Why am I so bad at replying to texts?

Kate Lindsay opens by explaining her approach to New Year's resolutions—she typically sets vague, unwritten goals that she never tracks. However, there is one resolution that stands out because she knows with certainty that she fails it every single year: getting better at responding to texts. She has set this same goal every January 1st for the past 10 years, comparing it to a perpetual diet that never actually starts. Lindsay describes text message responsiveness as a piece of self-improvement that haunts her constantly, as there is virtually never a moment when she isn't owing someone a response. She provides a concrete example of her current situation: three people are actively waiting for her to answer their texts—whether to respond to questions, confirm availability, or simply acknowledge that she received their messages. She emphasizes that these are all people she genuinely likes and that the conversations themselves are neither difficult nor emotionally fraught. Despite these mitigating factors, she attributes her failure to respond to a personal shortcoming, noting that her standard excuse—that she is simply bad at replying—has worn thin from overuse and no longer carries endearing weight.