast, I’m packing myself lunch and when I have the time I’m making a lovely dinner on a week night. I’m so inspired by

Aimee France

cooking videos. I’m taking her cooking philosophies into the new year. 3 drink minimum at breakfast!

Reduce consumption

Last year I set a goal for myself to only purchase one item of clothing a month. The first half of the year I was pretty successful and then I didn’t keep up with that strict number, but I kept the lessons I learned from the exercise. I complied lists, I compared and contrasted pieces, and I took my time before deciding what to pull the trigger on. In 2025 I want to keep up with these practices. I want to buy less. Less clothing, less takeout, less everything. So far, so good. Newsletter on January consumption to come.

Decrease screen time

Every year this is a goal of mine, but I think for the first time I’m making some real progress. I have turned all social media notifications off. I have my phone set to remain on the weather app when I turn off my alarm so I’m not met with notifications as soon as I wake up (and because realistically I’m not going to use an actual alarm clock). And I’m reading right before I fall asleep. All of these with the combination of a potential TikTok ban have decreased my screen time and it feels really good!

Move my body daily

I prefer this mantra to the typical goal of “work out X times a week” because the cycle of wanting to reach that number and then failing and then feeling bad about it and then not doing anything to change it is a bad one. Instead, I’m leaning into conscious decisions to move, not necessarily a grueling work out. Yoga in the morning or before bed, long walks, youtube workouts. All better than not doing them and not as strict as a full on gym routine.

Test my boundaries

This goal I will keep more private, but what I will say is that I am a rule follower. I do not like testing the waters and I think that can limit me. I want to say yes more and ask for more things, because the worst thing that can happen is they say no. And to my type A brain that’s horrible, I hate that, but it can’t be that bad.

willing to share my journal aesthetically, but just aesthetically

Last year I filled out Long Live’s 2024 prompt and loved it so I did it again. It’s a great thing to pair with your list of goals. It’s a little more private, so I had to censor it, but I wanted to show you how cute my journal is.

Find the long live prompt in this newsletter.

Your Kickstart To The Best 2025

Thanks for reading! Before you go, I have one last goal extremely silly goal to share. I want to eat a really good cinnamon bun. They’re very difficult to make, indulgent and expensive so I want it to be a good one. If you a recommendation for a good one please tell me below! As well as a goal you have for 2025. I need to know!

All my love,

Gabbie

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Read last years resolutions here:

Read how they went here:

Read about my bookish goals here: