What if this year was built on intention, rather than pressure?

Welcome to 2026! While we’re already eight days in, this is the week most of us are getting back into the flow post-Dezemba, post-holiday maxxing, feeling refreshed, motivated, and ready to gently set some intentions for a meaningful year ahead.

Sure, “intentions” might sound like a buzzword, but language truly is magic, it has the power to shape our mindset. Unlike rigid goals that measure success or failure, intentions guide how we move through the year without pressure, punishment, or the need to be perfect.

So we’re not doing resolutions this year. Not the loud, all-or-nothing promises that expect transformation by February. Instead, we’re choosing intentions that can evolve, soften, and still hold meaning when life gets busy.

I’d love to say I read a book but we both know that I was scrolling on TikTok, when I came across a really wonderful way to structure intentions, and while each of our intentions can look and feel any way we want, I thought I’d share this beautifully simple method for 2026. Simple enough to keep, intentional enough to matter.

Grab a piece of paper or a journal, find a quiet space, maybe pop on some soothing music, and include a partner, friend, family member, or go solo. Write the following down, then take as much time as you need to figure out what this year will look like. Listen to your intuition.

1 Misogi for the year

What’s a misogi? A misogi is one intentionally challenging thing you choose for the year,  not to punish yourself, but to stretch yourself. It should feel a little uncomfortable, a little exciting, and deeply meaningful, asking for presence rather than perfection. If it makes your stomach flutter a little, you’re probably close.

Your misogi could be a trip you’ve always wanted to take, training for and running a race, working through a people-pleasing tendency, speaking up for yourself, or even learning a new language or instrument. Think of this misogi as a full-year commitment, something that will shape how you move through 2026.

4 Small Adventures

One for each quarter of the year, moments of novelty and movement. These could be something like a multi-day hike, a solo getaway, reading a book you’ve never considered, planning a special date with a lover, friend, or yourself, learning to surf, taking a drawing class, or tasting something completely new. Big or small, the goal is simply to do something that feels fresh, adventurous, and worth reflecting on.

12 Small Habits

One for each month of the year. This is where intention becomes practice. Choose one small, supportive habit each month. 

A check-in, a ritual, a pause. Not daily, not perfect, just repeatable enough to feel meaningful. It could be journaling every morning, taking afternoon walks in nature, checking in on a parent or friend, showing a little PDA to a loved one, leaving your phone in another room before bed, or giving yourself a foot scrub. The key is to pick something you can realistically do most days and gradually turn into a habit.

So this is our guide for a gentle intention-setting session for a meaningful year ahead.

Do it alone. Do it with a partner. Write it down. Revisit it. Adjust without guilt. The point isn’t achievement, it’s about staying in conversation with yourself.

2026 intentions: yes, please.

Team Please