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A New Year's Eve, two ways
Last year's list is still on the fridge: gym, books, savings, sleep. Every item reads like a small accusation. This year you sit down for fifteen minutes on the 31st instead and write to the person who will open the envelope next December. You tell them about the flat, the friend you lost touch with, the job that got better in March. You ask them three questions. Then you seal it.
Twelve months later, the letter is not a scorecard. It is the only honest record of what you hoped for, written in your own handwriting, or at least your own words.
An illustrative scenario we wrote, not a user story.
II
How do you write a New Year letter to yourself?
Set a 15-minute timer, write to yourself one year from now in plain words, cover the year behind you, what you hope is true by next New Year and a few questions to answer, then seal it with an opening date. That is the whole method. The five prompts below make it easy to start.
- The year in one sentence. "This was the year I..." Do not edit it.
- One thing you are proud of, however small. A houseplant counts.
- One thing that was hard, and what got you through it.
- Three hopes, not rules. "I hope you finally..." beats "You must..."
- Three questions for future you. "Did the bike get fixed? Are you still at the same job? Who did you see most?"
Resolutions ask "did you comply?" A letter asks "how are you?"
III
New Year letter questions
What do you write in a New Year letter to yourself?
Three things work well: an honest look back at the year (one thing you are proud of, one thing that was hard), what you hope will be true by next New Year, and a few kind words for the person who will read it. Keep goals as hopes, not a scorecard.
How long should a letter to your future self be?
One page is plenty. Fifteen minutes of writing usually gives you 250 to 400 words, which is enough to sound like you without turning into a report.
When should I open my New Year letter?
The classic choice is the following New Year's Eve, so you read it just before writing the next one. Some people pick their birthday or the first day of spring instead. What matters is choosing the date now, while you write.
Is a New Year letter better than resolutions?
It does a different job. A resolution is a rule you can break by January 3rd. A letter is a record of who you were and what you hoped, so it stays useful even when plans change.
Can I keep the letter sealed so I don't peek?
On paper, it takes willpower. In Dear You, a sealed future letter stays locked until its day, even from you, and then opens in the app. Free covers one future letter waiting at a time.
Is Dear You free?
Free includes your first daily letter, two Open When letters, one future letter waiting at a time, write-back notes, search, Face ID lock, PDF export and backup. Dear You Plus (annual or monthly) adds unlimited future letters, a fresh matched letter every day, the full Open When shelf, the Sunday letter and all seven Journeys.
IV
What sealing a letter looks like in Dear You
Dear You is the app we make for this. A letter to future you can be sealed for a week, a month, a year, three years or five, and it stays locked until its day, even from you. When it arrives it opens in the app, and you can write back and seal the reply for a later you.
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Writing your letter to your future self in Dear You: 3 steps
- 1Write it on New Year's Eve. Use the five prompts above. Fifteen minutes, no rewrites.
- 2Seal it for one year. Pick the date it should open. Until then it stays locked, even from you.
- 3Read it, then write back. Next New Year it opens in the app. Reply, seal the reply for a later you, and the thread carries on for years.
The best New Year tradition is one that is still there in five years.
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Honest limits
- Free holds one future letter waiting at a time. Perfect for a single New Year letter. Unlimited future letters are part of Dear You Plus, annual (with a free trial for eligible new subscribers) or monthly.
- It lives on your iPhone. No account and no cloud of ours. Export, PDF or an optional password-protected backup you keep yourself are your safety net, so make one.
- It is not therapy. Dear You is a reflection and writing app, not a medical or mental-health service.
A design decision we made: a sealed letter cannot be opened early, not even with a hidden setting. We argued about it. A time capsule you can peek into is just a note, so we kept the lock.
VII
Who should do this on paper instead
If you love handwriting, a paper letter in a drawer is lovely and costs nothing. If you share a phone, or would rather the letter live somewhere physical, paper wins too. And if you want a full journaling app with photos, mood tracking and sync across devices, Dear You is deliberately smaller than that: letters, envelopes and the replies you write back.
Seal one for next January.
Download free on the App Store and write it on the 31st.
Download Dear You free on the App Store · Updated November 2026
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