January is a time when many people reflect on their goals for the year aheada new job, a promotion, hitting the gym, or overall better healthbut research from Baylor College of Medicine and psychologist Richard Wiseman shows 88% of people actually fail to achieve their New Years resolutions.
But according to the experts we asked, you should forget resolutionsand do these things instead.
Rewire your brain
“Repetition, not intention, rewires behavior,” says Cherian Koshy, author of Neurogiving. “Resolutions fail because they rely on willpower, and willpower is unreliable. What works is design.”
“The brain follows whats easy, not whats aspirational, and behavior changes faster when [it] requires less decision-making,” Koshy adds.
According to Koshy, New Years resolutions live in an imagined future, but behavior lives in todays defaults. The brain learns who you are by what you repeat, not what you declare.
If something matters in 2026, stop promising to do it later, and practice it now. That’s how to achieve your first win of the year.
Make a to-don’t list
Resolutions can help us be more intentional about how we spend our time in the year ahead. At least, that’s the theory.
But with so many people already overwhelmed by their to-do lists, adding resolutions is likely to just lead to burnout in January, says Sally Helgesen, women’s leadership expert and coauthor of How Women Rise.
“That’s why it can be helpful to focus on what we want to avoid in 2026: our to-don’ts rather than our to-dos,” she says. “For example: Don’t use the phone on Sunday (or Saturday), don’t make promises without taking a day to think them through, and don’t set the alarm clock one morning a week.”
Ask yourself, what do you want to leave behind?
Start small rituals
Instead of chasing big New Years resolutions, try small daily rituals.
“Taking three slow breaths before getting out of bed or stepping into morning light when you wake up can have a powerful impact and help life feel more grounded, clear, and steady long after January ends,” Marsha Ralls, founder and CEO of wellness retreat The Phoenix, Asheville tells Fast Company.
“My best recommendation is to identify habits that naturally fit into your daily routine and begin incorporating them right away, whether that means taking an afternoon walk outside, or committing to a more consistent bedtime, even on weekends,” she says. “Over time, these small daily actions go a long way in supporting overall wellness.”
Try New Year’s intentions
“I would recommend having New Year’s intentions instead of resolutions, [which] are often based in shame and focus on what you are lacking,” therapist Esin Pinarli tells Fast Company.
“Be more emotion-based than action-based,” Pinarli adds. “What was one thing you learned this past year? What is one thing that you will not be bringing into the new year, whether that’s a person, behavior, or habit?”
When the confetti settles and the ball has dropped, many Americans will wake up on New Years Day Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 with errands to run, groceries to buy, or just the urge to grab coffee. But because New Years Day is a federal holiday, the holiday clock affects a wide range of services differently: some go dormant for the day, others hum along with normal or modified hours, and a few offer the convenience you might need as you kick off the new year.
Heres what to expect if youre planning to be out and about or just need to know whether that store youre counting on is open.
Will I get mail on New Year’s Day?
Thursday is a full federal holiday, which means most government offices are closed from Social Security offices to local administrative buildings. If you were planning to visit a DMV or city hall, make sure to reschedule.
The U.S. Postal Service will be closed, and no regular mail delivery will happen on New Years Day. Retail post office services are also shut for the holiday.
Is the bank open on New Year’s Day?
Major bank branches, including Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, will not open their doors on Jan. 1. If you need cash, ATMs and mobile apps are your go-to since theyll still work even though physical branches are dark.
Is the grocery store open on New Year’s day?
When it comes to stores, the picture is decidedly mixed.
Costco plans to be closed all day. The wholesale giant will shutter all 623 of its U.S. warehouses for 24 hours on New Years Day, meaning members cant shop at any location on Jan. 1.
Other superstores like Walmart; however, are expected to keep their doors open under normal schedules (though its always smart to check ahead).
Home improvement chains like The Home Depot plan to remain open with regular holiday hours (e.g., roughly 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
Groceries and pharmacies also tend to be open on New Years Day. Many regional grocery chains, such as H-E-B to Whole Foods, will operate regular or reduced hours, though some pharmacy counters within larger stores may close earlier than the main store.
What restaurants are open on New Year’s Day?
If your January 1 plans include grabbing a bite or a caffeine lifeline, youre in luck: many restaurants and fast-food chains will be open, though individual locations might choose to adjust hours.
In practice, that means staples like McDonalds, Starbucks, and other chains are likely to operate on holiday schedules.
Likewise, 24/7 convenience stores such as Wawa, Speedway, and Dollar General, in most areas stay open, making them a reliable choice when youre in a pinch.
That said, if you have a specific local favorite in mind, its worth a quick call to check todays hours before heading over.
Is the stock market open on New Years Day?
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are closed on New Years Day. Wall Street takes the holiday off just like it does every year.
Are schools open on New Years Day?
No. Public schools and most all private schools will be closed on New Years Day.
Does the bus run on New Year’s day?
Airports, Amtrak, Greyhound, and major transit systems generally run through New Years Day.
Expect holiday or Sunday schedules on buses and trains in many cities, so check schedules in advance if youre moving between cities or across town. Service levels vary widely by region, but no major carrier shuts down entirely.
Are movie theaters open on New Year’s Day?
For those looking to unwind on day one of 2026:
Movie theaters almost universally screen films on New Years Day greeting crowds with morning and afternoon showtimes.
Malls and shopping centers also typically open, often hosting post-holiday sales. Some may operate on a reduced schedule.
Check local listings for showtimes and event schedules; big cities often host New Years Day brunches, skating sessions, and other seasonal attractions.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.
Ive recently written about free, private AI tools and the best AI mobile apps. To build on that AI series, Im sharing a new guest post today on how to make the most of AI by Frank Andrade, The PyCoach. Hes an AI & Python instructor who has helped thousands of people on YouTube and Substack master AI with beginner-friendly guides and in-depth tutorials. As he starts a new journey on Instagram, hes offering his ChatGPT course free to anyone who follows & DMs him.
Ive been using ChatGPT since the day it was released. Back then, there were no fancy features, model picker, or alternative AI tools to choose from.
Things have changed in 2025 and Id like to share with you some things Ive learned so far:
A couple of times per year, youll see headlines about a new worlds most powerful model. Ignore the hype. Stick to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or whatever tool you use. Give it a couple of months, and the headlines will be about your tool.
ChatGPT can make you more productive or dumber. An MIT study found that while AI can significantly boost productivity, it may also weaken your critical thinking. Use it as an assistant, not a substitute for your brain.
If youre a student, use study mode in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. When this feature is enabled, the chatbots will guide you through problems rather than just giving full answers, so youll be doing the critical thinking.
ChatGPT and other chatbots can confidently make stuff up (aka AI hallucinations). If you suspect something isnt right, double-check its answers.
NotebookLM hallucinates less than most AI tools, but it requires you to upload sources (PDFs, audio, video) and wont answer questions beyond those materials. That said, its great for students and anyone with materials to upload.Share
Probably the most underrated AI feature is deep research. It automates web searching for you and returns a fully cited report with minimal hallucinations in five to 30 minutes. Its available in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, so give it a try.
ChatGPT and other chatbots have a short-term memory limit. In long threads, they may lose earlier details. Ive learned to periodically restate key points from the initial instructions or start a new chat when necessary.
ChatGPT may occasionally misclassify a legitimate question as policy-violating. When it does, I reword the prompt or explain why Im asking.
Free < Plus < Pro. Paid tiers are worth it for the extra intelligence and features. Pro tiers go further and can give you an edge, though not everyone needs it. If you handle high-stakes tasks, try Pro at least for 1 month.
You shouldnt stick to the default ChatGPT mode. Go to the model picker and try instant, thinking mini, and thinking (here I explain each mode). If you have a pro subscription, use pro mode more often.
The next big thing in AI is AI agents. An example is ChatGPT agentthink of it as ChatGPT that can take extra steps beyond a text response. It doesnt just respond to prompts. It can take actions on the web (visit sites, click buttons, scroll) and work toward a goal with minimal human input.
Em dashes were around long before tools like ChatGPT ever existed, so dont hesitate to use them if that is part of your writing style.
It doesnt hurt to learn the technical stuff behind AI tools. In fact, it can clarify some key concepts and make you more confident when you talk or use AI.
ChatGPT cant browse the web by default, but if you turn on Web Search, it can even become a good replacement for Google Search (another good AI alternative is Perplexity).
Its not wrong to use ChatGPT like Google Search sometimes. Youll often get immediate answers and move faster. Just dont forget to use temporary chats and projects to keep your chats tidy.
Prompt crafting (or prompt engineering) is a skill you need to build if you want to make the most out of AI tools.
AI moves fast, so you need to adapt. As ChatGPT gets smarter, some prompting techniques get outdated, while new ones emerge.
Text expanders are a big time-saver for prompts. Tools like Alfred, Beeftext, or Text Blaze let you quickly type prompts and save, organize, and reuse prompt templates. [JC: Raycast is another good option for this.]
You can be just as productive on the ChatGPT mobile app as on the web. On iPhone, the built-in Text Replacement feature works like a text expander and helps you type prompts faster. Find it under General Keyboard Text Replacement.
Use voice mode in your phone to brainstorm or talk through topics when you want a second opinion. Ive tried this many times, and Im usually satisfied with the results.
ChatGPT speaks many languages. You can practice your speaking and writing skills anytime. For translation, it beats literal, word-for-word tools like Google Translate because it understands context, intent, and cultural nuance.
Chatbots can be overly agreeable. To get less agreeable responses, ask for opposing viewpoints, multiple perspectives, nd a critical take (if possible, avoid inserting your own opinions). See Jeremys piece on how to prompt boldly for more surprising, unusual responses.
Midjourney is great for generating outstanding AI images, but for beginners, ChatGPT offers a better balance of ease of use and image quality (just make sure you follow this simple tweak).
AI tools have made coding more accessible through vibe coding. However, if you dont know (or want to learn) the basics of programming, youll waste your time, because, at least for now, you have to guide the AI, check its work, and put it on the right course.
Some AI companies are more privacy-invasive than others. According to a report, Le Chat (Mistral AI), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grok (xAI) are the least privacy-invasive platforms. Meta AI and Gemini (Google) were found to be the most aggressive in data collection and the least transparent about their practices. See Jeremys resources for private AI.
Making the most of ChatGPT features
Since ChatGPT was initially released, OpenAI has added a lot of features to improve the way we work with it. Some are essential, while others are more domain-specific. Most features can be accessed via the + button.
Here are the features that every ChatGPT user should know:
Web Search: Web search can help you get answers to contemporary questions.
File Uploads: You can upload files such as PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and presentations to ChatGPT.
Projects: You can create folders to better organize your chats.
Temporary chats: Great for one-off questions, helping you avoid clutter in your chat list.
Voice mode: You can speak to ChatGPT instead of typing. Very useful when youre on the phone. See Jeremys guide to ChatGPTs Advanced Voice Mode.
The rest of the features are more advanced and for specific use-cases.
Create Image: A beginner-friendly tool that creates images or edits existing ones from plain-English prompts (this tweak helps me get the most out of it). See Jeremys guide to ChatGPTs new image generation tool.
Deep research: Spends several minutes searching the internet to build complete reports on topics that need evidence, comparisons, and step-by-step reasoning.
ChatGPT agent: It can take actions on the web (visit sites, click buttons, scroll) and work toward a goal with minimal human input.
Study mode: A learning-focused mode that explains answers at your level, breaks topics into steps, and tracks what youve mastered or need to review.
GPTs: Custom versions of ChatGPT you can configure with specific instructions, knowledge files, and tools to specialize in a topic or workflow.
Personalization: Setting up custom instructions and memory lets ChatGPT know more about you and provides tailored responses.
These features can also be used in the mobile app. In the guide below, I explain how I set up my iPhone to boost my ChatGPT productivity.
iPhone setup for ChatGPT: Features to boost productivity in ChatGPT
Want to learn more?
Stage 1: Sharpen how you write prompts
Prompting is how we communicate with AI. Writing good prompts is essential for anyone working with AI tools. ChatGPT has many features and modes, but they wont matter if you dont know how to write good prompts.
The basic prompt: Task + Context
Theres a ChatGPT prompt formula to get better responses. However, if I were learning prompting again, I wouldnt start with the formula. Why? The complete formula is valuable for advanced work, but for most everyday tasks, its overkill.
Using all elements from the formula will slow you down and waste time. Most of the time, youll only need two elements: task + context
Task: What you want ChatGPT to do
Context: The extra details the model needs to deliver a more tailored response
Heres a prompt example:
Im a 75kg man who wants to gain 5kg of muscle in 1 year. Build a 1-year training program to follow. I dont have previous experience and I can train 45 days per week (6075 min per session).
In the example, the task is to build a 1-year training program, while the context is the persons information and background to create a personalized program.
The basic prompt should be enough for most everyday tasks. That said, when we do more complex tasks, well need to use more elements from the formula.
Advanced track: The complete prompt formula
The prompt formula I use has four extra elements:
Exemplar: A short sample response that shows the structure to emulate
Persona: Who ChatGPT should be while answering (aka role)
Format: The required structure and presentation (tables, length, etc)
Tone: The voice and vibe the response should adopt (friendly, formal, etc)
When you feel that task and context arent enough to get a good response, add one of these extra elements to your prompt.
For example, if I were a personal trainer, the basic prompt would be a good start to build a program for a few clients. However, as my client base grew, Id need a more robust, reusable prompt I could apply across clients.
In the guide below, I transform our basic prompt into a more robust one by using every element of the formula.
ChatGPT prompt formula: Examples, when to use it, and when not
Stage 2: Learn how GPT-5 works
ChatGPT used to have a wide variety of models to choose from (o3, 4o, o4-mini, etc). They were consolidated into GPT-5, which has a system that decides whether to use its Chat or Thinking mode for your task. The issue with GPT-5 is that the system doesnt always do a good job and might assign low reasoning to a task that needs deeper reasoning.
Its best to avoid the default mode (aka auto) and choose manually the mode we need:
Instant: Gives fast answers without spending extra time on reasoning steps
Thinking: ChatGPT will think more carefully before answering. Responses take longer, but theyre more structured, detailed, and well thought out.
Pro: Research-grade intelligence for high-stakes tasks
Pro mode is only available to Pro subscribers. For 95% of people, instant and thinking (available to Plus subscribers) should be enough. For more details, check out my guides below.
Complete guide on ChatGPT-5 modes: Who should use it, use-cases, & weaknesses ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscriptions: Worth it?
Advanced track
There are more advanced concepts you can learn to get better responses with GPT-5. Lets start with those that can be applied in the ChatGPT web app:
Instruction following: Avoid contradictory instructions in your prompts. The model may get confused or waste time trying to reconcile the conflicts.
Verbosity refers to the length and detail of ChatGPTs responses. Low verbosity is good for critical info and key takeaways, while high verbosity suits comprehensive, in-depth answers. You can explicitly set a word limit in your prompt.
GPT-5 prompt optimizer: OpenAIs advanced tool helps sharpen your prompts. It can identify contradictory instructions or other weaknesses.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.
Below, Judd Kessler shares five key insights from his new book, Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want.
Judd is an award-winning professor of economics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research and writing have been featured in leading media, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review, among others. For his work on organ allocation, Kessler was named one of the 30 under 30 in Law and Policy by Forbes. He has been researching market design for the past 15 years.
Whats the big idea?
Life is full of hidden markets quietly deciding who gets whatand learning their rules is the real competitive edge. See the system, play it strategically, and you can manufacture your own luck.
Listen to the audio version of this Book Biteread by Judd himselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App.
1. You are constantly playing in hidden markets all around you.
Economists think about the world as a bunch of markets. In each market, people are trying to get something that they want. But we have a problemscarcity. There is rarely enough of what people want to just give it to everyone. So, we need a way to decide who gets access to the scarce resource and who does not.
We often decide who gets what by letting the price rise. As the price rises, a bunch of people decide that paying such a high price isnt worth it and they leave the market. (Fewer people wanting something as the price rises is so reliable that economists call it a law of demand.)
I call markets that use prices to decide who gets what visible markets. Theyre visible because its easy to see them. And playing in them is also easy: you simply decide whether something is worth the price and then buy it (or not).
But scarcity is not always resolved with prices. Some things are doled out by hidden markets that do not rely on prices to decide who gets what. These hidden markets are harder to see and more complicated to play in, but they are all around you.
Sometimes prices exist but are set too low to resolve the scarcity: Taylor Swift sold tickets to her most recent tour, the Eras Tour, for an average of $204, but some tickets were as low as $49 each. At those prices, many people would have happily bought each ticket. Some restaurants are so popular that its nearly impossible to get a table. New iPhones used to fly off the shelves the day they were released. Fad toys (most recently the Pop Mart product Labubus) may be incredibly hard to get your hands on.
Scarcity is not always resolved with prices.
Other times, we decide not to use prices at all: government benefits like public housing, seats in public schools, and library books are not sold to the highest bidder. We dont let price decide who gets life-saving donor organs or access to the last hospital bed or ventilator.
In these cases, we still resolve scarcity: some people get the tickets, reservations, products, government benefits, and life-saving medical care while others do not. Those are the hidden markets all around you. They have their own rules, and you need to learn them.
2. You need to learn the market rules.
Every hidden market has its own set of market rules. Your first step toward success in hidden markets is learning them. What are the types of market rules?
One class is based on the principle first-come, first-served. With first-come, first-served, whoever gets to a product first gets to claim it. But while this principle might sound simple, the market rules it generates take three very different forms.
For example, first-come, first-served market rules can take the form of a race. If you want a reservation at The French Laundry, a world-renowned restaurant with three Michelin stars in the Napa Valley of California, you need to secure a reservation for one of its 17 tables in a first-come-first-served race. All reservations for a given month are offered online simultaneouslyif you want to eat there in November, you need to be ready to click quickly at 10 am on October 1st.
First-come, first-served market rules can also take the form of a waiting list or line. People who need a life-saving kidney transplant can join a multi-year waiting list for a deceased donor organ through their local transplant center. The longer that they have been waiting, the higher their priority for an organ when it becomes available.
If you want to see a masterpiece like the ceiling frescos of the Sistine Chapel, buy high-end apparel at a clothing drop, or just make your way through airport security, youll be standing in a first-come, first-served line. These first-come, first-served market rules all reward arriving early or waiting the longest. But other market rules operate completely differently.
Another class of market rules uses lotteries to decide who gets what. The New York City Summer Youth Employment Program gives 100,000 jobs to youth each summer, but still has to turn away tens of thousands of kids. They use a lottery to decide who gets a job and who does not. Lotteries also provide access to spots in the London Marathon, license plates in Beijing, seats in charter schools, and tags to hunt big game.
Every hidden market has its own set of market rules.
Another class of market rules involves centralized clearinghouses, where you must rank your preferences: telling an algorithm your first choice, second choice, and so on. This is how we decide which kids go to which elementary schools in New York City, how doctors are assigned to residency programs, and how college admissions work in China.
Dating markets, labor markets, and private school admissions markets operate with different market rules. I call these markets choose-me markets because you are choosing someone, a firm, or an academic institution. But for a match to take place, you must also be chosen.
Every hidden market has its own specific set of market rules. To succeed in a given market, you need to learn them. Once you know how the game is played, you can develop a strategy to win.
3. You might want to settle for silver.
Once you have figured out the rules of the game, you can develop an optimal strategy to get what you want. Across many hidden markets, one common strategy you might want to play is what I call settling for silver. This strategy requires acting like something less desirablesomething that is not your real first choiceis at the top of your list.
Why might you want to play this strategy? Imagine youre in a first-come-first-served race, like for a restaurant reservation at The French Laundry. Say you really want to have dinner there on a Saturday night in November. All the reservations are going to be released on October 1st at 10 am. And when theyre released, you will race to click on a particular reservation time. Which time should you click first?
Your real first choice might be 7:30 pm on Saturday. You might decide to click that time slot first. I call playing that stratgytrying to get the thing you actually want the mostgoing for gold. The problem with going for gold is that its risky. What you want is often popular with many other people. So, when youre racing for that highly desirable reservation slot, youre likely competing with many other diners who want the same thing as you.
Settling for silver would mean pretending that an earlier dinner reservation, say 5 pm or even 4:30 pm, is your first choice. If you prefer getting a reservation at 4:30 pm to not getting to eat at the restaurant at all, settling for silver might be the right strategy for you. Since many fewer people will be racing for a 4:30 pm reservation, you are much more likely to get it.
The same logic applies in markets with much higher stakes. Many applicants to private colleges in the United States choose to apply early decision, which commits them to attending the school if theyre admitted. Since an early decision application comes with a binding commitment to attend, you can only apply early decision to one school. Colleges like it when you commit to them, so they reward early decision applicants with a higher chance of admission.
This strategy requires acting like something less desirablesomething that is not your real first choiceis at the top of your list.
So, what school should someone apply to early? They might be tempted to apply to a reach school early decision. This could be the right move. But if the candidates chance of admission is exceedingly slim, then even if its their top choice, it might be suboptimal to apply there early. Rather than trying to go for gold, they might do better settling for silver by applying to a less selective school early. This way, they can take advantage of their improved admissions chances at their second-, third-, or fourth-choice school.
4. You might want to double dip and multi-list.
Another strategy that comes up regularly in hidden markets is what I call double dipping. This strategy involves simultaneously playing in a market multiple times.
Double dipping is a common strategy in markets that use lotteries. The U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery has historically offered visas to those from countries that dont send many immigrants to the U.S. The program selects applicants by lottery and gives winners a chance to come to the country and get a green card. But the lottery lets you bring your whole family if you win, so a married couple does better if they each submit an entry: if either of them wins, the whole family gets to come to the U.S.
When you enter a theater ticket lottery, you can usually enter for a chance to win two tickets. If you want to go to the theater with a friend, then you should double dip. You should both enter the lottery, effectively doubling your chances of seeing a show.
Allowing double dipping can be good for the efficiency of the lottery overall. People who are more motivated are more likely to put in the extra effort needed to play this strategy. Allowing double dipping gives people who care more about winning a higher chance of success.
A related strategy is called multi-listing. If there are a limited number of daycare slots in your city and lots of families who want them, spots may be offered on a first-come, first-served waiting list. In that case, you might want to add yourself to waiting lists at multiple daycare centers to increase the chance that you will have secured a spot for your tot when you need it.
And people in need of life-saving organ transplants may decide to multi-list by adding themselves to organ waiting lists through transplant centers in different regions. Since being affiliated with a transplant center closer to a deceased donor organ increases the chance you get offered it, being on waiting lists at multiple transplant centers increases the number of organs you get offered. In that case, multi-listing could save your life.
5. You are a market designer!
Many hidden markets are designed by others, and you just have to learn the rules to try to get what you want. But there are also hidden markets that you control, like the hidden market for your time and attention or the hidden markets for household resources.
You get to decide which emails you respond to promptly, which friends to call back and which to ignore. At home, you get to decide how to allocate everything from financial resources to the television remote to desserts for your kids. In these cases, you get to set the market rules.
As a market designer, you can prioritize the three Es in your hidden markets:
Efficiency: Not wasting resources and giving resources to people who value them most.
Equity: Distributing resources as equally as possible to market participants.
Ease: Letting market participants be honest about what they want and not putting them through an ordeal to get it.
Good market rules strive to get as close as possible to achieving all three.
Efficiency might mean prioritizing email responses where your prompt reply will be most helpful to the recipient: perhaps someone who is actively working on a project and will be more productive once they receive your feedback. It could also mean devoting your limited time to whatever your highest-return activity is today, rather than to a recurring meeting you put on your calendar months ago, which canand probably shouldbe skipped.
Equity might require giving people whom you want to treat fairly the same amount of time, attention, and resources, rather than (intentionally or unintentionally) favoring the one who is most demanding.
Finally, in some markets, we can make more of a scarce resource by how we prioritize access to it. In some countries, people who register as organ donors receive higher priority for organs if they ever need one. Similarly, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we prioritized medical treatmentlike the last hospital bed or ventilatorfor medical professionals serving on the front lines. These priority systems help ensure that we allocate more of the scarce resources we have. The same logic applies to your time and attention. Prioritizing some of it for yourself (perhaps for self-care) can also mean theres also more to go around.
Enjoy our full library of Book Bitesread by the authors!in the Next Big Idea App.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
The past year saw unprecedented change and turmoil in the labor market, from pandemic-era layoffs to AI fundamentally and tangibly turning the workforce on its head. But its in these times of uncertainty and transition that leadership becomes of paramount importance. In 2025, the very nature of leadership itself morphed along with the times, and specific themes resonated with readers in specific ways. And theyre bound to remain very much in the game heading into 2026.
Here are some of Fast Companys most popular leadership stories from the last year.
Managing underperformers
We live in a world of quiet quitting and more workers rejecting hustle culture and the rise-and-grind that defined the last couple of decades. While there are valid reasons fuelling some of this behaviorworkers holding steadfast in their desire for work-life balance, for example, or resisting corporate control when they can be brazenly let go at the drop of a hatother team members may simply be phoning it in or slacking. Underperformance doesnt just materialize, writes Roxanne Calder. Unfortunately, far too many companies prioritize optics over results, turn to placating instead of coaching, and compensate instead of addressing.
Multi-hyphenate leadership
Entrepreneur. Author. Executive. Board member. Founder. Teacher. Storyteller. These are just a few labels business leaders may gravitate toward when describing their careers, or even current roles. Nowadays, multi-hyphenated monikers not only better describe the full dimensionality of a leaders skills, but also how success involves lots of paths, not a straightforward ladder to a single title. Awareness of this multifaceted quality gained more attention in 2025especially for women, write Alison Moore and Nada Usina. Mother and manager, founder and caregiver, mentor and innovator, they write. What looked nonlinear was simply a different kind of training ground, one that creates resilience, adaptability, and perspective.
Not everyone wants to be a leader at all
Theres a truism in work: if you want the fancy title, the extra respect and responsibility and most important, the big bucks . . . you have to become a manager. You can only go so far unless you manage people, writes Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. We live in a culture that glorifies leadershipbut not everyone wants to have direct reports. And thats okay. Especially because, in truth, a lot of people are just bad at it. Data from organizational psychology is sobering: Most people are not competent leaders, Chamorro-Premuzic continues. Studies suggest that 50% to 60% of leaders are seen as ineffective by their employees, and engagement surveys regularly show that my manager is the single biggest factor driving dissatisfaction at work.
The rise of fractional leaders
2025 saw more of a spotlight on whats known as fractional leaders: senior leaders moving away from high-power, high-profile roles at a single company and instead providing strategic consulting and C-suite-level experience on a part-time basis to many different companies. Typically theyre people with executive experience who are looking for better work-life balance. From fractional CEOs to CFOs, its an employment setup for leaders whove long sat atop the summit of the org chart desiring a change of pace, and it was on the ascent this year: Sara Daw writes that [fractional leaders] feel like they can have a greater impact on a small organization than within the constraints of a large corporation.
The interim CEO
And with CEOs specifically, 2025 saw more turnover in the head boss position at many companies, leading to a trend dubbed interim CEOs. Nearly a quarter of new CEOs named in the first two months of 2025 were hired on an interim basis, versus 8% in the same period last year, Mansueto Ventures CEO Stephanie Mehta writes. It often occurs when theres a sudden vacancy in the position, and someone needs to quickly step in to buy the board more time in a search for a successor. And currently, the talent pool for CEOs is uniquely robust: Many of the CEOs exiting business right now are baby boomer and Gen X retirees who are eager to remain active by taking on interim roles.
I just launched a wine app, which means I’ve spent the last six months thinking obsessively about one thing: how do you remove friction from decisions that shouldn’t be hard?
The answer taught me something bigger about rituals, and why so many of the ones we create at the end and beginning of the year fail us.
Here’s my founder story, but from the wine aisle.
Last December, I was standing in front of a wall of bottles, paralyzed. Not because I don’t like wine. I do. I was paralyzed because the entire experience was designed to make me feel small. The sommelier energy, the gatekeeping language, the implied message that if I couldn’t name the terroir, I didn’t deserve a good bottle. So I did what I always did: grabbed the same safe choice, went home, and told myself I’d “branch out next time.”
But here’s the founder insight I missed: I wasn’t actually going to branch out. The friction was too high. The stakes felt too real. So I’d repeat the same ritual, the same bottle, the same outcome, because at least it was safe.
This is exactly how most people approach their end-of-year and New Year rituals. They feel obligatory. Performative. Exhausting. You’re supposed to reflect deeply, set 10 ambitious goals, create a vision board, establish a meditation practice. It all sounds great in theory. In practice? Most people abandon their resolutions by January 15th.
Here’s why: we’re designing rituals for the person we think we should be, not the person we actually are.
As a founder, I’ve learned that the best products remove friction around what people actually want to do. The same principle applies to rituals. So instead of telling you to rethink your entire approach, here’s what actually works:
1. Audit Your Rituals for Performance vs. Authenticity
Before the New Year, write down your current rituals and practices. Your morning routine. Your goal-setting process. Your end-of-day wind-down. The commitments you’ve made to yourself.
Now ask: Which of these would I do if nobody was watching? Which ones feel authentic to how I actually want to live?
If your answer is “honestly, not many,” you’ve identified your problem. You’re living someone else’s ritual. I built Theodora because I realized I was performing wine expertise instead of just enjoying wine. Once I removed that performance, everything changed.
2. Replace Goal-Setting with Three Core Questions
Instead of your 10-goal action plan, try this framework:
What do I actually spend time on when nothing is required of me? (What you’re naturally drawn to.)
Who do I want to spend more time with? (What relationship matters.)
What outcome would make 2026 feel like a win, stripped of all performance? (What success actually looks like to you, not what it’s supposed to look like.)
Write these down. These three answers are your real ritual. Everything else is just context.
Most people I know abandon their New Year’s resolutions because those resolutions were designed by someone else’s standard of success. When you build from what actually matters to you, the rituals stick.
3. Identify Your Friction Points and Remove Them
As I was building the app, I asked myself: What stops people from choosing wine they love? The answer was friction: too many options, unclear labels, judgment if you didn’t know the language.
So I removed it. Simplified the decision. Let people be honest about what they wanted.
Do the same with your rituals. What gets in the way when youre setting your goals? Dont judge yourself for not being disciplined enough and instead build systems that are easy for you. Is it that you hate planning spreadsheets? Don’t use them. Is it that you feel guilty about not journaling? Don’t journal. Find the practice that actually works for your brain and your life, not the one that looks good on Instagram.
The people I respect most aren’t the ones with the fanciest routines. They’re the ones whose rituals are so well-designed for their actual life that the rituals almost disappear. They just work.
Here’s the bottom line for anyone building a 2026 strategy, whether that’s business goals, leadership development, or personal goals:
Stop designing your rituals for who you think you should be. Stop performing. Audit what’s actually working, build from what you genuinely care about, and remove the friction that’s keeping you stuck repeating last year’s choices.
Good rituals don’t feel like work. They feel like they were made for you, because they were.
As we head into the New Year, that’s the framework I’m offering: Stop trying to look the part. Start designing the rituals that actually move you forward. Everything else is just noise.
Porsche is recalling 173,538 vehicles in the U.S. as the rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday.
This is one of the largest single safety recalls issued by Porsche Cars North America in recent years, following a 2022 recall pertaining to missing headlight adjustment screw covers that affected 222,858 vehicles.
The current recall affects certain 2019-2025 Cayenne, Cayenne E-Hybrid, 2020-2025 911, Taycan, 2024-2025 Panamera, and 2025 Panamera E-Hybrid models.
The regulator flagged that the vehicles fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard’s requirement for rear visibility.
Dealers will update the driver assistance software, free of charge, the regulator said.
Earlier this year, the NHTSA also issued recalls of Hyundai Motor America, Ford Motor, Toyota Motor, and Chrysler vehicles over similar rearview camera issues that may fail to display, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ruchika Khanna and Aatreyee Dasgupta, Reuters
Below, Ben Swire shares five key insights from his new book, Safe Danger: An Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation.
Ben is a former Design Lead at the innovation firm IDEO and co-founder of Make Believe Works, a team-building company that uses creative activities to accelerate connection, deepen trust, and fuel collaboration. His methods have helped organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to public school districts, build healthy, productive workplace cultures.
Whats the big idea?
Most of us think of risks as a threat to our safety. But what if theyre the best way to create the kind of safety that matters mosttrust, creativity, and connection? What if safety itself doesnt come from avoiding risk, but from taking small, smart risks together?
Listen to the audio version of this Book Biteread by Ben himselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App.
1. If youre ready to change but afraid to rock the boat, try a little Safe Danger.
Most people tend to think safety and danger are opposites. But its more useful to think of them as dance partners. Safety gives us solid footing; danger gives us movement. The emotional sweet spot between the twowhere you feel safe but challenged enough to discover something newis something I call Safe Danger.
I base entire team-building and community-building workshops around moments of safe danger. In that zone, you can take small, meaningful riskslike sharing a half-baked idea or owning up to an embarrassing shortcomingin ways that build trust, empathy, and connection.
The trick to making Safe Danger effective is not to ask a lot. This is not about big confessions or life changes, but rather asking enough to make future risks feel less intimidating. For example, I might base an activity around the person who inspired you to become who you are today. Or about a hard-earned life lesson. These ask you to risk sharing some personal details of your story, but are not so private as to be intrusive or uncomfortable. These are manageable risks.
The trick to making Safe Danger effective is not to ask a lot.
Every time you take a small risk and it goes well, your nervous system updates its prediction: Its safe to be a little braver here. Thats why Safe Danger works. It rewires fear into trust, step by step. And trust is contagious. When one person shares a personal story or asks an uncomfortable question, others feel permission to follow.
This isnt about bullet points. Its not about telling. Its about showing. Its about the feeling. Safe Danger works because you feel the risk, you feel it pay off, and your brain starts to build an appetite for more.
2. Build Safe Danger by leveling the playing field.
Most workplaces celebrate what people do, not who they are. Thats efficient, but brittle. If your value depends on flawless output, everyones going to hide their messier truthsthe exact truths teams need to share to collaborate and innovate and grow.
If you want to practice building a space that celebrates people for who they are, there are three principles I use in my workshops to create the safe danger that makes people feel able to lower their guard.
These three principles help level the playing field so that no one has to worry about embarrassment, and everyone is set up for success:
Intention over execution. When I have people make something in response to a prompt, I dont focus on what people make; I focus on why they made it. Whether someone has labeled themselves as creative or uncreative doesnt matter. Talent is out of peoples control. I reward the choices within their control: generosity, effort, and thoughtfulness. We dont grade the drawing; we use it to focus on the ideas its meant to express.
Curiosity over comparison. Instead of saying, Thats beautiful, which immediately builds a hierarchy and starts everyone else wondering if theirs is as good, Ill say, I see you used all bluewhat made you choose that? That neutral curiosity says, This is valuable, and I want to know more about how your mind works.
Journey over destination. The goal of having people make things is the story behind it: what mattered to you, what you noticed, what you felt. Safe Danger is not about the creation, its about what you learn in the making and what you reveal about yourself and others in the process.
When someone feels seen for how they show up, not what they produce, they feel safe to be more themselves. Suddenly, even the most resistant introvert or battle-worn cynic starts participating more fully. This is how you build psychological safety in minutes, not months: make it safe to be seen, and worth it to share.
3. Fun isnt enough for connection.
My specialty is helping people connect quickly and meaningfully. That falls under the heading of team building. Even though there can be lots of fun in the process, most traditional team-building activities dont actually build the team.
There are three pitfalls in a lot of team-building ideas:
Competition. Lots of team-building leans into competition because its a quick, easy way to get people fired up. But competition inherently divides people, pits them against each other, people start showing off, and most people lose. Not a great mindset for authentic connection.
Passivity. Guest speakers or cooking classes can be easy and pleasant, but people dont really contribute any value to the experience themselves. You never want someone to walk away thinking no one would have noticed if they had skipped that. Everyone needs to feel that they matter.
Old news. This simply means you carried old dynamics into a new room: fun stuff, like happy hours and escape rooms, where the loud people get loud, the quiet get quiet, and cliques stick together. People leave as they arrived, with no new insight or feeling.
Fun matters. It just isnt enough on its own. If nothing new was revealed about who we are, we didnt build a teamwe filled a calendar.
Thats why I like to use play and creativity to help create safe danger. Creativity is like an oven mitt. It lets you handle dangerous material without getting burned. People believe theyre talking about what they made, but theyre actually sharing their values, priorities, and perspectives on life. They get to be vulnerable without feeling threatened, to feel seen without being judged.
One of my favorite examples of this is an activity called Orchestra of Optimism. I ask people to think about how it feels for them to go from being stuck to being inspired. Then I have them sketch that out on a pice of papera tornado? An EKG? A plate of spaghetti? Next, I ask them to compose a 30-second soundtrack of that journey, using whatevers at handstaplers, coffee mugs, plants, carpet, its all fair game. The performances are short, wordless, and totally unique.
Everyones inner process is different, yet that individuality can get lost when we all use the same words to describe ourselves. But translating feelings into sound forces us out of our usual shortcuts. Its a little playful, a little vulnerable, and surprisingly revealing. In 15 minutes, youve learned something real about how each person navigates challengeinsight that transfers to work. With a little safe danger, fun stops being a diversion and becomes a delivery mechanism for understanding.
4. Soft stuff gets solid results.
Leaders often ask, Does this soft stuff, like trust and connection, actually move the numbers? Yes, because the soft stuff enables the hard stuff.
Psychological safety is the top predictor of team effectiveness. Amy Edmondsons research shows that teams in which people can speak up without fear learn faster and perform better. Gallups Engagement data consistently links high-trust cultures with better retention, productivity, and profitability. A major productivity study by the University of Warwick suggests that when people genuinely enjoy their work, output skyrockets. Building cultures around the soft stuff is not about being nice. Its about reducing the hidden tax of fear and loneliness so brains can do their best work.
Psychological safety is the top predictor of team effectiveness.
Ive seen this translate in rooms that care deeply about resultslike competitive sales teams. One leader told me after a Safe Danger activity, We still love to push each other, but this showed us the difference between competing against each other and competing with each other. That shift can unlock more pipeline suggestions, more honest post-mortems, and faster iteration.
If you want speed, use Safe Danger to build trust. If you want better ideas, use it to lower the social cost of being wrong. If you want accountability, use it to normalize admitting reality. Safe Danger activities arent a detour from performance; theyre a secret shortcut.
5. Small risks can yield big returns, no matter who you are.
Im a deep introvert with a healthy cynical streak. For years, I would have rather run for the hills than do a team building skit. But Safe Danger creates the space for everyoneeven skeptical introverts like meto engage. It works for anyone who wants to grow, connect, or stop feeling so alone at work or home.
Safe Danger can even adapt from the everyday to the extreme. Recently, I worked with a team ten days after a colleague was murdered in a workplace shooting. Theyd had time off and counseling, but this was their first time back in the office. At lunch, the mood was light but carefulpolite armor. Chit chat. But during the Safe Danger session, that all shifted with a simple prompt: How do you want to grow as a person this year? The first person held up a small, funny gift a colleague had made for him: I want to live differently after this. Shoulders dropped. People leaned in. The room became deep but not heavy, meaningful but not morose. It wasnt therapy; it was permission. After that, one by one, they all spoke about the changes they hoped to make and how they were going to help each other get there.
But you dont need a crisis. The principle is the same whether youre an introvert during a Tuesday stand-up or a team carrying unspoken weight: create a container where a small, honest risk is obviously worth it. Do that repeatedly, and you get compounding returns in trust, candor, and creativity.
Taking small, brave risks can make a real difference at work, home, or anywhere.
Anyone can practice Safe danger in daily life by taking one small risk that reassures your brain that honesty is worth it here. Taking small, brave risks can make a real difference at work, home, or anywhere. Pay attention to the moments that you hold back, like the joke you almost made or an honest thought you edited out. Those are opportunities to change course.
Most of us are living someone elses life. Were following expectations we inherited instead of choices we made ourselves. We learn early on to hide or diminish the qualities that make us unique in order to fit in. Safe Danger allows us to risk showing up as our real selves instead of someone elses version of us. Its a chance to rekindle our dimmed light, so we can rediscover and express the parts of ourselves that may have been scared into silence.
If youre not speaking with your own unique voice, the world is missing out. The people who mean the most to you, look up to you, and people you may never even meet, are all missing out if youre not standing out. The risk you take is never as big as the reward it returns.
Enjoy our full library of Book Bitesread by the authors!in the Next Big Idea App.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
A dismal year for the U.S. dollar is ending with signs of stabilization, but many investors believe the currency’s decline will resume next year as global growth picks up and the Fed eases further.
The U.S. dollar slumped more than 9% this year, against a basket of currencies, its worst showing in eight years, driven by expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, shrinking interest rate differentials with other major currencies, and as concerns about U.S. fiscal deficits and political uncertainty swirled.
Investors broadly expect the dollar to weaken further as other major central banks stand pat or tighten policy and as a new Fed Chair takes chargea change that is expected to herald a more dovish tilt for the central bank.
The dollar typically falls when the Fed cuts rates as lower U.S. interest rates make dollar-denominated assets less attractive to investors, reducing demand for the currency.
“The reality is we still do have an over-valued U.S. dollar from a fundamental standpoint,” Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist at global corporate payments company Corpay, said.
Getting the dollar’s trajectory right is important for investors, given the currency’s central role in global finance. A weaker dollar boosts U.S. multinational earnings by increasing the value of overseas revenues when converted back to dollars, even as it enhances the attractiveness of international markets by providing an FX boost beyond the underlying asset performance.
Despite the dollar’s rebound in recent monthsthe dollar index is up 2% from its September lowFX strategists have largely maintained forecasts for a weaker dollar in 2026, a Reuters survey conducted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 showed.
The dollar’s real broad effective exchange rateits value relative to a large basket of foreign currencies, adjusted for inflationstood at 108.7 in October, down only slightly from a record high of 115.1 in January, showing that the U.S. currency still remains overvalued, according to Bank for International Settlements data.
Global growth
Expectations for dollar weakness hinge on converging global growth rates with the U.S. advantage expected to narrow as other major economies gain momentum.
“I think what’s different is that the rest of the world is just going to grow more next year,” said Anujeet Sareen, portfolio manager at Brandywine Global.
Germany’s fiscal stimulus, China’s policy support, and improved growth trajectories in the euro zone are expected to reduce the U.S. growth premium that has supported the dollar in recent years, investors said.
“When the rest of the world is starting to look better in terms of growth, that’s favorable for the dollar to continue to weaken,” Paresh Upadhyaya, director of fixed income and currency strategy at Amundi, the biggest European asset manager, said.
Even investors who believe the worst of the dollar’s decline is over say any major hit to U.S. growth could weigh on the currency.
“If you see any weakness at any point next year, that could probably be bad for markets, but that could definitely affect the dollar too,” said Jack Herr, investment analyst at mutual fund company GuideStone Funds, who doesn’t foresee major further dollar depreciation as his base case for 2026.
Central Bank divergence
Expectations for the Fed to continue cutting rates even as other major central banks hold rates or hike could also weigh on the dollar.
A sharply divided Fed cut interest rates in December, with the median policymaker view for next year calling for one more quarter-of-a-percentage-point cut.
With Jerome Powell set to step aside for President Trump’s next Fed chair appointment, the market may also price in a more accommodative central bank next year, given Trump’s push for lower rates.
Several of the known finalists for the Chair position, including White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and current Fed Governor Chris Waller, have advocated for interest rates to be lower than they are now.
“Although the market expects limited action from the Federal Reserve next year, we believe the trend is toward lower growth and weaker employment,” Eric Merlis, co-head of global markets, Citizens in Boston, who said they are short the U.S. dollar relative to other G10 currencies.
Meanwhile, traders reckon the European Central Bank will keep rates steady in 2026, though a rate hike is not completely ruled out. The ECB kept its policy rates steady at its December meeting and revised upwards some of its growth and inflation projections.
Not a straight line
Longer-term views for dollar weakness notwithstanding, a near-term rebound for the dollar is not to be ruled out, investors cautioned.
Continued investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence and the resulting capital flows into U.S. equities could provide near-term support for the dollar.
The boost to U.S. growth stemming from the reopening of the government after this year’s shutdown and from the tax cuts passed this year, could lift the dollar in the first quarter, Brandywine’s Sareen said.
“But we’re inclined to think that that’s not likely a sustained driver of the dollar for the year,” he said.
Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Reuters
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell to its lowest level of 2025 this week, an encouraging sign for prospective home buyers.
The average long-term mortgage rate dipped to 6.15% from 6.18% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. That’s the lowest average long-term rate since October 3, 2024, when it dipped to 6.12% before shooting back up. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.91%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, fell this week to 5.44% from 5.50% the previous week. A year ago, it averaged 6.13%, Freddie Mac said.
Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserves interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
The 10-year yield was at 4.14% at midday Wednesday, down a touch from last weeks 4.15%.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has been mostly holding steady in recent weeks since Oct. 30 when it dropped to 6.17%, which at the time was its lowest level in more than a year.
Mortgage rates began easing in July in anticipation of a series of Fed rate cuts, which began in September and continued this month.
The Fed doesnt set mortgage rates, but when it cuts its short-term rate that can signal lower inflation or slower economic growth ahead, which can drive investors to buy U.S. government bonds. That can help lower yields on long-term U.S. Treasurys, which can result in lower mortgage rates.
Even so, Fed rate cuts dont always translate into lower mortgage rates.
Home shoppers who can afford to pay cash or finance at current mortgage rates are in a more favorable position than they were a year ago. Home listings are up sharply from 2024, and many sellers have resorted to lowering their initial asking price as homes take longer to sell, according to data from Realtor.com.
Still, affordability remains a challenge for aspiring homeowners, especially first-time buyers who dont have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase. Uncertainty over the economy and job market are also keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines.
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November from the previous month, but slowed compared to a year earlier for the first time since May despite average long-term mortgage rates holding near their low point for the year. Through the first 11 months of this year, home sales are down 0.5% compared to the same period last year.
Economists generally forecast that the average rate on a 30-year mortgage will remain slightly above 6% next year.
Matt Ott, AP business writer
