Resolve to Do Less

Maria Riley offers five options for slowing down and being more present in the new year.

As 2025 draws to a close, we can’t help but look back over our year. If you’re anything like me, you may have noticed your year flew by, due in part to how busy you were all year. Filling our schedules with activities, sports, Bible studies, and more can be fulfilling, but it can also be exhausting. 

For those of us looking for more serenity, New Year’s resolutions give us an opportunity to prioritize what is most important in our lives. Choose one or two of these suggestions to start living with the rest and balance the Lord desires for our lives. 

Resolve to Actually Rest on Sundays

This one is a biggie, especially in our hectic American culture. The weekend becomes the time when all of our chores and obligations get done. Our weekdays are full of work and activities, and we have so much to get done on Saturday and Sunday. 

The Lord created the Sabbath for us so we would learn how to rest. Imagine starting each Monday after a restorative day on Sunday complete with Mass, enjoying family time, and maybe taking a nap! 

Resolve to Make Time for Silence

The Lord speaks to us in the silence, but our lives are cluttered with noise. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Yet it can be challenging to find the space and silence to go to our Lord. 

Adoration is the perfect opportunity to come to the Lord and let him bless us in the prayerful silence. If you are blessed to have an Adoration chapel nearby, set a time each week and bask in the gift of his presence. 

Resolve to Say “No.”

Many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with our schedules which are jam packed with good things. We sign ourselves and our kids up for every new opportunity, without discerning and praying about the decision beforehand. 

When we say no to some good things, we make room for the great things that the Lord has planned for us. If you struggle to find the words, remember, “No.” is a complete sentence. 

Resolve to Schedule Fun

We need play in our lives, and when we participate in activities we love with people we love, we can be recharged in a life-giving way. The problem is that our schedules are often so busy that we’re only focused on the next thing on our calendar. Fun is reserved for summer vacations. 

Instead, choose to schedule fun into your weekly calendar. This might be a family movie night, playing board games, or taking a nature hike together. When it’s on our calendar, we can be sure to include recreation into our lives. 

Resolve to Ask for and Accept Help

Sometimes, the reason that we’re feeling burnt out and overwhelmed is because we’re doing more than one person can. We may believe that everything is our responsibility, or we may never have been taught to ask for help.  

The Lord created us for community. We aren’t meant to do it all alone. Asking for and accepting help isn’t a sign of weakness; rather, it’s an opportunity to deepen relationships. When we ask the Lord, our spouses, our kids, extended family members, and neighbors for help, we’re strengthening those relationships, and giving ourselves permission to not be responsible for everything.  

By resolving to do less in 2026, we can find ourselves more recharged and living life the way the Lord intends us to.  

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Copyright 2025 Maria Riley
Images: Canva