12 New Year's Goals for 2027 That Feel Like Treats, Not Chores

This site contains affiliate links, view the disclaimer page for more information.

Every January I used to write a list of New Year’s Goals that sounded impressive and felt miserable. Run a marathon. Save a fortune. Become a morning person overnight. By February, the list was folded in a drawer and I was quietly pretending it never existed. Sound familiar?

Here is what I finally figured out. Most New Year’s Goals fail because they are too big, too vague, and not much fun. A goal that feels like punishment will lose to a cozy couch every single time. So for 2027, I am doing something different. I am choosing small, repeatable habits that feel like treats. Each one gives you a monthly mission, a tiny win, and something to look forward to.

I know exactly what happens to my willpower after a long, busy day. It disappears. The only goals that survive a packed schedule are the ones that are easy to start, enjoyable to repeat, and flexible enough to bend when life gets chaotic. That is the test I used for every item on this list.

You do not have to do all twelve. Pick the three that call to you most and add more as the year goes on. Or treat 2027 like a project and do the whole list. Either way, let’s make this the year your New Year’s Goals actually stick.

Goal 1: Teach yourself a new life skill each month

How many adult skills do you wish you had but keep putting off? I have a list in my head, and it is longer than I want to admit. This goal turns that list into a plan. Each month, learn one practical skill and practice it until you feel confident.

CPR is the one I push hardest. A calm, trained person in the first few minutes of an emergency can change an outcome, and a one-hour class from the Red Cross or the American Heart Association could genuinely help someone you love. If you only pick one skill from this list, pick that one.

Twelve skills to consider:

Sew on a button
Change a tire
Learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver
Jump-start a car
Remove common stains
Hem a pair of pants
Find your water shut-off valve and circuit breaker
Unclog a drain without chemicals
Tie three essential knots
Sharpen your kitchen knives
Build a simple budget and emergency fund
Assemble a home emergency kit

Tip: Watch a tutorial first, then do the task for real. Reading about a flat tire is not the same as loosening lug nuts in your driveway on a Saturday morning when nothing is at stake.

Goal 2: Cook a new cuisine each month

Food is the easiest way to travel when you cannot leave your kitchen. Each month, choose a country you have never cooked from and make one dish from start to finish. Shop for at least one ingredient you have never used before.

The first time I made a proper curry paste from scratch instead of buying a jar, I stood at the stove feeling like I had unlocked a level in a game. It was messy, a little too spicy, and absolutely worth it. The goal is not perfection. The goal is adventure.

Twelve dishes from around the world:

Japan: okonomiyaki
Morocco: chicken tagine
Thailand: green curry
Mexico: mole poblano
India: chana masala
South Korea: bibimbap
Greece: spanakopita
Ethiopia: doro wat with injera
China: scallion pancake
Vietnam: pho
Spain: paella
Italian: eggplant parmesan

Tip: Cook with a friend or invite someone over to taste. Ambitious recipes feel less intimidating when someone else is chopping onions beside you.

Goal 3: Make something from scratch each month

There is a special kind of satisfaction in holding something you made with your own hands. Each month, pick one homemade item and give it a try. Your home will smell better, your gifts will feel more personal, and you will know exactly what is in the things you use every day.

Have you ever made your own vanilla extract? It takes almost nothing: vanilla beans, vodka, and a jar. Then you wait. Start it early in the year and by the holidays you will have something you can proudly gift. Waiting is part of the fun.

Twelve ideas for homemade items:

Soy or beeswax candles
Hand soap
Beeswax food wraps
Reed diffusers
Vanilla extract
Lip balm
Sugar body scrub
Linen spray
A sourdough starter and your first loaf
Herb-infused honey or flavored salts
Bath salts
Laundry Detergent

Tip: Buy a small starter kit or just the ingredients for one batch. Do not stock up on supplies for a hobby you have not tried yet.

Goal 4: Pick up a screen-free hobby, just for you

This one comes with a rule: it cannot be a side hustle. No selling it, no posting it for likes, no turning it into content. Pick something creative that brings you joy for no reason other than joy.

I know how easy it is to turn every enjoyable thing into a project with a deadline or a photo opportunity. Reclaiming something that is just mine has been one of the best things I have done for my mental well-being. Think watercolor, knitting, embroidery, pottery, calligraphy, birdwatching, or journaling.

What have you always wanted to try but told yourself you did not have time for? Start there. Tip: Give yourself permission to be bad at it. The first scarf will be lopsided. The first painting will look like a puddle. Keep going anyway.

Order a how to kit for some of these common hobbies:

Goal 5: Become a monthly history nerd

Each month, pick one fascinating moment from history and go down the rabbit hole. Read a book, watch a documentary, or listen to a podcast series. By December, you will have twelve new topics in your back pocket.

Why does this matter? Because curiosity is a muscle, and because you never know when a random fact will rescue an awkward dinner conversation. I once spent a weekend reading about the Dancing Plague of 1518, when hundreds of people in Strasbourg danced for days without rest. I have brought it up at three parties since. People lean in every time.

Here are twelve topics to consider:

January: The Dancing Plague of 1518
February: The Library of Alexandria
March: The rise and fall of the Roman Empire
April: Tulip Mania in the Dutch Golden Age
May: Cleopatra and Ptolemaic Egypt
June: The Silk Road
July: The eruption of Pompeii
August: The Great Fire of London
September: The Vikings
October: The Salem Witch Trials
November: The real story behind the first Thanksgiving
December: The history of Christmas traditions

Tip: Let the month’s topic guide your library visits. A single good biography or a six-episode podcast is plenty. You are not writing a thesis. You are collecting stories.

Goal 6: Take one slow morning each month

Pick one day a month and protect it fiercely. No alarm, no plans, no errands. Make a cup of tea, read a book, sit by a window, and notice the start of your day instead of rushing through it.

I came to slow mornings the hard way. Most of my mornings begin at a sprint, with a to-do list running before I have finished my first coffee. So the first time I spent an entire morning doing absolutely nothing, I felt guilty for about twenty minutes. Then I felt like a new person. Now I put my slow morning on the calendar the same way I would schedule an appointment. (my full post on my slow mornings )

Ideas for your slow morning:

Brew something you actually enjoy, like loose-leaf tea or a pour-over coffee
Keep your phone in another room
Read ten pages of a book you chose purely for pleasure
Open a window and listen
Make a simple breakfast without rushing

Tip: Treat it as non-negotiable. If you would not cancel a doctor’s appointment, do not cancel this.

Goal 7: Schedule a screen-free day each month

A slow morning is a gentle start. A screen-free day is the full reset. Choose one day a month to put your phone away and spend the hours in nature, with a book, or simply with your hands busy.

Give your close ones a heads-up beforehand so no one worries. A quick text the night before does it: “I’ll be offline tomorrow and back on Monday morning. Call if it’s urgent.” Then set an auto-reply and let it go.

Will you feel twitchy the first couple of hours? Probably. I did. I kept reaching for a phone that was not there. By the afternoon, though, my brain felt quieter than it had in weeks. I noticed the light, the sounds, and how long a single hour actually feels when you are not splitting it between five tabs.

Ideas for your offline day:

Hike a trail you have never tried
Bake something that takes all afternoon
Visit a used bookstore and leave with a surprise
Do a puzzle
Have a picnic

Tip: Plan one or two activities in advance. A blank day with no plan and no phone can feel aimless at first.

Goal 8: Walk once a week just for the sake of walking

No step count. No podcast. No fitness tracker. Once a week, step outside and walk for the pure sake of it. The only mission is to notice something new each time.

Have you ever walked a street a hundred times and then suddenly spotted a tiny garden, a mural, or an odd little house you swear was not there before? That is what this goal is for. Fresh air and attention are a powerful combination. I have found that my best ideas and calmest moods tend to arrive about fifteen minutes into an aimless walk.

Try keeping a note on your phone called “things I noticed.” After a few months, it becomes a quiet little diary of your neighborhood and your mood.

Tip: Vary your route. Turn left when you usually turn right. Walk at a different time of day. Novelty keeps the habit alive.

Goal 9: Buy yourself flowers each month

Buy flowers for no reason. Not for an anniversary, not for a dinner party, not because someone gave you a reason. Just because you deserve a little beauty on your kitchen table.

This might be the easiest goal on the list, and it might be my favorite for the effort-to-joy ratio. A grocery store bouquet costs less than a fancy coffee and brightens a room for a week. A farmers market bunch feels like a small celebration.

How do you make them last? Trim the stems at an angle, change the water every two days, and keep them away from direct sun and ripening fruit. A little care adds days to their life.

Tip: Let yourself buy something different each month. Tulips in spring, sunflowers in summer, dahlias in fall, eucalyptus and pine in winter. The seasons become part of the ritual.

Goal 10: Save one meaningful photo each month in an album called 2027

At the end of each month, scroll through your camera roll and choose one photo that meant something to you. It might be a sunset, a messy table after a great dinner, or a picture of friends laughing so hard no one looks their best. Save it in an album called 2027.

By December, you will have twelve images that tell the story of your year in terms of gratitude rather than achievements. I started doing this a few years ago, and the album has become my favorite thing to scroll through on a gray afternoon. It is not a highlight reel of impressive moments. It is a record of what made me feel full.

Tip: Do not overthink the choice. Pick the photo that gives you a little warm feeling right now. That feeling is the whole point.

Goal 11: Take a one-time community class

Sign up for a single class in your community and show up. A cooking class, a pottery workshop, a dance lesson, a floral design evening, or a beginner golf or tennis clinic all count.

Why a one-time class instead of a long course? Because the commitment is small and the reward is big. You get to try something new, meet people you would not otherwise meet, and decide whether you want to pursue it further without feeling locked in.

I have noticed that the hardest part is not the class itself. It is the moment right before, when you are standing outside wondering whether you will be the only beginner. You will not be. Everyone in that room is nervous too, and that shared nervousness makes for surprisingly quick friendships.

Tip: Bring a friend if you are nervous, or go solo if you want to meet new people. Both work beautifully.

Goal 12: Plan a monthly dinner with friends or family

If I had to choose one goal that matters more than all the others, this would be it. Make a monthly dinner with people you love a fixed part of your life. Host at home, try a new restaurant, or pack a picnic and head to the park.

Life gets busy, and it is shockingly easy to go months without seeing the people you care about most. Even with my sister Cat in my life every day, I notice how easily friendships slip when no one puts a date on the calendar. A recurring dinner solves that. It turns “we should get together sometime” into “see you the first Sunday of the month.”

Make it easy on yourself:

Pick a recurring date, like the first Sunday or the last Friday
Keep the menu simple, or make it a potluck
Rotate who hosts so no one carries the load
Let it be imperfect: paper plates and good company beat a perfect table with nobody at it

Tip: Combine this goal with Goal 3. Cook your monthly international dish for your dinner guests and let them be your taste testers.

How to make these New Year’s Goals stick

Having a list is easy. Following through is the hard part. Here is what has helped me keep my own goals going, even during my busiest seasons.

Do not try to launch all twelve in January. Choose the one or two that excite you most and add more as habits form. A goal you actually do is worth more than ten you merely planned.

Put it on the calendar. A goal without a date is a wish. Block your slow morning, your screen-free day, and your monthly dinner into your calendar the same day you decide to do them. Track it simply. Checking a box feels surprisingly good, and a visible streak makes you want to keep going.

Forgive the missed month. Life happens. If you skip March, do not abandon the whole year. Pick up again in April. These New Year’s Goals are meant to add joy, not guilt.

Combine them. Many of these goals overlap beautifully. Make your new cuisine dish for your monthly dinner. Take your weekly walk to a flower shop. Photograph your homemade candle for your 2027 album. One afternoon can check three boxes.

A sample month might look like this: January means studying the Dancing Plague, sewing on a button, cooking okonomiyaki, pouring your first candles, buying yourself tulips, and hosting dinner on the first Sunday. That is a full, rich month without a single item that feels like a chore.

A few bonus ideas

If twelve is not enough to pick from, here are a few more small habits to consider:

Write one handwritten letter or card each month
Learn five words in a new language each month
Try a no-spend weekend once each quarter
Volunteer a few hours each season
Plant something new each season and watch it grow
Read a book from a genre you normally skip

The bottom line

The best New Year’s Goals are not the ones that sound the most impressive. They are the ones you look forward to. They make your days a little slower, your home a little cozier, your mind a little sharper, and your relationships a little stronger.

So which one calls to you most? If you are not sure, start with the easy ones: buy yourself flowers, take a slow morning, and put a dinner on the calendar. Those three alone can change how a whole year feels.

I would love to hear which goals you are choosing for 2027. Share your picks in the comments, and tag your progress with #BriAndCat so I can cheer you on. And keep an eye out for upcoming posts on slow mornings, monthly dinner ideas, and step-by-step DIY tutorials. Here is to a 2027 filled with treats instead of chores.

Happy New Year!

With Love,

Bri and Cat

Affiliate Disclaimer:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that we believe will add value to our readers.