New Year, New Comedy Goals?

Happy New Year and welcome to 2026!

Welcome to the part of the year where everyone has huge aspirations, we make all the plans, and set forth our goals for 2026 to become better as people. New Years is always a time full of hope, for about a week!

While you’re setting forth 2026 goals, have you thought about how to take your Comedy Life to the next level? In today’s article, I’m just going to share a few ideas that could potentially be your Comedy Goal for 2026….Feel free to uses all or none of them!

Go Ahead and ACTUALLY Send Those Booking Emails!

If you’re like me, you have a list of bookers and comedy clubs that you absolutely are going to shoot an avails email out…sometime next week maybe when you get a spare moment? And then a few weeks and months go by, and you have yet to send that email….And you’re also griping privately to comic buddies about how the places are never booking you.

Here’s a friendly reminder that if you don’t ask for a spot on a show, you could fall under the radar and not be considered for it. There are way more comedians then there are shows, so we need to stay on bookers radars. As a producer there are plenty of comedians that i want to book, but honestly forget about until they shoot me a message with their avails…and then I find a date for them! But had they not sent me that email or message, I hate to admit it but I would probably not remember them.

So who do you need to email today? Shoot your shot!

“Get Out There” More!

Maybe you read the last paragraphs I wrote and thought, “But Drew, I don’t even know who to email or message to get booked on a show.”

In that case, I suggest getting in your car and traveling more!

Go to a different city and try their open mics, meet their local comics, and potentially get booked on THEIR local showcases. Remember, above all, comedy is a business of relationships. Knowing the right people is a big chunk of any entertainment atmosphere and career. (But remember, once you get to the place where you are performing in front of the right people, you better have the act to impress them!)

And don’t forget about your local scene! Go to more open mics. Check out other comedians shows and support them. One, because it’s nice…but also two, that’s how you build the relationships to get on people’s radars. (It’s not fake if you genuinely are supportive to the show and comedian when you are there.)

It’s easy to stay home and just WANT to build our comedy careers, while never actually getting out there and finding stages and meeting people. Maybe your 2026 Resolution should be to “Get Out There” and Comedy more!

Be More Intentional With Your Time

Alternatively, maybe this is the year where you “Get Out There Less”, but are wiser with your time spent in comedy. When we first start standup, it’s tempting to want to go to everything, hit every mic, visit every show, and get booked on as many things as possible. A year into comedy, many people are ready (mentally) to leave their families and quit their day jobs to satisfy their addiction to the allure that is performing standup comedy.

And to be fair, the more you perform, the better you will get, faster.

BUT, as you become a more experienced comedian you will start learning who your audience is, where you perform best, which rooms are helpful for you, and which ones are not. You’ll start being able to discern which potential opportunities you would be a good fit for, and which ones you to skip past. And there is nothing wrong with, as a comedian, choosing what NOT to do because it’s not for you.

Don’t let your entire identity become “Comedian” because that can become sad and frustrating pretty quickly. Remember to have a life outside of comedy. To help with that, don’t be afraid to say “No” sometimes to Comedy.

New Year, New Material?

As you are getting out there and hitting more open mics, maybe it’s time to put those “Same Old Jokes” you do every week on the shelf for a bit and explore something new?

Maybe you want to take some time to write some new jokes, and feel free to expand what and how you are doing as a comedian. Try a different room, or different comedy style. Maybe try a new look?

Comedy is a form of expression, so perhaps there is an aspect of yourself that you weren’t ready to express last year that you are in 2026.

Maybe, as you are building healthier habits for a healthier you, you can start scheduling time every day, or even just once a week, to sit down and write more. You have other friends that might have the same new years resolution, so maybe 2026 is the year where you start a comedian’s writers group!

If Comedy isn’t feeling fun right now, it might be because you are internally tired of your material.

It’s never to late to write your newest and funniest joke!

Just Do It!

I know many folks that love listening to comedy and watching standup specials, and always say “I’m going to try this one day!” They go to open mics to see what’s it like. Maybe they’ve even written jokes. But when push comes to shove, when it’s time to sign up, they get nervous and never put their name on any open mic list. Then after the open mic they say, “maybe next week I’ll get up there and give it a try!”

If that’s you, I just want to quote the shoe company to you and say, “Just Do It!” Maybe 2026 is the year where you actually try comedy for the first time. I always tell my comedy classes that you will know by the end of your very first set whether this is something you’d like to do again or not. And it’s a win/win scenario….Either you try comedy, love it, and do it more OR you try it, realize it’s not for you, and then you can tell your friends you tried it once.

So if you’ve been sitting on the idea of trying standup comedy, rip that band aid off and go to an open mic and tell your jokes! And if you need extra help, consider taking a comedy class! And if they don’t offer any where you live, please reach out to me and I’ll help you either personally or help you find another option.

Honestly, if you have made it to the end of this article and have been thinking of doing comedy but have never actually tried it…You owe it to yourself to try!

These are just some ideas for possible comedy goals, but maybe you already have your standup New Years Resolution set already? I’d love to hear it! Feel free to share in the comments below or offer any other suggestions for the greater good. Thank you as always for reading, and Happy New Year!