Goals for 2026

Is it late to be talking about 2026 goals yet?

January is almost finished but I'm not done thinking about what I want to do for this year. I'm not keeping rigid goals, it's more like intentions for 2026. I want to do better at a few things which would really smoothen out my life and make it fun. These things have been on my mind since late last year so I want to work on them.

I wasn't going to write this post but I felt like writing something. So, I picked the latest Top Ten Tuesday prompt. Grab a drink (I made chai) and let's talk about goals for 2026!

blog whatever, whenever, & maybe lesser

This is a tiny bit inspired by Naemi taking a step back from her blog and having so much fun in other parts of life. I've been blogging for 10 years and while it's still one of my favourite hobbies, I've realised that the time I devote to it is more than I should.

I still love writing about my favourite things but I've been killing the joy in it by over-planning it. I thrive with a plan but it doesn't make it very fun. At one point last year, I was stressing because I was taking too much time to write the Japan Trip Log because "I was behind schedule." I know, it doesn't have to be something I stick to. But whenever I commit to something, I have a sense of obligation to see through it.

So, for 2026, I am not committing to blogging. I want to blog when I feel like it. I want to write what calls to me at the moment. I want to take breaks without thinking about how I've not posted in a while. I want to loosen the reigns on what I write—I don't want to push myself to make every post a grand thing. I want to try writing more discussion posts based on prompts without thinking too much about whether I have enough to say.

I still love the process of writing blog posts—the outlining and ruminating before writing—so I'll probably still do it for some posts. That way, the posts that I really love get the attention and time they deserve. I also want to have fun by deciding what to write after opening the editor (like today) and finishing the post quickly. Spending 3 days on each post is tiring and not going to work with the hundred other things I want to do.

Because I still have the habit of writing fairly often, I've been posting the same amount on the blog. I'm foreseeing that it'll reduce as the year progresses because I'll start using my time to do other things.

read intentionally

I am not proud of my 2025 reading. I read based on my mood and I mostly picked romances that I can read quickly. I didn't read many books that take more time and are rewarding more than the experience of reading it. 2025 was one of my worst reading years in terms of quality. I also barely read any paperbacks.

In 2026, I want to pick my books more intentionally. That means:

• Stop picking books at first glance from Kindle Unlimited. Because KU makes it so easy to borrow books, I give so many books a shot without thinking about whether I have a good feeling about them. KU has some great books but it's so easy to be lost in a sea of average ones. I'm not on social media to know about good ones either. So, I need to be more picky. Maybe I'll stop the subscription for a while too.
• Read a few fantasy series. The one good thing I did last year was read a fantasy series of 4 big books. It was fun. I want to read more fantasy series. It's been a while since I lost myself in a good world with a long story. I won't set a number of series as a goal but I just want to give them a shot and have fun reading them.
• Read more non-fiction. I actually do like non-fiction. I realized the kind of non-fic books I like a few years ago and have found many helpful books. I really dropped the ball on reading non-fiction in 2025. I was kind of embarrassed to see the number at the end. So, I want to read more non-fic. I have enough on my TBR list.
• Read more paperbacks. The main reason I didn't read many paperback books last year was because I don't live near my favourite bookstore anymore and I don't have another one like it here which makes reading paperbacks that affordable. Books are expensive, okay?! I don't want to buy everything off Amazon as well. I want to at least read the paperbacks I already have this year and figure out another way to get more to read—maybe it is borrowing books from friends, going to Bangalore often to go to the bookstore, or find a library here. I just need to figure out a system to keep the paperbacks coming. I've only got about 7 unread with me.
• Reread outside of comfort romance books. Whenever I want to reread, it's always one of the few comfort romance books I like. There are so many other books from my childhood that I want to reread. So, the next time I want to pick up a familiar story, I hope to reach for those instead of the regular rotation. I want to reread books like the Legend series, Percy Jackson series, The Shadow of the Wind, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, etc.

do more hobby projects

While doing The Artist's Way last year, I got into doing tiny hobby projects like crocheting and painting. It had been so long since I did a project that had an end, unlike blogging 😂 It was fun because there was an end to it and I could look forward to doing something later. This is one of the reasons I want to blog lesser, so that I have more time to do other hobbies that have an end.

On a pink sticky note on my wall, I wrote a list of "hobbies to try" and I'm working my way through it one by one. I crossed off 3 and am in the midst of the 4th right now. It's nice. I like the idea of "trying" because it means I'm a beginner and I can mess up. Who knows if the things out well? And who cares?

I do plan on, eventually, returning to some of these hobbies because I already loved crocheting and doing a paint-by-numbers. I have grand plans of making stuff for friends. I'd love to give gifts that I made with my hands. We'll see if it pans out. I'm not on a deadline.

The point of this is to have fun, basically. It's so that I have something to do other than reading forever and always working on the next blog post because blogging never ends. It's also so that I don't spend too much time bingeing on tv shows and get the urge to install social media and scroll. Having things I made dotted throughout my home would be nice too 😌

educate myself on finance

I already spoke about this in a couple of previous posts. There's so much to know about in the financial landscape and I barely know 2% of it. Right now, it's not enough to earn a good salary. You also have to know how to best distribute your savings. It's about having the right insurances and having the right term cover depending on debts and dependents. It's an ongoing project to be aware of what's going on in the financial world.

I don't expect to know everything within this year but I want to be educated enough that I understand what people are talking about. It helps that I'm surrounded by people who take their finance seriously at work. I want to know the basics and then what to keep myself informed about.

The most complicated part about personal finance is that every person's needs are unique. I can't copy someone else's plan. I've got to figure out my requirements, priorities, and the risk I'm okay with. I have to make a plan for myself and carefully, with a lot of research, take decisions.

In 2026, I want to educate myself on personal finance and make a plan for myself. It will definitely change next year and I'll have to redo a few things. But it will be easier once I have the initial groundwork laid out.

When I went to Instagram for something recently, I saw a post about "admin hangouts/dates" where friends get together to do life admin work. I'm at that stage of life right now 😂 There's always something or the other to be researching into or deciding on.

be on top of my health

I'm in the middle of a health crisis right now which affects my daily life and my quality of life. I've been trying to live in blissful ignorance by doing the basic things but it's cleat that it's not enough now.

In 2026, I want to actively take care of myself. That means doing the necessary tests, not ignoring small issues until they blow up, taking required meds and doing the necessary doctor visits. I'm young enough to bounce back with the right steps.

This also means taking care of my mental health—journalling often, taking breaks to do nothing, doing things purely for joy, and more.

chat with me!

Those 5 goals are pretty big, especially the last 3. I've got my work cut out for the year. I'm happy to say that I've already started working on these. I just have to keep going in the right direction.

Do you have any goals for 2026? Do we have any in common? Do you have any fun goals?