Tuesday evening, December 31st. Your social feeds are filling up with resolution posts. "This year I'm going to..." followed by ambitious goals, inspiring declarations, and optimistic promises. You feel the pull to join in, to announce your own intentions. Don't. You're about to trade actual change for social validation.

The Thesis

Announcing goals makes you less likely to achieve them. When you tell people what you're going to do, your brain gets a hit of satisfaction from their approval—satisfaction it would normally reserve for actually doing the thing. You've spent your motivation currency on the announcement instead of the work.

This means: The resolution post isn't preparation—it's a substitute. You're performing the identity of someone who makes changes rather than making changes.

The controversial claim: Keeping your goals private dramatically increases your chances of success. The people who achieve their goals are the ones who shut up and do the work. The people who announce them are cosplaying achievement.

Why We Announce Resolutions

The immediate reward:

When you post "In 2026, I'm going to run a marathon / learn Spanish / write a novel," what happens?

  • Likes, comments, encouragement
  • People tell you how great that is
  • You feel motivated, validated, committed
  • Your brain releases dopamine
  • You get the social credit for the goal

The problem:

Your brain just got rewarded for having the goal, not for achieving it. You received the social validation that's supposed to come after accomplishment, but you received it for free, just for announcing your intention.

What this does to motivation:

The motivation to achieve the goal was partially about proving to yourself and others that you're the kind of person who does hard things. But you just got that validation already. Your brain got paid. The psychological need is partially satisfied.

Result: Your actual motivation to do the work decreases. Not because you're lazy, but because you've already consumed some of the reward.

The Research Behind This

NYU research (Peter Gollwitzer):

Studies show that when people announce their goals to others, they're less likely to achieve them. The act of telling creates a "social reality"—other people now see you as working toward the goal, even though you haven't started.

What's happening:

Your brain can't distinguish between the social recognition of having a goal and the social recognition of achieving it. Both feel like validation. Both feel like success signals.

The kicker:

The more positive the feedback on your announcement, the less likely you are to follow through. Enthusiastic support front-loads the reward, decreasing the need to actually do the thing.

The Resolution Theater in Action

Scenario 1: The Social Media Declaration

January 1st, you post: "2026 is my year! I'm committing to: daily exercise, reading 50 books, learning piano, and finally starting that business!"

Responses flood in:

  • "You got this!"
  • "So inspiring!"
  • "Can't wait to see your progress!"

You feel: Energized, accountable, committed.

Reality: You just got the social reward for the identity you want, without earning it. You've performed the role of ambitious goal-setter and received applause.

Two weeks later:

You've been to the gym twice, haven't touched a book, the piano sits unplayed, and the business idea is still just an idea. But you can't post about failing—that would contradict the identity you publicly claimed. So you just... stop posting about it. Quietly abandon the goals. Delete the evidence.

The lesson: The public declaration wasn't about the goals. It was about the performance.

Scenario 2: The Accountability Buddy

You tell your friend: "I'm quitting sugar for the whole year. Hold me accountable!"

Your brain registers: commitment made, witness established, identity claimed.

What your friend does: Probably nothing. They're not actually going to monitor your sugar intake. But you've gotten the psychological benefit of "having told someone," which feels like progress.

Two months later, you're eating sugar again. Your friend hasn't mentioned it. Neither have you. The accountability was theater.

Scenario 3: The Group Resolution

You and your friends declare together: "We're all going to [goal] this year!"

The dynamic: Shared excitement, group energy, mutual support promises.

The reality: Groups rarely coordinate successfully on individual goals. Everyone's timelines, motivation patterns, and obstacles are different. Within weeks, the group chat goes quiet. Nobody wants to be the first to admit they're struggling.

What this reveals: The group resolution was social bonding, not serious commitment. You were performing solidarity, not planning achievement.

What Actually Works

Rule 1: Keep goals private (mostly)

Tell people after you've made progress, not before. Let your results announce themselves.

Why this works:

  • Preserves motivation for the work itself
  • Avoids premature validation
  • Prevents the need to manage others' expectations
  • Allows you to fail and adjust privately

Exception: Tell one person who will actively help (coach, trainer, partner who's doing it with you). Not for accountability—for actual assistance.

Rule 2: Replace announcement with systems

Instead of declaring "I'm going to run a marathon," just start running. Every day. Build the habit first, announce the achievement later (if at all).

The shift:

  • From: "I'm going to be the kind of person who..."
  • To: Acting like that person without announcement

Rule 3: Track privately, celebrate publicly (after)

Keep a private log of your progress. Don't share it. When you've actually achieved something meaningful, then—and only then—you can share if you want.

The difference:

  • Announcing intentions: "I'm going to lose 30 pounds this year!"
  • Sharing results: "I lost 30 pounds." (After you've done it)

Why this works: You're sharing achievement, not aspiration. The validation comes after the work, reinforcing the behavior rather than substituting for it.

The Contrarian Strategy for Tonight

If you must make resolutions:

  1. Write them down privately. No one sees them.
  2. Break them into immediate next actions. Not "get fit," but "go to gym tomorrow."
  3. Start tomorrow, not January 1st. December 31st evening is fine. Right now is fine.
  4. Do not announce them.
  5. Show results, not intentions.

The uncomfortable truth:

If you're more excited about announcing your resolution than doing the first step of it, you don't actually want to do it. You want the identity of wanting to do it.

Test this:

Would you still pursue this goal if you could never tell anyone about it? If no one would ever know you did it? If you couldn't post progress photos, share milestones, or receive validation?

If the answer is no, you don't want the goal. You want the performance.

The Real Work

Midnight tonight, everyone will be announcing resolutions. Performing transformation. Broadcasting intentions. Getting likes for ambition.

You could join them. Post your goals, feel that warm rush of social approval, get the dopamine hit.

Or you could keep your mouth shut and start actually doing something tomorrow. No announcement. No audience. No validation until you've earned it.

The difference:

One makes you feel like you're changing. The other makes you change.

One gives you credit for wanting to be better. The other makes you better.

One is theater. The other is work.

Choose work.

The people who achieve their goals are busy doing them. They're not busy talking about doing them.

Start quiet. Stay quiet. Let your results speak when they're ready.

Happy New Year—but only if you're willing to shut up about it and put in the work.

Today's Sketch

December 31, 2025