Six automations for a stronger start to 2026

We’re a few days into January, and let’s be honest, how are those resolutions holding up?

If you're like most people, you started the year with big plans and plenty of energy. But here's the thing: good intentions only get you so far when you're juggling work, life, and everything in between. Sometimes you just need a little help staying on track.

That's where IFTTT (If This Then That) comes in. It connects all your apps and devices to work together seamlessly. Think of it as the bridge between your calendar, your phone, your smart home, and pretty much any app you use regularly.

Start a free trial of IFTTT Pro and unlock even more ways to automate your year. Whether it's building on these six automations or creating entirely new workflows, you'll have everything you need to stay on track with those 2026 goals.

Let's look at six automations that can actually make 2026 easier.

1. End your workday with a win (even on the rough days)

Some days you're on fire. Other days you're just trying to survive. Either way, you deserve a little recognition when you finally close that laptop.

Set up an automation that triggers when your work calendar ends (or when you leave your office location, or at a specific time you choose). Anthropic Claude sends you a personalized end-of-day message that acknowledges your efforts and helps you transition out of work mode.

Most of us are terrible at celebrating our own wins or being kind to ourselves after hard days, but consistent positive feedback actually helps prevent burnout and keeps you going.

2. Finally know where your money actually goes

Ever look at your bank account and wonder where all your money went?

You can automatically log every card purchase to a Google Sheet. Every coffee, impulse buy, and forgotten subscription. It's all there in neat rows, giving you a clear picture of your spending.

And here's the thing: awareness changes behavior. When you can see that you spent $200 on takeout last month, suddenly cooking at home sounds more appealing. Plus, tax season becomes way less painful when everything's already organized.

3. Stop forgetting all those things you want to learn

You know that feeling when you stumble across something fascinating and think "I should learn more about this," then completely forget about it by tomorrow?

Set up the IFTTT Note widget to quickly capture topics you want to explore. It compiles these notes and emails them to you daily, while also saving them to your iOS Reading List. Curious about something random at 2AM? Jot it down. Heard an interesting concept in a podcast? Add it to the list.

Our brains are great at generating curiosity but terrible at remembering what we wanted to learn, so this system captures those sparks and turns them into an actual learning roadmap.

4. Never lose track of "oh, that looks good" moments

You're at a bookstore. A friend mentions an amazing book. You see an intriguing movie poster. Someone on the train is reading something that catches your eye. What usually happens? You think "I'll remember that" and then immediately don't.

Set up an automation that lets you snap a photo of any book cover or movie poster, which automatically saves to a dedicated list. Now you've got a running collection you can actually reference when you're staring at Netflix trying to figure out what to watch, or when you're at the bookstore with no idea what to pick up.

Your future self will thank you.

5. Break out of your food rut (without the research)

Food ruts are real. Before you know it, you're ordering from the same three places wondering why everything feels so repetitive.

Connect Yelp to send you a weekly roundup of newly opened restaurants nearby. Suddenly, you're the person who knows about the new ramen spot before everyone else. You're exploring your city instead of defaulting to the same rotation of safe choices, and you didn't have to spend an hour researching to make it happen.

Novelty creates happiness and trying new restaurants is one of the simplest ways to add variety to your routine.

6. Never have that moment in a meeting again

You know the moment: you're in a serious meeting, and your phone suddenly goes off at full volume, and you're diving for it while everyone stares.

Set up an automation that mutes your Android phone when a meeting starts on your Google Calendar. You'll never have to do that awkward scramble again or give apologetic looks across the table and you can stop mentally running through whether you remembered to silence it before every important call.

It's one less thing to remember which means one less thing to stress about.

More Applets worth exploring

These six are just the beginning. IFTTT has thousands of Applets covering everything from smart home routines to photo backups to fitness tracking.

The bottom line

New Year's resolutions fail because they rely entirely on willpower, and willpower runs out fast. But your technology? It never gets tired of doing the same task over and over.

These six automations aren't about becoming a completely different person in 2026. They're about removing friction from the things you already want to do: stay financially aware, intellectually curious, professionally organized, and occasionally celebrate your wins.

IFTTT makes it simple: use already published Applets or create custom workflows in seconds. No coding, no tech expertise, just pick your trigger and action.

Start a free trial of IFTTT Pro and start automating!