Intention
I struggle a lot with keeping my apartment tidy and clean. I am naturally lazy, and usually have the mindset of "I don't care enough" or "it's just going to get used again", so I don't put things away or do household chores. The mess of clothes or dishes or books or things builds and builds, until it hits critical mass and I have to devote an entire day or even a weekend to getting things back into some semblance of order. It's not sustainable, and it's really not great for my mental health. I can't write or concentrate on important things when my house is out of order.
The last few years my mother has done something where around New Years she picks a word to focus on for the coming year. She's done words like Joy and Gratitude. After thinking about it, and about my messy apartment problem, I'm going to give something like this a try. I'm not waiting for the new year, that's too far away and I've already started anyway, but the remainder of 2025 and 2026 will be the year of Intention for me.
Everything I do, I will do with intention. I will intentionally hang my clothes up when I am finished wearing them. I will intentionally make my bed when I get out of it in the morning. I will intentionally put things away before I leave a room.
Part of my purpose in this is not just to keep my apartment tidy, but also to be kind to my future self. When I am lazy and let my laundry pile up or don't do my dishes for a week, I'm being unkind to my future self, who then has to deal with the mess I've made, often at the cost of time that needs to be spent on important things.
This will be my only New Year's resolution. To have intention when I do things, so that I don't leave a problem future me has to deal with.