Beyond Resolutions: Using AI to Create Real Change in 2025

Every year, I choose a word—a kind of guiding star for how I want to live and grow. In 2023, it was "adventure" nudging me to embrace the unknown and step beyond my comfort zone. In 2024, I chose "create" a challenge to turn inspiration into action and imagination into something tangible. But as I look back on these years, I realize the moments of adventure and creation didn’t always connect. Instead, they often felt like distinct chapters in a book missing a unifying theme.

When I reviewed my year using AI tools like Claude, the insights hit me: my days were filled with purposeful moments, yet they lacked harmony. My mornings often held the thrill of new beginnings, but by evening, I felt like I was chasing loose ends. The stories of "adventure" and "create" were exciting, but they weren’t always aligned with a greater narrative. What I needed wasn’t just more goals but a way to weave them together—something beyond the static lists of resolutions that so often fade by February.

And then it struck me: what if AI could help me not just accomplish tasks but also uncover the patterns and possibilities hidden in the structure of my days? What if 2025 could be the year of Integration—a year where my adventures fuel my creativity, and my creations bring purpose to the paths I explore?

From Reflection to Action

Armed with these insights, I shifted my approach. Instead of setting rigid goals, I designed flexible systems using AI:

• For energy management: Blocking creative work during my high-energy windows and saving administrative tasks for slower afternoons.
• For health: Using meal prep suggestions from an AI tool that accounted for my evening client calls and frequent travel.
• For creativity: Letting AI organize my brainstorms into actionable steps, ensuring my big ideas weren’t lost in the shuffle.

This wasn’t about delegating decisions to AI but partnering with it to uncover opportunities and simplify complexity. The result? Real progress without the constant tug-of-war between ambition and exhaustion.

December: The Month of AI-Enabled Reflection

As we approach 2025, I encourage you to inaugurate December as a month of reflection—not just of your highlights and lowlights but of the patterns that shaped your year. AI tools like Claude can guide this process, helping you analyze your calendar, task lists, and even your photos to uncover insights you might otherwise miss. Ask questions like:

• When was I happiest or most energized, and why?
• What commitments brought me closer to my goals, and which pulled me further away?
• What systems helped me thrive, and where did I need more support?

This kind of review goes beyond typical resolutions. It’s not about fixing what’s “wrong” but celebrating what’s working and finding ways to do more of it.

Using AI to Design Systems That Work

New Year’s resolutions often fail because they attempt to change behaviors without understanding the systems behind them. AI offers a unique opportunity to break that cycle—not by imposing solutions but by revealing patterns we might not notice on our own. Here’s how I used AI to conduct a meaningful year-end review and prepare for the months ahead:

Step 1: Gather Your Digital Footprint

I started with Claude, one of my favorite AI assistants, to analyze different aspects of my year. Together, we dove into:

• My calendar: Not just meetings and events, but energy patterns throughout my days.
• My photos: The moments I chose to capture (and those I didn’t).
• My email: Communication patterns, commitments, and time investments.
• My task lists: What I prioritized versus what kept getting pushed to “someday.”

These insights formed the foundation for deeper exploration.

Step 2: Ask Better Questions

AI didn’t just help me look at the “what”; it helped me understand the “why.” Instead of asking, “What did I achieve this year?” I asked:

• When was I most energized? What patterns emerge from those moments?
• Where did I consistently invest my time, regardless of stated priorities?
• What problems did I solve repeatedly, indicating a need for systematic change?
• Which relationships grew stronger, and what characterized those interactions?

This process illuminated areas where my actions aligned with my goals—and where they didn’t.

Step 3: Identify Hidden Patterns

Here’s where AI truly excelled. Reviewing my calendar with Claude surfaced patterns I hadn’t noticed before:

• Peak creativity: My most innovative work happened during meeting-free blocks before 11 a.m.
• Avoidance tendencies: I consistently rescheduled certain commitments, indicating hidden resistance.
• Successful projects: My best outcomes shared common elements in their setup and execution.
• Energy dips: Extended travel—more than three consecutive days—left me drained and unproductive.

These revelations empowered me to design systems that worked with, not against, my natural rhythms.

Moving from Reflection to Intention

Armed with these insights, I started creating solutions that aligned with my patterns:

• Blocking creative work during high-energy times.
• Adjusting my travel schedule to include buffer days for recovery.
• Streamlining meal prep with AI-generated suggestions tailored to my busiest evenings.
• Building in regular check-ins to track progress and recalibrate systems as needed.

This wasn’t about achieving perfection—it was about building momentum for sustainable change.

What if AI could help me not just accomplish tasks but also uncover the patterns and possibilities hidden in the structure of my days? What if 2025 could be the year of Integration—a year where my adventures fuel my creativity, and my creations bring purpose to the paths I explore?

Your Month-by-Month AI Journey for 2025

AI isn’t just a tool for reflection; it’s a partner in ongoing transformation. Here’s how you can use it to guide your year, one month at a time:

January: Foundations & Personal Productivity

Focus on understanding your natural rhythms. Use AI to:

• Analyze your peak performance times.
• Create schedules that optimize your energy flow.
• Design automated workflows for routine tasks.
• Generate productivity prompts that resonate with your work style.

Try This: Ask Claude to analyze your most productive days from 2024 and suggest an ideal morning routine.

February: Relationships & Connection

Focus on deepening your relationships and building meaningful connections.

• Use AI to identify the relationships that bring you the most energy and joy.
• Analyze your communication patterns to discover areas where you can improve engagement.
• Create reminders for key dates (birthdays, anniversaries) and automate small gestures like thank-you notes.
• Use AI to craft thoughtful outreach messages for networking or reconnecting with old friends.

Try This: Ask Claude to analyze your email and messaging history to highlight people you haven’t connected with in a while and suggest a simple way to reach out.

March: Creativity & Innovation

Channel your creativity into bold ideas and new projects.

• Use AI tools like Jasper or Canva’s Magic Studio to brainstorm and visualize your ideas.
• Analyze your most successful creative projects to identify patterns in how you work best.
• Schedule time for uninterrupted “creative blocks” in your calendar, guided by insights from your energy patterns.
• Collaborate with others using AI-powered tools for brainstorming and content creation.

Try This: Use Midjourney to generate visual concepts for an idea you’ve been sitting on—it’s a great way to bring abstract ideas to life.

April: Health & Wellness

Prioritize your physical and mental well-being.

• Use AI tools like Fitbod or Calorie Mama to design personalized workout and nutrition plans.
• Analyze your sleep patterns and adjust your routine to improve rest and recovery - I use my Oura ring for this.
• Schedule “micro wellness moments” into your day, such as meditation breaks or short walks.
• Reflect on how your energy levels correlate with your diet and exercise habits.

Try This: Ask Lumen to provide metabolic insights and pair them with AI meal suggestions tailored to your energy needs.

May: Learning & Growth

Invest in expanding your knowledge and skills.

• Use AI to identify online courses or books aligned with your professional and personal goals.
• Analyze how you learn best—visual aids, hands-on practice, or discussion—and tailor your approach.
• Create a schedule for consuming learning content, using AI reminders to stay on track.
• Experiment with AI tools like Google's Notebook LM to summarize and organize your learning.

Try This: Ask Claude to create a personalized reading list based on topics you explored in 2024 and areas you want to grow in 2025.

June: Mid-Year Reflection

Pause to review your progress and recalibrate for the rest of the year.

• Use AI to revisit your calendar, task lists, and photos from the first half of the year.
• Reflect on what’s working well and what needs adjustment.
• Identify hidden patterns that might have emerged since your initial planning.
• Set or refine goals for the remaining months.

Try This: Ask Claude to highlight trends in your productivity and energy levels, then suggest changes to optimize your systems for the next six months.

July: Impact & Giving Back

Focus on ways to contribute to your community and create a positive impact.

• Use AI to find volunteering opportunities or organizations that align with your values.
• Analyze your spending to identify ways to support local businesses or sustainable initiatives.
• Brainstorm ways to incorporate social responsibility into your work.
• Automate giving or outreach efforts to stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed.

Try This: Use AI tools to create a social media post highlighting a cause you’re passionate about and inviting others to join you in supporting it.

August: Simplification & Decluttering

Declutter your physical and digital spaces for a clearer mind.

• Use AI-enabled tools like Notion to organize your notes and identify duplicates or outdated information.
• Audit your digital files and unsubscribe from unnecessary emails or services.
• Set up systems for managing incoming information more effectively.
• Simplify your calendar by removing commitments that no longer align with your goals.

Try This: Ask Claude to help you create a streamlined filing system for your digital workspace based on your workflow patterns.

September: Career & Professional Development

Focus on advancing your career and professional goals.

• Use AI tools like LinkedIn Premium to analyze your network and suggest strategic connections.
• Reflect on your career achievements and identify areas for growth.
• Create an action plan for skill-building or pursuing new opportunities.
• Analyze your calendar to ensure your time investment aligns with your long-term professional goals.

Try This: Use Fireflies.ai , Otter.ai or Fathom.ai to summarize key takeaways from your meetings and create action items to stay on top of your commitments.

October: Community & Collaboration

Strengthen your collaboration skills and contributions to your community.

• Use AI to analyze group dynamics and identify ways to improve teamwork.
• Automate small administrative tasks to free up more time for collaborative projects.
• Explore how your strengths can complement others’ skills in your teams or networks.
• Create a plan for consistent engagement in your professional and local communities.

Try This: Ask Claude to draft a strategy for improving collaboration in one of your teams based on past interactions.

November: Gratitude & Celebration

Reflect on what you’re grateful for and celebrate your accomplishments.

• Use AI to review the highlights of your year, both big and small.
• Create personalized thank-you notes or messages for people who supported you.
• Plan a celebration or reward for achieving a major goal.
• Reflect on how far you’ve come and what you’ve learned.

Try This: Use Reflect to journal about your gratitude daily, and let AI summarize recurring themes that bring you joy.

December: Year-End Reflection

Prepare for a fresh start by diving deep into your year’s insights.

• Use AI to analyze your entire year’s patterns, achievements, and challenges.
• Formulate new questions to guide your reflections and set intentions for the coming year.
• Celebrate your growth and identify how to carry your momentum into 2026.
• Choose your word for the upcoming year, guided by the insights you’ve gained.

Try This: Ask Claude to craft a reflective exercise based on your favorite memories, biggest lessons, and future aspirations.

The Year of Curiosity

As I approach 2025, my word of the year is "curious." This is my commitment to asking better questions, staying open to unexpected answers, and embracing the power of exploration. Curiosity isn’t just about seeking new adventures or creating bold ideas—it’s about looking at familiar patterns with fresh eyes and uncovering possibilities we didn’t know existed.

AI has been my partner in this journey, helping me see my life more clearly and design systems that support growth. But it’s curiosity—the willingness to learn, adapt, and reimagine—that turns those insights into meaningful change.

This year, let’s all embrace curiosity as our guide. Ask yourself: What patterns have been shaping my life? How can I align my systems with my goals? And most importantly, what will I discover when I let curiosity lead the way?

The possibilities are endless. What will your word for 2025 be?