Skip the Tech Resolutions, Fix the Friction
Timing matters less than intent in digital change
Resolutions promise order, control and improvement, which can feel comforting for those willing to wait out chaos and stagnation until the calendar turns.
In practice, lasting tech change tends to happen without ceremony — when a tool fails, a process slows or risk becomes visible. Small, timely fixes often outperform annual resets.
Maricar Jagger, a painter, freelancer and marketer, along with social media manager and author Carol Stephen talked about high-tech resolutions. Do they have any? If so, maybe there are too many, and they need to whittle down their lists.
Stay Nimble or Fall Behind
When composing her high-tech resolutions, Jagger is pragmatic.
“Start with the problem you’re trying to solve, and then look at budget and capacity,” she said. “I have finance management needs, but I’m not sure if I even have the budget — whether I have the capacity to learn new things.”
Begin with friction. What tech adds drag, distraction or exposure right now? Fixing one real pain point beats drafting a shiny list that expires in a month.
“I like this approach,” Stephen said. “I heard of a good way to experience more joy — through subtraction rather than addition. That seems similar to the tech that adds drag, noise or risk.
“I’d start by looking back at last year’s resolutions and seeing which of the high-tech ones worked and which didn’t,” she said.
What Means the Most?
Consider if there is one resolution that stands out from the rest.
“Not on tech, but I’m going to practice letting people do their thing, adopting lessons on how to lead and manage people,” Jagger said.
If one resolution stands out, it’s usually the only one that matters. Focus beats ambition every time — especially with tech.
“How true about focus, and all the apps and social media posts tend to rob us of our attention,” Stephen said. “I’d like to protect my privacy more by following suggested guidelines, such as the California Delete Request and Opt-out Platform. Every state should have something similar.”
Stay a Step Ahead of Online Threats
Recalibrating is an opportunity to add protection when wandering about the interwebs.
“Because of a resolution, I’ve been using a VPN, and not doing banking and the like when away from home or on mobile,” Stephen said.
Basics still win: strong passwords, a password manager, two-factor authentication, updates on autopilot and a healthy distrust of “urgent” emails. It’s boring, but effective.
That same caution applies when thinking about using artificial intelligence to compose resolutions. Jagger allows that AI can be a good start.
AI works well as a mirror, not a boss. It can surface patterns or blind spots, but humans still decide what actually changes.
“I might use AI to hone the resolutions once I’ve written them, but not to do the initial writing itself,” Stephen said.
Short-Term Ambition
Resolutions tend to fade in importance as the year plays out.
“Some resolutions were accomplished, but frankly I didn’t look at them much past March,” Stephen said, “Maybe they need to be quarterly for some people.”
It’s hard to review resolutions when none existed. Continuous course correction leaves no list to regret — and no guilt spiral to escape.
On the job, coworkers might have resolutions, but are they anyone’s business?
“It’s good to be in-sync with your team,” Jagger said. “Perhaps one of those is good to discuss with the team as a new year welcome back social thing.”
Such resolutions should be only for inspiration, not comparison. Tech habits differ by role, risk and tolerance for chaos. Copying blindly rarely ends well.
Bridge the Generation Gap at Work
“There might be some resolutions that are similar, but not exactly the same,” Stephen said. “Perhaps the personal ones would be better when compared.”
Personal preference determines whether start-of-the-year resolutions have merit.
“It’s definitely a good idea,” Jagger said. “Don’t overthink it, but it helps to focus the mind at a time when you’re ready for a fresh start. Never be afraid to change your mind, or change course, so long as it’s serving your purpose.”
Calendars do not cause change. If something needs fixing, the best start date is “now,” not a culturally convenient Monday.
“I’m of the opinion that January is too cold, rainy and bleak,” Stephen said. “It’s better to do some thinking in January, but to finalize the resolutions in February.”
Tie Resolutions to the Future
Those well versed in the digital world are more likely to have high-tech resolutions.
“I’d like to do more with analog, although I’m not sure what that’ll look like,” Stephen said. “Maybe the collective mind of those near me will have a few answers.”
Replace one manual, error-prone task with automation — and document it so future-you knows what past-you was thinking.
Old tech can interact with new tech if digitizing is among resolutions.
“If that means digitizing old photos, yes, I have some from the 1800s,” Jagger said. “I would love to create digital versions to share with the rest of the family and maybe historians.”
This makes sense if the result reduces risk or friction. Digitizing clutter without a purpose just creates faster clutter.
Turn to Reliable, Dependable Devices
Any high-tech resolution involves cloud technology one way or another. Use the cloud for resilience, not novelty: backups that work, access that scales, and fewer single points of failure.
“Collaborations via document sharing are on my list for this year,” Stephen said.
High-tech resolutions are optional. Fixing broken workflows, bad security habits and noisy tools is not. Start when it hurts, stop when it works, repeat as needed.