Instead of Resolutions You Forget by February Run a Research Study On Your Own Life

Every January, we redesign our lives.

We set goals, install apps, optimise routines, and hope this time it sticks.

As a UX researcher, I find this familiar.
Because it’s exactly what happens when teams skip research and jump straight to solutions.

This year, I want to suggest something different:

Treat 2025 as a UX research project.
And treat yourself as the user.

Not metaphorically.
Methodologically.

Most resolutions start with an answer, not a question.

“I need more focus.”
“I should be more consistent.”
“I want to exercise more.”

In research terms, these are features without insights.

Before we design anything, we normally ask:

• What’s actually happening?

• In what context?

• Under which constraints?

• Compared to what assumptions?

We rarely grant ourselves the same rigour. So here’s what I’m suggesting for 2026:

Good UX research questions are:

• Open-ended

• Non-judgmental

• Grounded in behaviour, not identity

Instead of:

“How do I become better at X?” or “I need to do better at X”

Try:

• When does X feel easier or harder for me? (think events, time of day/week, emotions)

• What usually precedes moments of friction or avoidance? (reflect on deep and meaningful reasoning)

• What do I consistently underestimate about myself?

• What do I reliably do instead when I avoid a task?

• What am I assuming about myself that I’ve never actually tested?

If you’re unsure whether a question is “good,” here’s a test:

Could the answer surprise you?

If yes, it’s probably worth studying.

Here’s some inspiration for areas you should focus on researching (you can use the question template above to brainstorm research questions for all of these):

✨ Focus, Productivity & “Getting Things Done”

✨ Time, Overwhelm & Work–Life Balance

✨ Energy, Burnout & Motivation

✨ Health, Exercise & Physical Well-Being

✨ Relationships, Communication & Boundaries

✨ Technology, Attention & Digital Habits

✨ Meaning, Direction & “What Am I Doing With My Life?”

Choose the most important aspects to focus on and create your research plan. Write down your research questions (the ones you want insight about) and the questions you will use to collect the data (the questions you will answer regularly). If creating these questions feels overwhelming, feel free to reach out :)

You don’t need dashboards or habit trackers unless you genuinely enjoy them.
What you need is traceable experience.

Choose one or two, not all:

• Daily micro-notes
  One or two sentences answering:

  • What felt heavy today?

  • What felt unexpectedly easy?

• Event-based notes
  Write something down only after moments of:

  • Strong frustration

  • Happy moments

  • Deep focus

  • Relief

  • Really good days

  • Avoidance

• Weekly synthesis (10 minutes max)
  Ask:

  • What showed up more than once?

  • What surprised me?

  • What did I keep postponing — and under what conditions?

This mirrors how we collect qualitative data in the wild: imperfect, contextual, but meaningful.

Analysis means externalising patterns. After a few weeks, try this:

Group notes by themes:

• Energy

• Environment

• Social context

• Cognitive load

• Emotional triggers

You can even use the areas you chose during your research plan as primary themes, and go deeper for each topic with sub-themes. Don’t overthink labels.
You’re looking for recurrence, not precision.

Also, at this stage the data you are looking for is not yours. Try to detach from what you’re seeing and analyse the data like you’re an investigator who sees this for the first time.

Avoid “I procrastinated” and look for “I avoided starting when the task was undefined”.

Avoid “I only exercised 2 times per week” and look for “I exercised the most when things were more quiet at work.”; “I felt less stressed at work when I forced myself to take a break and exercise.”

This distinction alone often unlocks insight.

Good insights sound like:

“When X condition is present, Y behaviour reliably follows.”

Not:

“I am bad at X.”

Once you have even one solid insight, resist the urge to redesign everything.

In UX, we prototype small changes to test assumptions.

Examples:

• Change the order of tasks, not the workload

• Reduce choice, not ambition

• Adjust timing, not motivation

Then observe again.

Your life is a longitudinal study.
Iteration beats reinvention.

In my experience, the hardest parts aren’t:

• Writing things down

• Being consistent

• Wanting change

They’re:

• Framing the right questions

• Knowing what counts as data

• Turning messy observations into actual insights

• Trusting findings that challenge self-narratives

If you’re curious about treating your year this way but feel unsure about the research part, you’re welcome to reply to this post or reach out for a quick methodology check.

So for 2026, I don’t wish you discipline, I wish you insight and knowledge, so your resolutions will live longer than February.