You know that feeling when January 1st rolls around and suddenly you’re supposed to have your entire year figured out? When the internet is nagging you about goal-setting frameworks and vision boards, but you’re just trying to figure out what you actually want to commit to without adding more pressure to your plate?
If you’re wondering how to set intentions for 2026, without the overwhelm, you’re in the right place. This isn’t about discipline, it’s about discernment. And it starts with treating your commitments like experiments, not life sentences.
Why Traditional Goal Setting Feels Like Too Much
Traditional goal setting assumes you need more discipline. More willpower. More elaborate planning systems. Just more.
But here’s what actually happens: You set ambitious goals on January 1st, feeling motivated and inspired. By January 15th, life gets busy. By February, you’ve forgotten half of them. By March, you feel like you failed.
I know you hear this a lot, but the problem really isn’t you. It’s the model.
Typical goal setting treats commitments like contracts you must fulfill. It doesn’t account for your actual energy, the natural rhythm of your life, or the fact that sometimes what sounded good in December doesn’t resonate in March. For Manifesting Generators especially (or anyone who doesn’t stick with things in a linear way), this rigid approach feels suffocating.
But what if your commitments could be more like experiments? Something you try, observe, and adjust based on what you learn. No shame if it doesn’t work. No pressure to finish what you started if it’s not serving you.
That’s discernment, not discipline. And it changes everything.
Commitments as Experiments, Not Life Sentences
When you frame your 2026 commitments as experiments, you give yourself permission to be human.
An experiment has a hypothesis: “I think doing X will help me feel more Y.” You test it. You gather data. You adjust. You don’t beat yourself up if the hypothesis was wrong – you just learned something valuable.
Here’s how this looks in practice:
- Instead of “I’ll meditate every morning for 20 minutes,” try “I’ll experiment with a 3-minute body scan before coffee for two weeks and see how I feel.”
- Instead of “I’ll launch my business by March,” try “I’ll test one small offer in Q1 and learn what my audience actually needs.”
- Instead of “I’ll journal daily,” try “I’ll try voice memos when journaling feels like too much and see if that works better.”
Do you feel the difference? Experiments have built-in flexibility. They expect iteration. They honor your real life.
The choosy commitment question: Before saying yes to anything in 2026, ask yourself: “Would I commit to this as a two-week experiment?” If the answer is no, you probably don’t want the full-year commitment either. If the answer is yes, start there and see what happens.
The New Moon Advantage: Why Waiting Until January 17 Makes Sense
Here’s something traditional goal-setting doesn’t tell you: timing matters.
The New Moon on January 18, 2026, in Capricorn is the actual energetic beginning of your year. This is when seeds get planted. This is when there’s momentum behind new starts.
Launching commitments on January 1st is like planting a garden in frozen ground. You can do it, but it’s harder than it needs to be. The New Moon gives you natural support. The energy is building. Your intentions have somewhere to root.
Between now (January 11th) and January 18th, you’re in the Balsamic Moon phase, the last sliver before the new cycle. This is release time. Reflection time. The perfect window to figure out what actually makes the cut, without the pressure to start anything yet.
What this means practically: You have six days to get clear on your experiments without needing to launch them. Use this time to sit with your ideas, feel into what resonates, and let go of what doesn’t. Then after January 18th, you start with the moon’s rhythm backing you up.
A Simple Ritual for Discerning Your 2026 Commitments
You don’t need elaborate setups or hours of meditation (because who has time for that?). You need a way to check in with your body and heart, because they know what’s true before your brain does.
The Choosy Commitment Body-Check (5-10 minutes):
- Get grounded. Sit somewhere comfortable. Put your phone on airplane mode or turn on a gentle playlist. Take three slow breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Feel your feet on the floor. Feel your body in the chair. Feel the air as it moves through your lungs.
- Name one potential commitment out loud. Say it simply: “I’m considering committing to X.” Notice what happens in your body. Does your chest open or tighten? Does your breath deepen or get shallow? Do you feel expansion or contraction?
- Ask your body: “Does this commitment feel like a yes, a no, or a not yet?” Don’t think about the answer. Feel it. Your body will tell you: sometimes as a gut sensation, sometimes as a shift in your breathing, sometimes as a clear knowing that just lands.
- Write down what you noticed. Not what you think you should commit to – what your body actually said. If it’s a yes, write it down as an experiment with a two-week test window. If it’s a no, cross it off without guilt. If it’s a not yet, note it for March or June.
- Repeat for each potential commitment. Keep it simple. You’re not making lifelong vows. You’re choosing what feels aligned right now, knowing you can adjust later.
Permission slip: If you’re tired, pick the easiest version of this ritual. One breath. One commitment. One body-check. That’s enough.
What to Do Before the New Moon
Between now and January 18th, resist the urge to get started on anything new.
Instead, do this:
- Notice what keeps coming up. What ideas won’t leave you alone? What feels magnetic even when you’re busy? Those are clues.
- Release what’s stale. If a commitment feels obligatory or like “I should want this,” it’s not yours. Let it go.
- Trust the waiting. This Balsamic Moon phase is designed for clearing space, not filling it. Sitting with uncertainty is productive spiritual work.
One micro-action for this week: Write down 3-5 potential commitments. Don’t commit to them yet. Just name them. Then use the body-check ritual to feel into each one before the New Moon on January 18th.
You’re not behind. You’re right on time.
