January 10, 2026
New year, snooze goals
The paradox of failed resolutions
Do busted goals build greatness—or just excuse failure
TLDR: The piece claims impossible resolutions can still drive real output, citing Samuel Johnson’s prolific work despite constant failures. Commenters pushed back on survivorship bias, demanding data on how non-achievers use resolutions and debating whether big promises motivate progress or just mask procrastination—because what we measure matters.
The essay argues that wild, unkeepable resolutions can still spark real work, spotlighting Samuel Johnson’s habit of promising big (rise at dawn, drink less, keep a journal) and failing often—but still producing a legendary dictionary and beloved essays. The community reaction? Spicy. One reader demanded receipts: are we just hearing about “failed goals” from successful people, while low-achievers quietly give up? Cue survivorship-bias sirens. In the thread, data-hungry skeptics pushed for numbers, while diary diehards cheered the “aim high, fail better” vibe. Productivity fans loved Johnson-as-patron-saint of imperfect ambition; pragmatists rolled their eyes at what they called “to-do list theater.” Humor flew fast: memes about “the 5am club meets at 11,” “New Year, same nap,” and the “notebook graveyard” where good intentions go to die. Some framed resolutions as training wheels—you wobble, but you move. Others called them cosplay for hustle culture, a nice pen disguising procrastination. The biggest disagreement: are repeated failures a creative engine or a comforting loophole? With Johnson’s notes and the author’s diary tips as fuel, the comments turned the page from inspiration to interrogation, insisting: show us the data.
Key Points
- •The article examines the role of failed resolutions, often recorded in notebooks, in the lives of ambitious individuals.
- •Samuel Johnson frequently documented resolutions in his “Prayers and Meditations” and acknowledged failing to meet many of them.
- •Despite unmet resolutions, Johnson produced a definitive 18th-century English dictionary and popular essays.
- •Johnson’s resolutions included keeping a journal, going to church, rising early, studying religion, drinking less liquors, and opposing laziness.
- •The author references Noted’s archives and a previous diary-practice essay to contextualize Johnson’s resolutions.