(Inter)national Delurking Week!

Heard it from a friend who…heard it from a friend who…heard it from another you’ve been lurking around…

I was reminded of it – now usually referred to as “International Blog Delurking Week” – by my friend Parul Thakur of Happiness and Food.

Origins of (Inter)national Delurking Week

International Delurking Week goes back even farther than most people think. It appears to have begun in 2006 as “National Delurking Week,” on a now-defunct TypePad blog referenced here, in (Inter)National Delurking Week, on From the Sticks. That would mean this is its 20th Anniversary! That’s a little bit of Internet history worth celebrating.

It’s not really meant for us bloggers to delurk, although that might be a good idea, sometimes. I have let this blog lie fallow for months at a time, despite my best intentions – my ongoing resolution – to do better. It’s really meant for you readers to drop by and leave a comment. Comments are really the conversational fuel we bloggers crave to keep going.

Fellow bloggers, feel free to grab a copy of this image and use it on your own blog – just be kind and leave a link back to mine!

Welcome, 2026!

I said I wasn’t going to do this…but why not break a resolution before making one? It’s so freeing, really – a reminder that we really ought to be flexible, not irresolute. If our lives call for reprioritizing things, letting some goals go in favor of new, more important goals, let’s not cling stubbornly to those things that don’t serve us well.

I never said I wasn’t going to make resolutions, mind you. I said I wasn’t going to blog about them – no one wants to know that for the tenth year in a row, I want to “lose weight.” Or “read more.” Or…whatever cliché thing I really do want to do but haven’t done when I said I was going to. Borrrring. (You know that really should be spelled “booooooooring” because it’s only the vowels we can hold that long when speaking or singing, and yet I’ll bet you’d read it as if it were some circle of ghosts on the front lawn – a “boo-ring” – whatever that is.)

I digress. I’m still not going to tell you my resolutions and goals – until I’ve made real progress towards them. Suffice it to say I have some, and they’re exciting. You should have some, too.  Write them down. But remember the big difference between a “resolution” and a “goal.” You need both.

A “resolution” is an intention. Lose weight, be a better friend, learn a new language, publish a novel.

A “goal” is something more concrete. It should be SMART: specific, measurable, aspirational, realistic, and time-bound.

First, what exactly is the goal – the specific outcome you want to achieve?

Second, how do you measure progress towards that final outcome?

Third, don’t make it too easy on yourself. “Brush my teeth every day” probably isn’t much of a goal, and it certainly isn’t an “aspirational” goal. Make it a bit of a stretch! (Okay, if dental hygiene isn’t your thing, maybe it’s a great goal. But you know what I mean. Make it a big goal – for you. Not something like “I’m giving up brussels sprouts for Lent.”)

That said, keep it realistic. “Travel to Mars” is probably too much of a stretch goal for most of us. Make sure that achieving your specific goal is within the realm of possibility for you, given your other obligations, your resources, and the available time.

Lastly, give yourself a deadline and stick to it!! Seriously, no squishy deadlines. Squishy deadlines are for other people. Would you make excuses to yourself, like “My dog ate my homework” if you don’t even have a dog? Nahh, no excuses and no squishy deadlines. That said, be kind to yourself – real excuses like, “I was hit by an 18-wheeler and I’m currently lying in traction in a Level 3 trauma center” is a good reason to miss a deadline. Remember what I said, earlier, about being flexible when it comes to your priorities? Adjust accordingly. Give yourself a break – or allow yourself time to heal from one.

So, returning to our “resolution” examples, let’s reframe those as “goals”:

Lose weight: Lose 20% of my body weight [calculate how many pounds “20%” is and divide that by 52 for a weekly goal] by December 31, 2026. Go one step further: how can you lose what you need to lose every week to achieve this? Calories to eat to stay healthy and not gain weight, calories to burn through exercise – how will you fit this into your daily routine?

Be a better friend: First, think about ways in which you have not been a good friend, or ways you could be a better one. Maybe we could all use “listen better” but that’s more of a resolution. “Ask two questions before speaking about myself, and really listen to the answer” or “Ask my friends how I can help them” would be better. “Consider what my friends need from me” is good, and maybe that translates to something like, “Have lunch with Mary twice a month and pick up the tab” or “run errands for Bob” to help a friend with mobility, memory, or transportation challenges.

Learn a new language: Try, instead, “Learn enough Italian to converse comfortably with a friend by studying Italian for 30 minutes a day throughout 2026,” or “…by enrolling in a class at the community college.” Consider your own learning style: do you prefer online or in-person learning? Try to frame your goal in a way that works for you.

Publish a novel: First, do you consider yourself a writer? If not, you might enroll in a creative writing class or workshop for beginners. Develop your skills. Next, figure out what genre  novel you want to write. Hint: start with the kind you most like to read, and read more of those. Figure out each step of the process. “Write 850 words every day through April, then edit carefully during May and June. Share the draft with a trusted friend or three and identify 3 agents and 3 publishers that look like they might be interested while those friends are busy reading. Edit again once you receive feedback, and start sending it to those agents/publishers.” There are so many ways to frame this one that it really is an individual thing, but the main point is to figure out where you are right now, and what steps will get you to where you want to be.

Your Turn!

Have you made any resolutions or goals for the coming year? Have you been successful with resolutions or goals in past years? Let me know in the comments.

Share your resolutions and goals or don’t. But do write them down and review them monthly. Be sure to record, regularly, all you’ve done towards fulfilling them or it’s almost a guarantee you’ll forget. Your future self will thank you as they marvel over all the things you’ve managed to do in 2026!